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Thursday, January 12, 2006

The Pentagon and Senator John Warner describe their plan to increase US deaths in Iraq by reducing servicemen's mobility under excessive weight. Reuters

WASHINGTON, Jan 11 (Reuters) - U.S. troops in Iraq are using body armor that strikes a balance of protecting them while allowing movement to do their jobs and withstand hot temperatures, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.

[snip]

"We must not burden our soldiers with weight to the point that they become ineffective and susceptible to other dangers," Army Major Gen. Stephen Speakes told reporters after the briefing.

[snip]

Virginia Republican Sen. John Warner, Armed Services Committee chairman, said [snip]

Adding more body armor to existing systems that can weigh nearly 90 pounds could "reduce the mobility of the individual to a point where he or she can't even protect themselves in trying to dodge certain situations in combat," Warner said.

The Pentagon is in the process of getting new side and shoulder protections [snip]

Major Gen. Jeffrey Sorenson, deputy for the Army's acquisition and systems management, said 230,000 sets of new side armor were to be delivered to Iraq throughout this year.


Yep you read that right (and all edits were deletions as indicated). The official Pentagon position is that the currently deployed armor strikes the right balance between protection and mobility and that they are sending over heavier armor.

Got to get you lies straight generals.

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