Rep. Neil Abercrombie and Rep. Gene Taylor Hold a Joint Hearing On the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle Program

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Rep. Neil Abercrombie and Rep. Gene Taylor Hold a Joint Hearing On the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle Program

HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE, SUBCOMMITTEE ON SEAPOWER AND EXPEDITIONARY FORCES SUBCOMMITTEE ON AIR AND LAND FORCES AND HOLD A JOINT HEARING ON THE MINE RESISTANT AMBUSH PROTECTED VEHICLE PROGRAM

JULY 19, 2007

SPEAKERS: SUBCOMMITTEE ON SEAPOWER AND EXPEDITIONARY FORCES REP. GENE TAYLOR, D-MISS. CHAIRMAN REP. NEIL ABERCROMBIE, D-HAWAII REP. RICK LARSEN, D-WASH. DEL. MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO, D-GUAM REP. BRAD ELLSWORTH, D-IND. REP. JOE COURTNEY, D-CONN. REP. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND, D-N.Y. REP. JOE SESTAK, D-PA. REP. IKE SKELTON, D-MO. EX OFFICIO

REP. ROSCOE G. BARTLETT, R-MD. RANKING MEMBER REP. KEN CALVERT, R-CALIF. REP. TERRY EVERETT, R-ALA. REP. JO ANN DAVIS, R-VA. REP. J. RANDY FORBES, R-VA. REP. JOE WILSON, R-S.C. REP. BILL SHUSTER, R-PA. REP. DUNCAN HUNTER, R-CALIF. EX OFFICIO

SUBCOMMITTEE ON AIR AND LAND FORCES REP. NEIL ABERCROMBIE, D-HAWAII CHAIRMAN REP. JOHN M. SPRATT JR., D-S.C. REP. SOLOMON P. ORTIZ, D-TEXAS REP. SILVESTRE REYES, D-TEXAS REP. ADAM SMITH, D-WASH. REP. MIKE MCINTYRE, D-N.C. REP. ELLEN O. TAUSCHER, D-CALIF. REP. ROBERT A. BRADY, D-PA. REP. JIM MARSHALL, D-GA. REP. DAN BOREN, D-OKLA. REP. HANK JOHNSON, D-GA. REP. JOE SESTAK, D-PA. REP. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS, D-ARIZ. REP. KENDRICK B. MEEK, D-FLA. REP. KATHY CASTOR, D-FLA. REP. IKE SKELTON, D-MO. EX OFFICIO

REP. H. JAMES SAXTON, R-N.J. RANKING MEMBER REP. HOWARD P. "BUCK" MCKEON, R-CALIF. REP. JEFF MILLER, R-FLA. REP. JOE WILSON, R-S.C. REP. FRANK A. LOBIONDO, R-N.J. REP. TOM COLE, R-OKLA. REP. ROB BISHOP, R-UTAH REP. MICHAEL R. TURNER, R-OHIO REP. CANDICE S. MILLER, R-MICH. REP. PHIL GINGREY, R-GA. REP. CATHY MCMORRIS, R-WASH. REP. GEOFF DAVIS, R-KY. REP. TODD AKIN, R-MO. REP. DUNCAN HUNTER, R-CALIF. EX OFFICIO WITNESSES: JOHN YOUNG, DIRECTOR, DEFENSE RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING, MRAP TASK FORCE

BRIGADIER GENERAL MICHAEL BROGAN (USMC), COMMANDER, MARINE CORPS SYSTEMS COMMAND

LIEUTENANT GENERAL JOHN CASTELLAW (USMC), DEPUTY COMMANDANT, PROGRAMS AND RESOURCES

LIEUTENANT GENERAL STEPHEN SPEAKES (USA), DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF, ARMY G-8

[*] TAYLOR: The committee will come to order.

Today, the Seapower and Expeditionary Forces Subcommittee joins the Air and Land Forces Subcommittee in open session to receive testimony concerning our number one priority: the safety of American servicemen and women serving in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This hearing is focused on the procurement of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle, MRAP. The MRAP family of vehicles offers significant protection for the troops from mines and IEDs exploding under their vehicle. This is due to increased ground clearance and, most importantly, to a V-shaped undercarriage which helps channel the force of the blast away from the vehicle.

Make no mistake; this is not just another hearing on a Department of Defense program experiencing difficulty in cost and schedule. This is a hearing concerning the life and death of our soldiers, sailors and Marines serving in Iraq.

I've not been satisfied with the response of the Bush administration to the force protection needs of our troops. In fact, I see this as the fourth verse of a really stupid song.

The first verse was that not every trooper needed the best body armor. The Guard and Reserve don't need it because they're going to be in the back lines. And only after people died needlessly did every trooper get the SAPI plates.

The second verse was on up-armor, that not every vehicle needs to be up-armored. And then the requirement was set artificially low. And for those of you who don't talk DOD, the requirement was a number that the Department of Defense came up with as to how many vehicles that left the bases would be armored, and the DOD repeatedly told us that they had met requirement, only for the moms and dads to needlessly lose their kids when we found out the requirement wasn't 100 percent of the vehicles; it was at different times 20 percent, 40 percent, 60 percent, and ...

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