Say Goodbye to the Humvee
Posted: August 28, 2015 Filed under: Guns and Gadgets, War Room | Tags: AM General, Corporation, Humvee, Improvised explosive device, Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, Lockheed Martin, MRAP, Oshkosh Corporation, The Pentagon, United States Army 1 Comment
The new offering provides underbody and side-armor protection similar to a tank’s, but retains the on-ground and in-theater mobility of an all-terrain vehicle.
Matt Yurus reports: This week marks the beginning of the end for the Humvee.
That’s because the US Army chose Oshkosh Defense to manufacture about 55,000 joint light tactical vehicles (JLTVs) that will become the successors to Humvees and mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles (MRAPs). The initial contract awarded to Oshkosh on Tuesday is for $6.7 billion and 17,000 vehicles. The total contract, valued at up to $30 billion, could provide the Wisconsin-based company with work through 2040.
“The Humvee has since accompanied troops in Panama, the Persian Gulf, Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. But now the mainstay military vehicles are being sold off by the dozen, with the bidding starting at $7,500.”
The new offering provides underbody and side-armor protection similar to a tank’s, but retains the on-ground and in-theater mobility of an all-terrain vehicle. The vehicle’s reduced weight allows it to be transported by Chinook helicopters and amphibious vessels, a feat that was largely impossible with MRAPs.
[Read the full story here, at VICE News]
Thousands of MRAPs were purchased in response to the traditional Humvees’ failures to sufficiently protect troops from the widespread use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by Iraqi insurgents in the mid-2000s. It was not unusual for soldiers to stack sandbags on the floors of the vehicles for added protection — and still have to contend with canvas for doors. The introduction of the MRAP solved the protection problem, though it came at the expense of battlefield mobility.
Watch VICE News’ ‘Rearming Iraq: The New Arms Race.’
“Our JLTV has been extensively tested and is proven to provide the ballistic protection of a light tank, the underbody protection of an MRAP-class vehicle, and the off-road mobility of a Baja racer,” John M. Urias, president of Oshkosh Defense, said in a statement. Read the rest of this entry »
Governor Abbott Signs Resolution Posthumously Awarding Chris Kyle The Texas Legislative Medal Of Honor
Posted: June 18, 2015 Filed under: Law & Justice, Self Defense, U.S. News, War Room | Tags: Barack Obama, Chris Kyle, Fallujah, Improvised explosive device, Iraq War, Medal of Honor, Rick Perry, Texas, United States, United States Navy SEALs 1 Comment
Governor Greg Abbott today signed House Concurrent Resolution 85 (Wray, R-Waxahachie; Birdwell, R-Granbury) to posthumously award the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor to Chief Petty Officer Chris Kyle, a native Texan and Navy SEAL who served four tours in Iraq and is recognized as the most lethal sniper in United States military history. During the legislative session, Governor Abbott also dedicated a portion of Highway 287 in Midlothian, TX as “Chris Kyle Memorial Highway” and proclaimed February 2nd to be “Chris Kyle Day” in the State of Texas.
“Since its inception, the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor has been awarded to those in the State of Texas who have 
demonstrated extraordinary heroism as a member of state or federal military forces, and there is no one more deserving of this year’s award than Chief Petty Officer Chris Kyle,” said Governor Abbott. “Kyle is one of the legions of valiant warriors who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and served our great nation with unrivaled honor, bravery and heroism. For his remarkable valiancy, it is my honor to posthumously award the 2015 Texas Legislative Medal of Honor to Chief Petty Officer Chris Kyle.”
To view the resolution, click here.
Office of the Governor – Greg Abbott
BREAKING: Bomb Blasts Kill 20 People In and Around Baghdad
Posted: June 9, 2015 Filed under: Breaking News, Global, War Room | Tags: 2007 Yazidi communities bombings, Al Jazeera, Baghdad, Car bomb, Falastin Street, Improvised explosive device, Iraq, Iraqi security forces, Islam, Shia Islam 2 Comments
BAGHDAD (AP) — A series of bombings targeting public places and Iraqi security forces killed 20 people in and around Baghdad on Tuesday, officials said.
The deadliest attack took place on Tuesday night, when a car bomb went off near restaurants and shop in Palestine Street in eastern Baghdad, killing 10 people, including three women. The bombing also wounded 24 people, police officials said.
Several shops and cars were burned in the attack and police sealed off the blast area.
Earlier in the day, a roadside bomb struck an army patrol in Youssifiyah, just south of the Iraqi capital, killing three soldiers and one civilian. At least eight people were wounded in that attack, the officials said. Read the rest of this entry »
Elections Massacre: Lawmaker, 8 Others Killed by Insurgents in Gombe, Nigeria
Posted: March 28, 2015 Filed under: Global, Politics | Tags: Adenomatous polyposis coli, Biu, Boko Haram, Fula people, Gombe State, Improvised explosive device, Islamism, Nigeria, Polling place, Reuters, Yobe State 1 Comment
A member of Gombe State House of Assembly, Alhaji Umar Aminu (APC), and eight others are feared killed by insurgents on Saturday. The insurgents who attacked Dukku and Nafada local government areas of the state were said to have killed the lawmaker representing Dukku South Constituency.
A source told newsmen that the insurgents, who came from Yobe, initially attacked Shole, Birin Bolewa and Birin Fulani towns of Nafada and later attacked Dukku. There was confusion in the two areas as some voters left the polling units but others later returned to be accredited, the source said.
Gombe State, located in the northeastern part of Nigeria, is one of the country’s 36 states; its capital is Gombe. The boundaries of the state roughly correspond to those of the Tangale-Waja Chiefdom and Gombe Emirate, a traditional state.
According to the source, the insurgents killed three persons in Nafada Local Government Area, including a policeman and killed six persons in Dukku Local Government Area, including the legislator.
The source further said the insurgents left on the Dukku-Darazo road after the attack.
DSP Fwaje Atajiri, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, confirmed the report, adding that details of the incident would be given after investigations were completed. “There was an attack on the outskirts of Nafada in attempt to disrupt the elections.”
A joint team of military and policemen promptly moved to Dukku and pushed the insurgents to the bush,” he said. Atajiri said elections were going on in the area and other areas of the state as the Special Forces were in control of the situation. Read the rest of this entry »
pundit from another planet 