Still Failing After All These Years
Christ, this subject was discussed so long ago, yet we STILL can't get our troops the armor they desperately need?
Can I ask the most STUPID QUESTION EVER? Why do these companies have to each come up with their own design? Don't you think it would be prudent to design ONE PLATE, make sure it meets military standards (or, perhaps EXCEED military standards?), then award contracts to all the companies that can make them?
It seems like an INCREDIBLE waste of time and manpower that could otherwise be spent producing these essential pieces of armor. I suppose it could be said that this is the R&D stage of a completely new piece of equipment, but I would hope that the military would already have armor that they've used effectively, so why not go with that design and throw them into production.
If they don't already have an effective piece of equipment, that tells me that the military is woefully behind the insurgents and they're just trying to play catch-up. That is frightening. Aren't we supposed to have one of the most advanced militaries in the world?
The article goes on to describe how military officials underestimated the strength of insurgents and how they tried to keep this lack of armor on the DL so insurgents wouldn't know how poorly equipped our troops are.
Great. Nearly every day I get a comment about how us liberals don't support the troops, but these commenters fail to see the irony in that. Our own military officials can't support our troops.
What the hell is going ON around here?
For the second time since the Iraq war began, the Pentagon is struggling to replace body armor that is failing to protect American troops from the most lethal attacks by insurgents.
The ceramic plates in vests worn by most personnel cannot withstand certain munitions the insurgents use. But more than a year after military officials initiated an effort to replace the armor with thicker, more resistant plates, tens of thousands of soldiers are still without the stronger protection because of a string of delays in the Pentagon's procurement system...
Among the problems contributing to the delays in getting the stronger body armor, the Pentagon is relying on a cottage industry of small armor makers with limited production capacity. In addition, each company must independently come up with its own design for the plates, which then undergo military testing. Just four vendors have begun making the enhanced armor, according to military and industry officials. Two more companies are expected to receive contracts by next month, while 20 or more others have plates that are still being tested.
Can I ask the most STUPID QUESTION EVER? Why do these companies have to each come up with their own design? Don't you think it would be prudent to design ONE PLATE, make sure it meets military standards (or, perhaps EXCEED military standards?), then award contracts to all the companies that can make them?
It seems like an INCREDIBLE waste of time and manpower that could otherwise be spent producing these essential pieces of armor. I suppose it could be said that this is the R&D stage of a completely new piece of equipment, but I would hope that the military would already have armor that they've used effectively, so why not go with that design and throw them into production.
If they don't already have an effective piece of equipment, that tells me that the military is woefully behind the insurgents and they're just trying to play catch-up. That is frightening. Aren't we supposed to have one of the most advanced militaries in the world?
The article goes on to describe how military officials underestimated the strength of insurgents and how they tried to keep this lack of armor on the DL so insurgents wouldn't know how poorly equipped our troops are.
Great. Nearly every day I get a comment about how us liberals don't support the troops, but these commenters fail to see the irony in that. Our own military officials can't support our troops.
What the hell is going ON around here?
by MG at 4:00 PM
11 Comments:
"Why do these companies have to each come up with their own design?"
I don't know for sure that this is the answer, but I'll bet it has to do with patent laws. Whoever designs the thing holds the patent, and if someone else produces an identical piece, it's a patent violation unless the patent holder is getting a cut. Now, I know that considering the situation, the RIGHT thing for a patent holder to do would be to allow others to produce the product without an additional charge. Heck, even with a modest kickback. But our society (overall) is so greedy that I doubt highly that'd even be an option. Especially since every manufacturer of body armor sells to not only the US military, but also to foreign militaries, police and even private citizens. So waiving patent rights opens the door for a "competitor" to make a huge profit off the developer's work.
Phil
http://nomadechoes.blogdrive.com
Part of this problem, at least, comes from the fact that weapons and armor are constantly being obsoleted. Also, I think part of the problem is that certain friends of El Shrubboo, people like the House of Saud, are funding the insurgents and the yare therefor getting better equipment as needs arise. That means the war can and will only get worse. If only the royals of Saud and others like them were to mysteriously die...
WOuldn't you think though that the military would hold the actual patent? Follow me on this...
Military wants to build a better mousetrap. They annouce that they are looking for companies to research and design something new and improved. Say 20 companies are interested. Based on proposals and previous success, the military chooses the top 7 companies and awards them $1 million each to move forward with R&D.
Those 7 companies all come up with an independent pieces that the military wants to test to see which company they want to award the ultimate contract to. (In reality, according to what I read in the article, the military is in this stage of the game).
Ultimatly, one company's design is purchased by the military (i.e. the military purchases the patent) and the military hires as many companies to produce the mousetrap based on this one design.
This seems entirely logical, except that if this is the case, the US military is years behind the game. This appears to be yet another area that clearly demonstrates a decline of the "global edge" - where once we were at the top, we are now many notches below and losing steam.
For a lot of things, it would indeed make sense for the military to hold the patent. But that's not the way it works. And, in many cases it wouldn't make sense.
McDonnal-Douglas holds the patent for the F15 fighter. Colt (I believe) holds the patent for the M16 & M4 rifle. AM General (a division of GM) holds the patent for the M998 (HMMWV or "Hummer"). If the companies didn't own the patents, they'd run into problems developing/advancing/improving the designs. It would also prevent them from marketting civilian derivatives. That prospect (along with the financial gains associated with it) is a big deal to the companies. If the military were to hold the patents, the developers would need to be compensated HEAVILY for giving up the patent rights.
In the case of body armor, if the military held the patent, companies would run into legal problems trying to market the armor (or derivatives/similar models) to police, foreign gov'ts and civilians. And guess who'd have to compensate them for that "loss of income" . . . we, the taxpayers.
Phil
http://nomadechoes.blogdrive.com
Okay, I guess that does make sense regarding the patents.
Just seems odd that we would be so behind in getting troops more protective gear.
Moxie : Military procurement is a barrel of pork. They say the Latest Hornet has a bit made in every state.
So to spread something like body armour plates around you have to engage different co's.
That's the way it works around the world.
Don't foster any illusions that the way the military runs has anything to do with logic. The Hummer is the most useless pile of crap, you never see any of the private armies in Baghdad using it, they prefer an unarmoured Ford or Dodge that has speed acceleration and aircon.
Add armour to a humvee 0-60 never as it has a top speed maybe 45 mph. turining circle is no good in narrow streets.
Even the 5 ton trucks have a top speed of 45 mph no armour, no seat belts.
Ideal targets for IED's.
EXCERPT FROM THE MOVIE, “GOOD WILL HUNTING.”
WILL
What did I think?
A beat. Will has obviously been stewing on this.
WILL (cont'd)
Say I'm working at N.S.A. Somebody puts a code on my desk, something nobody else can break. So I take a shot at it and maybe I break it. And I'm real happy with myself, 'cause I did my job well. But maybe that code was the location of some rebel army in North Africa or the Middle East. Once they have that location, they bomb the village where the rebels were hiding and fifteen hundred people I never had a problem with get killed.
(rapid fire) Now the politicians are sayin' "send in the Marines to secure the area" 'cause they don't give a shit. It won't be their kid over there, gettin' shot. Just like it wasn't them when their number got called, 'cause they were pullin' a tour in the National
Guard. It'll be some guy from Southie takin' shrapnel in the ass. And he comes home to find that the plant he used to work at got exported to the country he just got back from.
And the guy who put the shrapnel in his ass got his old job, 'cause he'll
work for fifteen cents a day and no bathroom breaks. Meanwhile my buddy from Southie realizes the only reason he was over there was so we could install a government that would sell us oil at a good price. And of course the oil companies used the skirmish to scare up oil prices so they could turn a quick buck. A cute, little ancillary benefit for them but it ain't helping my buddy at two-fifty a gallon. And naturally they're takin' their sweet time bringin' the oil back and maybe even took the liberty of hiring an alcoholic skipper who likes to drink seven and sevens and play slalom with the icebergs and it ain't too long 'til he hits one, spills the oil, and kills all the sea-life in the North Atlantic. So my buddy's out of
work and he can't afford to drive so he's got to walk to the job interviews which sucks 'cause the shrapnel in his ass is givin' him chronic hemorrhoids. And meanwhile he's starvin' 'cause every time he tries to get a bite to eat the only blue-plate special they're servin'
is North Atlantic scrod with Quaker State (A Pause)
WILL (cont'd)
So what'd I think? I'm holdin' out for somethin' better. I figure I'll eliminate the middle man. Why not just shoot my buddy, take his job and give it to his sworn enemy, hike up gas prices, bomb a village, club a baby seal, hit the hash pipe and join the National Guard? Christ, I could be elected President.
SEAN
Do you think you're alone?
poetic
More on patents and a proposed solution to the armor plate issue at my post on this subject:
http://watchdog.typepad.com
For a Corporate Map go here - www.theyrule.net/html/about.php
and click on They Rule.
This by way of a German friend.
There have been major exceptions to the patent situation in the past made in the name of national defense.
The Jeep was invented by a small company in Pennsylvania, when the government put out a request for designs for a new military light truck. This small company was the only one to come up with anything close to the government's specs, and the only one to deliver a working prototype on time (driving the prototype from north of Pittsburgh to Washington, DC the night before).
Their reward for all their ingenuity and work was to see their design given to two other companies for actual production, while they got a small contract for wagons to be pulled by the very Jeeps they invented.
Despite having invented one of the most popular vehicles of the twentieth century, they are now bankrupt and forgotten, because the government required them to give away the design.
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