Army shuns system to combat RPGs
Experts agree it might help save lives, so why isn’t it in the field?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14686871/

"Sixteen months ago, commanders in Iraq began asking the Pentagon for a new system to counter RPGs
and other anti-tank weapons.

According to this NBC report that aired on last night's Nightly News, it seems the army is willing to
wait till 2011 or longer for Raytheon to re-invent the "wheel". That would be all well and good in some cases,
but in this case waiting for that glorious day is killing our troops and crushing their families.

Wes, according to this article, The $70 million contract for that program had been awarded to an
Army favorite, Raytheon. Raytheon’s contract constitutes a small but important part of the Army’s massive
modernization program called the Future Combat System (FCS), which has been under fire in Congress on
account of ballooning costs and what critics say are unorthodox procurement practices.

I remember when you were running, you spoke of the advantage you would have in cutting the pork in the military
because you knew where much of it was hidden. I believed you then and still believe it to be true. Unfortunately;
we've weren't able to get you into the position to do the cutting.

A Col. Donald Kotchman, is the guy tasked with heading the program to develope RPG defense and according to him,
Kotchman, however, says the Army is doing everything prudent to provide for the protection and safety of
U.S. forces and insists the Israeli system is not ready to be deployed by the U.S. “Trophy has not demonstrated
its capability to be successfully integrated into a system and continue to perform its wartime mission”

Sounds good...but the article further states, That claim, however, is disputed by other Pentagon officials
as well as internal documents obtained by NBC News. In an e-mail, a senior official writes: “Trophy is a system
that is ready — today... We need to get this capability into the hands of our warfighters ASAP because:
(1) It will save lives!”

Officials also tell NBC News that according to the Pentagon’s own method of measuring a weapons system’s
readiness, Trophy is “between a 7 and an 8” out of a possible score of 9. Raytheon’s system is said to be
a “3.”

What can we do to stop this nonsense Wes? The onus seems to be on the Army alone on this one...not the Pentagon,
not the administration, but the ARMY!

How do we voice our outrage to the Army? Where do we direct our indignation...send a letter to Army c/o...who?

I'm sorry for ranting, but on top of the other examples of disregard for the safety and well being of our
service personnel, this has just sent me over the edge and I don't know where to go with my rage.

How do we stop this outrageous dereliction of duty?