Marines halt MRAP report

[unhappycamper]

Spokesman: Report beyond original purpose
Writer claims MRAP delays cost hundreds of lives


Marines halt MRAP report
By Tom Vanden Brook - USA TODAY
Posted : Tuesday Feb 26, 2008 22:13:19 EST

WASHINGTON — The Marine Corps has ordered a civilian scientist to stop work on a report critical of its efforts to obtain new armored vehicles, saying he exceeded his authority, a Marine official said Tuesday.

Franz Gayl, a retired Marine officer and civilian science adviser, alleged in a Jan. 22 report that “gross mismanagement” of the program to quickly field Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles had resulted in the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of Marines in Iraq. Gayl had planned to continue his investigation.

“He’s been told to stop any further work,” said Col. David Lapan, a Marine spokesman. “It’s gotten beyond its initial purpose.” Lapan said Gayl exceeded his authority by writing about MRAPs because the proposal that requested the report never specifically mentioned the new armored vehicles by name.

Wednesday, top Marine generals will appear before a House Armed Services subcommittee to testify about the Corps’ budget request and the status of the Marines’ MRAP program. Rep. Gene Taylor, a Mississippi Democrat and subcommittee chairman, said he would ask about the Gayl report.

Gayl’s report was first made public by The Associated Press on Feb. 15. The report said Marine procurement officers spurned requests from commanders in Iraq for blast-resistant vehicles because they didn’t want to derail other projects.


Rest of article at: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/02/gns_mrapreport_022608/