I don't usually watch Scarborough but...Army won't protect troops

[texpatriot2004]

did anyone else see Joe S. tonight? There was a report about the US Army refusing to equip the troops with "Trophy" tanks because they apparently value their Gov. contracts more than the troops. They could buy the "Trophy" tanks NOW which tests have shown to be 98% reliable in protecting our troops or they could do it through the Gov contracts and protect the troops as soon as 2011. They had the parents of a soldier who was killed in this war of choice on the program.

I wonder what report the journalist was talking about?

[TomInTib]

1. It is actually a technology that is only 98% successful. Raytheon,

on the other hand has a huge contract to provide the same protection.

And Raytheon says they might be ready in 5 years.

[texpatriot2004]

6. Exactly nm

[Monkeyman]

2. Nothing new they don't give a crap about them there or when they come home

[wakeme2008]

3. What are "Trophy" tanks

:shrug:

[texpatriot2004]

4. They look like a tank but they are equipped with some device

that intercepts, um, RPGs...rocket propelled, um - those rockets that people use on their shoulders to fire at the tanks/troops. Sorry, I don't know all the lingo. The "Trophy" tanks were made in Isreal and in the program they were referred to as the "Trophy" system.

[Rockstone]

5. I missed that part

But I was amazed at how stupid the show is.

towards the end they did THREE stupid pieces.

1. weak copy of Katherine Harris bash from Olberman
2. joe greys his hair and pretends to be Anderson Cooper in CIA interview
3. drawing on katie couric's face to pont out the telltale signs of botox.
That piece was so bad joe had to deprecate himself by having the doctor draw all over his face to sort of spread the bad taste around so it wasn't a completely disgusting defacement of Katie Couric.

then from there it went into stuf about Brittney Spears and Kfed.

My God! Who is putting out the money for the airtime to be wasted on this trifiling crap?

[Renew Deal]

7. I want to hear the army's side of the story.

What is their issue?

[texpatriot2004]

8. They say it is an "unproven" system but other official reports

indicate otherwise.

[LSK]

11. Raytheon has a contract to develop the same system

But they will be ready in 5 years.

Its all about the contractors, dont you know?

[countryjake]

9. Here is the DU topic with that report...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2079069&mesg_id=2079069

And here's the article:

Army shuns system to combat RPGs
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14686871

~snip~

RPGs have killed nearly 40 Americans in Afghanistan and more than 130 in Iraq, including 21-year-old Pvt. Dennis Miller.

“They were in Ramadi, and his tank was hit with a rocket-propelled grenade,” says Miller’s mother, Kathy. “Little Denny never knew what hit him.”

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

Last year, a special Pentagon unit thought it found a solution in Israel — a high-tech system that shoots RPGs out of the sky. But in a five-month exclusive investigation, NBC News has learned from Pentagon sources that that help for U.S. troops is now in serious jeopardy.

The system is called “Trophy,” and it is designed to fit on top of tanks and other armored vehicles like the Stryker now in use in Iraq.

[LSK]

10. Olbermann did a story on this too

Truly disgusting how Private Contractors are more important that soldiers lives.