250,000 bullets for every 'rebel' killed

[donsu]

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article314944.ece


US forced to import bullets from Israel as troops use 250,000 for every rebel killed


US forces have fired so many bullets in Iraq and Afghanistan - an estimated 250,000 for every insurgent killed - that American ammunition-makers cannot keep up with demand. As a result the US is having to import supplies from Israel.

A government report says that US forces are now using 1.8 billion rounds of small-arms ammunition a year. The total has more than doubled in five years, largely as a result of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as changes in military doctrine.

"The Department of Defense's increased requirements for small- and medium-calibre ammunitions have largely been driven by increased weapons training requirements, dictated by the army's transformation to a more self-sustaining and lethal force - which was accelerated after the attacks of 11 September, 2001 - and by the deployment of forces to conduct recent US military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq," said the report by the General Accounting Office (GAO).

-snip-

A report in Manufacturing & Technology News said that the Pentagon eventually found two producers capable of meeting its requirements. One of these was the US firm Olin-Winchester.

The other was Israel Military Industries, an Israeli ammunition manufacturer linked to the Israeli government, which produces the bulk of weapons and ordnance for the Israeli Defence Force.

The Pentagon reportedly bought 313 million rounds of 5.56mm, 7.62mm and 50-calibre ammunition last year and paid $10m (about £5.5m) more than it would have cost for it to produce the ammunition at its own facilities.
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Olin-Winchester has blood on their hands and cash in their pockets

[underpants]

1. "sea change" according to Gen Pace

[T Wolf]

2. reminds me of a Butch Cassidy line...

"If they would just pay me what they are spending to stop robbing them, I would stop robbing them."

Hey - this could be a real American (capitalist) war strategy. Just pay the offending country/group/ec. what would be spent in a war and they might just call it off.

Can't be any worse than the present "strategery."

[acmavm]

3. So, are they gonna deduct the price of the bullets from the check

georgie wants to give Israel, or are we gonna have to pay for these damn bullets?

[Selatius]

4. In Viêtnam, we were sending million dollar B52s to bomb a man with a bicycle with weapons onboard

He was on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Often, the bicycle was used, and a bamboo stick was attached to the handle bar to allow a person to sling another 100 lbs of supplies onto the bike. It was effective. They won.

[TomInTib]

8. 52s used to "soften" areas where we were headed.

On extraction missions.

We would walk into valleys right after the run, craters so fresh they were still smoking.

The little boogers would be shooting at us from the cover of the craters.

Those idiots sending the bombers gave us away all the time.

[leftofthedial]

5. now that's marksmanship that even an Imperial Stormtrooper

could be proud of

[kimmylavin]

10. LOL

Yes, this article does suggest that this war seems to be following movie marksmanship rules.
Although isn't it usually the "bad guys" who have terrible aim, and the "good guys" who can kill 50 people with 52 shots? Hmmm... :)

[whistle]

6. That's right, they've killing 18,000 rebel insurgents and well over 675,000

...Iraqi civilians, apparently in the crossfire, plus all the Americans and journalists taken down by friendly fire.

[slowry]

7. This is from 2005(?)

I'd never heard of that, though. Amazing. I'm sure that's great for America's image in the Middle East, to be killing people with Israeli bullets :eyes:.

[Stuckinthebush]

9. Rebel? I thought rebel was a good word

shouldn't we call them evil terrorists? How about Nasty Insurgents?

But Rebels? That won't play with Americans because we have a warm place in our hearts for the term rebel. It was a group of rebels who formed this country. Hell, even in the South we like the term rebel. Ask University of Mississippi fans about their mascot.

Soooo...we must rethink the terminology here. These people who can take 250,000 rounds each can't be "rebels". They must be something else.

Suggestions? Satanists perhaps?