Video - ANA Receive Training on MRAPs

Armed Forces Network (AFN) has released a five-minute video of Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers receiving training on MRAPs. Military Advisor Team Five, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Two-Five, and personnel with the Warrior Training Alliance work together to teach the ANA soldiers some important MRAP lessons. The ANA have used older "Humvee's" and Ford Rangers in the past; however these don't provide the protection that the MRAPs provide. The MRAPs provide more coverage and the ability to mount bigger weapons for greater defense. Watch the video dated October 2, 2014.

MRAPs to Pakistan

Retrograde made easy! Instead of cutting up MRAPs for scrap (hundreds have been) or flying back to the United States (to sit in a scrapyard at some lonely Army post) it appears that some MRAPs (about 160) will find their way to Pakistan. The Foreign Military Sale (FMS) is valued at $198 million including the vehicles, spare parts, repair parts, and training. The specific MRAP model is the MaxxPro (several variants to include Dash, Base, ambulances, and recovery vehicles). The principle contractor will be Navistar Defense Corporation of Madison Heights, Michigan. Although it doesn't say it is assumed these are used vehicles coming from Afghanistan to be delivered to Pakistan. Read more in "Pakistan - Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Vehicles", Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), September 19, 2014.

MRAPs: Surplus Cut Up for Scrap in Afghanistan

Photo SPC Andrew Baker (18 March 2013)

MRAPs have been a life saver in both Iraq and Afghanistan. When it was finally realized (it took a while) that troops needed protection from IEDs as they traveled the roads in the two war zones Pentagon move quickly to build and field these protective vehicles. Now that we are out of Iraq and reducing troop numbers in Afghanistan there are a lot of surplus MRAPs in the inventory. Many of these MRAPs are still located in Afghanistan. It costs on average about $350,000 to ship a MRAP to the states and then to rebuild it to specifications. Once that is done it needs a home but there are too many already in the states. So many are being destroyed in Afghanistan - at a cost of $12,000 each - and the scrap metal is being sold to Afghan businessmen who will put the metal to other uses. One might think it a good idea to hand over to the Afghans for the Afghan National Army. However, the Afghans have proven themselves incapable of maintaining their fleet of Ranger pickup trucks; and they would certainly waste a lot of time, effort, and money in trying to keep a complicated vehicle like a MRAP up and running. Read more in "From MRAP to scrap: U.S. military chops up $1-million vehicles", Stars and Stripes, December 27, 2013.

MRAPs and The Leaving of Ashton Carter

Ashton Carter, the Deputy Secretary of Defense, has left the Department of Defense. However, he leaves behind a lasting legacy which includes his hard work (and others) to push through the MRAP program in a time sensitive manner. Read more in "The Man Behind the MRAP Moves On", At War Blog, The New York Times, November 26, 2013.

Retrograde of MRAPs from Afghanistan

The retrograde of MRAPs from Afghanistan is proving to be expensive. In addition, many question the continued need for the MRAPs. The MRAP was built specifically for a counterinsurgency conflict where insurgents used improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to blow up vehicles along roads. As the military turns its attention to being able to fight a full-spectrum conflict the debate on the usefulness of the MRAPs in future warfare is ongoing. Learn more about this topic in "High Afghan Exit Costs Force US Military to Contemplate End of Era", Defense Daily Update, December 16, 2013.

www.defenseindustrydaily.com/mraps-shipping-post-coin-needs-019723/

Learn more about retrograde operations from Afghanistan.
www.afghanwarnews.info/topics/retrograde.htm

More MRAPs to go to Afghanistan

"Navistar, Oshkosh and General Dynamics Canada have recently received new orders worth almost one billion dollar, for the delivery of additional MRAP variants, in support of U.S. forces operations in Afghanistan. GDLS Canada received orders to supply 691 modernization kits to support RG-31Mk5E vehicles, Oshkosh will deliver 250 new ambulances based on the MRAP All Terrain Vehicle, while was awarded two contracts to supply 425 MaxxPro type MRAP vehicles, including 175 MaxxPro Dash equipped with independent suspension - for All-Terrain Mobility, and 250 Maxxpro based MRAP-Recovery Vehicles."

Read the rest of the article in "More MRAP to Support U.S. Forces in Afghanistan", Defense Update, December 18, 2010.