WASHINGTON, March 22 (UPI) -- A leading U.S. senator Thursday requested more funding for armored vehicles to be sent to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, sent a letter Thursday to Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W. Va., the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, asking for an additional $1.7 billion to accelerate production and deployment of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, a press release from his office stated.
"[We must] get as many of these vehicles as possible into the field, as quickly as possible, to protect our troops," Biden wrote in the letter.
The U.S. military estimates that 70 percent of casualties suffered by U.S. personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan result from roadside bombs, but it has indicated that MRAP vehicles can reduce these casualties by two-thirds.
The U.S. Armed Services said that 7,774 armored vehicles are needed for all wings of the U.S. military at a total cost of $8.4 billion. However, the 2007 Supplemental request for MRAPs includes only $2.3 billion, which is $1.7 billion short of the funding needed to purchase half of the "badly needed vehicles," Biden stated.
The U.S. Department of Defense indicated that it could optimize production of MRAP vehicles by providing half of the necessary $8.4 billion in fiscal year 2007 and half in 2008. Therefore, by providing the additional $1.7 billion, the military will be able to deploy 2,500 armored vehicles to Iraq and Afghanistan sooner.
"As in the past, the president's funding request is inadequate to protect our troops in the field. Congress must provide adequate funds for such protection. I urge you to include the additional $1.7 billion in the Fiscal Year 2007 Supplemental so that the military can accelerate production and deployment to the optimal level," Biden wrote.
