U.S. Army seeks more armored vehicles

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., said the U.S. Army is requesting 10,000 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected armored vehicles for use in Iraq.

Biden, a Democratic presidential contender and a key supporter of the MRAP program in Congress, said the vehicles are needed to protect soldiers serving in Iraq from makeshift bombs, USA Today reported Wednesday.

However, the senator said the 10,000 requested by the army won't be enough to fill the military's needs. He said U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, the No. 2 U.S. military commander in Iraq, had previously requested 17,770 of the vehicles.

"Until every soldier and Marine has the best protection we can give them, we must keep pushing," Biden said.

U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., chairman of the House subcommittee that writes the Pentagon budget, said the requests for more MRAPs are dependent on the ability of manufacturers to produce them. John Young, chairman of the MRAP Task Force in the Defense Department, said the Pentagon is aiming to produce 1,300 of the vehicles per month by December.