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I have a son in the military and it seems like something is always breaking down and then they are stranded a week or two somewhere waiting for a part.

Has anyone else wondered why are we sending more troops when the equipment that we have is so shitty, that it could kill them before they even get where they are supposed to fight.

2007-01-20 03:30:05 · 5 answers · asked by T_Ann 2 in Politics & Government Military

5 answers

There's a perception in this government that more people will solve everything, when the case is one of logistics and strategy. From the beginning of this war, troops have had to deal with shotty equipment, lacking equipment, or no equipment. This COULD work if the strategy used in Iraq was designed in a way that would not put extra emphasis on this very equipment. The government seems to care more about appearing to be doing something that they are sacrificing the safety of troops to do so.

2007-01-20 03:36:18 · answer #1 · answered by Ilich 2 · 0 1

Everything in the military will break! Thats what we do, we break things and unravel ball-bearings! lol

A little education at hand. The military supply system is slow. It is slow because of the bureacracy that exists in supply channels. When you put in an order it can take forever to get anything. I put in an order for some cotter pins over two years ago, and still havn't recieved them. When you put in an order for an NSN, you fill out a prioritization, and then that has to be confirmed. Then that confirmation gets submitted. Then budget approvals must be obtained. Then procurement batches all the orders together and purchases them at the same time, which is being fiscally responsible. And maybe they only purchase those once a year, who knows. Once it is purchased, the priority system ensures that they guys that need what ever the most get it first. Perhaps there was another group of guys that need the parts much worse than your sons unit did. Anyhow, once procured and prioritized, then it gets to the supply pool where the parts get doled out. Then they get to a depot for transportation. And transportation alone can take weeks or months dependant on how they are shipped and what is being shipped. Once they arrive, they have to be inventoried and inspected, which can take weeks or months. Then they get sent to the unit, who has to do the same before it gets put on the shelf for use.

If your son has recieved parts within just a couple of weeks, he is recieving them prioirty 1, and about as fast as the system allows for in the conventional military.


God bless

2007-01-20 03:53:31 · answer #2 · answered by Shawn M 3 · 0 0

i worked on a ship carrying about a billion dollars worth of equipment for the military, we basically motored around doing nothing. I think that they want them to get their act together and learn how to either take care of the stuff, or learn to order parts they need and fix it themselves. I am sure that the companies would love to scrap most of that stuff and sell more, which is why we are paying such big bucks for the mess over there.

2007-01-20 03:36:15 · answer #3 · answered by rand a 5 · 0 1

Priority for parts goes to deployed units. The next priority goes to units held in high-readiness standby for contingency operations. Next comes units preparing to deploy.

If your son's units are one of these units - then he gets his parts after the higher-priority units get theirs.

And to make the situation even more complicated - every Army unit is given a budget for their spare parts. This money has to last them the entire year and as a result towards the end of the year his commander has to reduce spending for things that are not absolute necessities.

2007-01-20 04:55:12 · answer #4 · answered by MikeGolf 7 · 0 0

Ask your democrats this question! They are the ones who want to cut the military spending before they get the military out!!!!!!

2007-01-20 03:35:10 · answer #5 · answered by Brianne 7 · 1 0

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