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U.S. military fields 10,000th MRAP

Multi-National Force-Iraq

Friday, 20 February 2009

Multi-National Corps – Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
APO AE 09342

www.mnc-i.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20090220-05
Feb. 20, 2009

U.S. military fields 10,000th MRAP

Multi-National Corps – Iraq

BAGHDAD – The U.S. military fielded its 10,000th mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle in Iraq Feb. 20 during a ceremony on Camp Liberty, just 22 months after it was first introduced into the theater of operations.

Servicemembers and civilians from across Victory Base Complex gathered among rows of MRAPs at the largest fielding site in country to acknowledge the success the vehicle has had in protecting thousands of troops from blasts caused by roadside bombs.

“This is a historic day that represents the enduring power of our Military Industrial Base. This type of effort has been indicative of America’s manufacturing capability, but it has not been demonstrated in such a fashion since World War II,” said Lt. Col. Ron Fizer, commander, 402nd Army Field Support Brigade. “The teamwork demonstrated through the combined efforts of military, DA civilians, and contractors through the Materiel Enterprise has been exceptional. This has set a new standard for the development, fielding and sustainment of capabilities required by our warrior for today’s battlefield and future conflicts.”

The first MRAP was fielded in Iraq in April 2007. Since then more than 11,700 vehicles have been fielded across the United States Central Command Area of Operations. In Iraq alone, this marks the 10,000th vehicle fielded, it marks more than 22,000 personnel trained.

“MRAPs save lives every time they go out,” said Brig. Gen. Michael Lally, commanding general, 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Brigade, the guest speaker for the ceremony.

Lally shared an instance in which three Soldiers in his unit walked away uninjured when an improvised explosive device damaged the entire front half of their vehicle.

“The whole front of the MRAP was destroyed, and all three people walked out the back with no injuries,” Lally said.

Also present and an honored guest at the event was Lt. Col. Greg Rawlings, chief of force management division, C3, Multi-National Corps – Iraq, who has played a large role in the distribution of MRAPs to Army units throughout Iraq.

Rawlings was recognized and applauded for building distribution plans for the dispersal of new equipment based on unit requirements and the threat in certain areas of the country.

“I’m basically the guy who doles [MRAPs] out,” Rawlings said. “I give fifty to this unit and fifty to that unit, based on who needs them most.”

Rawlings mentioned that adding armor as a result of the threat of explosively formed projectiles is one example of the assessments he conducts.

Concluding the ceremony, Lally presented a large, wooden key to Pfc. Derek Sharp, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, designating the Soldier who will operate the 10,000th MRAP.

In its 22 months of use in Iraq, the MRAP has undergone numerous modifications that have only increased troops’ confidence in the abilities of the vehicle to keep them safe outside the wire. The program continues to adapt the vehicles even as they are produced and fielded – upgraded armor, better suspension systems, improved seats / safety harnesses / and gunner restraints and improved night driving capability while at the same time maintaining a 95 percent operational readiness rate.

“My fellow Soldiers and I feel very confident in [the MRAP’s] ability to contain an IED blast,” said Sharp, who arrived in country in early December 2008.

Troops know when they go outside the wire they’re in the best-protected vehicle with which they can be provided, said Lally. “They know they’ll get from point A to point B and it’s not going to break down on them.”

“The MRAP team has done a phenomenal job over here,” Lally said. “There was a lot of training that went on here for our operators, maintainers and crews to safely and effectively operate this piece of equipment.”

Spencer Sims, the Camp Liberty fielding site’s lead manager, said he has witnessed first-hand Soldiers’ recollections of the safety to which they’ve been introduced with the MRAP.

“I had a couple of Soldiers that came in and were getting some work done on their vehicle, and they said they had been hit seven times with IEDs, and that very next week they were going on leave,” Sims said. “I think it’s a great testament to the whole team involved.”

Bringing to mind the added safety benefits of the MRAP, the ceremony also aimed largely at giving credit to the men and women behind those safety benefits.

“It takes literally thousands of hard working, dedicated folks to respond as rapidly as we have to meet the needs of the warfighter. And it couldn’t have happened without the support of the entire team – MNC-I staffers; 402 Army Field Support Brigade; Red River Army Depot; Science Applications International Corporation acting as the Joint Logistics Integrator, BAE, General Dynamics, BAE-TVS, Force Protection Incorporated, Jacobs-Sverdrup, and Navistar,” said Howard Henderson, theater lead for the joint program office MRAP.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT THE MULTI-NATIONAL CORPS – IRAQ PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE BY E-MAIL AT: MNCIPAOVICTORYMAINJO@IRAQ.CENTCOM.MIL.

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