By Marina Malenic
A top Marine Corps officer yesterday expressed concern that heavy armor on both vehicles and his troops is slowing them down on the battlefield.
“The bottom line is that the focus on armor as the principal means of protecting our force is making us too heavy,” Lt. Gen. George Flynn, deputy commandant of the Marine Corps for combat development and integration, told members of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee.
Flynn noted that the combination of unwieldy personal protection and bulky vehicle armor makes Marines less maneuverable in Afghanistan, where agile insurgents hide and move quickly in rough terrain. The general emphasized the need for new vehicles that can handle the terrain as well as a lightweight Humvee can, but with sufficient protection to survive bomb blasts.
Protective vests worn by military personnel in combat zones can weigh up to 34 pounds each, according to a Pentagon spokesman. But armor is also added to ground troops’ equipment, often raising the weight they carry up to 80 pounds.
Because effective body armor made of lighter composite materials is not expected to be available in the next few years, Flynn said the service is looking for interim solutions that can help lighten the load. For example, the Marines are currently buying 65,000 “scalable plate carriers”–vests with pockets for removable bulletproof plates–that weigh less than 20 pounds apiece. About 14,000 have been fielded to date, according to the general.
Subcommittee Chairman Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) noted that the panel will hear from Army and Marine Corps leaders later this week on specific force-protection programs.