Shortages for New Armored Vehicles?

**The demand for blast protected vehicles in taking off, with the calls to replace the entire Humvee fleet in Iraq. At a classified summit held earlier this month in Warren, Michigan, military officials said that the requirement for the new Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAP) could grow to almost 18,000, Jane's Defence Weekly reports:

*While the service has not issued a formal budget request for more of the blast-protected vehicles, officials suggested US Central Command's overall requirement for MRAP vehicles in Iraq and Afghanistan may go as high as 17,700 - more than twice the number currently planned for all the services. *

In the meantime, Inside Defense notes that a new Pentagon study is warning of possible shortages of key materials needed to build the new vehicles:

Pentagon plans to rapidly produce new Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles could stall due to short supplies of key industrial resources such as manpower and steel, which may prompt the Defense Department to divert key commodities away from other weapons programs, according to defense officials and documents.

Even if the materials needed for the new tactical armored vehicle fleet end up being plentiful, a new internal Pentagon report says the maximum monthly MRAP production rate by December 2007 will be no greater than 977 vehicles -- nearly 20 percent fewer than the 1,200 vehicles per month touted by senior military officials as a target for the end of this year.

The intense demand for steel required to manufacture the V-shaped MRAP chassis -- which deflects the blast from roadside bombs -- could force the Defense Department to redirect steel from other military acquisition efforts in order to feed the high-priority MRAP production efforts, according to Pentagon officials.

These findings stem from the closely held “Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle Industrial Capability Assessment,” dated April 30 and prepared by the Defense Contract Management Agency. It was delivered to the Pentagon’s industrial policy shop.

This report identified potential choke points in the MRAP supply chain, including the availability of steel plates, axles, automotive and chassis assembly and integration as well as ballistic glass and tires, according to Pentagon spokesman Chris Isleib.

Manpower, particularly the availability of welders, is also a factor that could crimp Pentagon efforts -- backed by pledges form Congress to provide any funding necessary -- to build and field as many MRAPs a month as possible.