European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 30, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Pages stars and stripes monday april 30 2007 bomb resistant trucks reducing injury mine resistant ambush protected map vehicles have reduced injuries in Iraq by As much As two thirds unprotected truck channels blasts through floor funding totals for maps in the War supplemental Bill million each min resistant underside 12 in billions 03 02 01 source Force Protection inc marines army special Navy air operations Force shaped Stee body channels the full Force of a blast up the sides a the map is saving lives by deflecting Roadside bombs in Iraq but will the War funding fight create a to by Lolita c Baldor the associated press Camp fal Lujah Iraq the armoured Carrier has a grim Black slash across its Side Burn Marks on the door and a web of cracks along the window like most of the mine resistant ambush protected map vehicles in Anbar province this one has been hit As Many As three times by enemy fire and bomb blasts yet to Date no american troops have died while Riding in one but efforts to buy thousands More carriers each costing about million could be delayed if the White House and con Gress do not resolve their deadlock Over a billion War spending bin about billion for the vehicles is tied up in the legislation the spending plan has stalled because of a dispute Over provi Sions that would set a timetable Furgie withdrawal of us troops from Iraq at a hearing last month lawmakers urged the army to get More of the carriers to the Battlefront As quickly As possible the vehicles with their unique shaped Hull that deflects blasts outward and away from passengers Are consid ered lifesavers against the no 1 killer in bombs military leaders say the carriers have reduced Roadside bomb casualties in Iraq by As much As two thirds but they Are not effective against the enemy latest formed pen Etra tors which hurl a fist sized Lump of molten Copper capable of piercing armoured vehicles right now there Are at least 1100 of the armoured carriers on the Battlefront in Iraq including the 100 or so that nimble through Anbar province carrying troops and Clearing roads of explosives the army marines Navy air Force and special operations forces want thousands More the goal is More than 7700 at a Cost of about billion the army wants 2500 at a Cost of about billion the marines Are planning to buy 3700 and would Send about 3000 to Iraq there will be 525 in the country by the end of the year said Brig Gen Mark Gurganus ground combat commander for us forces in Western Iraq As the Pentagon scrapes to find the Money to run the War in the midst of the budget impasse the Pentagon says there is not enough Cash to buy As Many As command ers say they need we can build what we can get the funds to build ifs strictly an Issue of Money Gen Peter schoo maker former army chief of staff told a Senate committee last month at the time he said the army had an unfunded requirement of about billion lawmakers added some additional Money to the Bill so that number would now be about billion he said the army believes that not Only do we need the map immediately to give us better Protection but that we need to stay on a path to get an even better vehicle than the map for the Long haul because the enemy is going to continue to adapt n the Field this month Marine staff sgt Tim Kessle said marines were Riding in one and took a hit from a Small Roadside bomb the blast blew a tire and it took them More than 90 minutes to Limp Back to base but no one was Hurt Days earlier a Carrier with six marines was hit by two blast two marines had broken Bones but they ail survived ifs an extremely survivable vehicle i guarantee it saves lives said Kessler pointing to the scars on the Side of the map he added that had they been Riding in a humvee or something else they would All be dead poor maintenance plagues Iraq reconstruction efforts the associated press Washington a severe Lack of maintenance appears to be threatening the Mure useful Ness of some of the facilities renovated during the Effort to re build Iraq says a new report from the us inspector general monitoring reconstruction inspectors reviewed eight facilities throughout the country including police stations a Mili tary base a Hospital and a recruiting Center the objective of the review was to determine whether the buildings were operating at full capacity inspectors generally found that the facilities met the objectives of their Mission but they also noted signs of deterioration at most Sites for example at a recruiting Center in Hiliah inspectors found bathrooms with floors buckled by what appeared to be sewage backups As Well As makeshift electrical wiring and sewage holding tanks that were never evacuated because con Crete barriers blocked Access to the rear of the building where the tanks Are located the inspectors concluded that the Quality of the recruiting Cen ters construction met objectives but that the useful life of the facility would be significantly shortened if the problems were left unresolved at a maternity and paediatric Hospital in Erbil inspectors again found a sewer system that was occasionally clogged Possi Bly As a result of improper disposal of Large amounts of medi Cal wastes during the site visits inspectors saw Needles bandages and other examples of medical wastes in the sewer systems traps and septic tank a new incinerator was not in use because those initially trained in running it were no longer employed also workers were using an excessive amount of water to clean floors leading to considerable amounts of water being absorbed into the Walls the inspections were More positive for two police stations that were reviewed both in Mosul both appeared to be Able to operate at full capacity the in Spector general said at the Gau Gleasher station in particular inspectors said that full capacity operations Over the Long term will Likely result if iraqi police continue to properly use and maintain the building and its equipment however the review of a Sec Ond station showed that some of the contractor work did not meet requirements razor wire was secured by Sand bags and no one knew How to fix or run the Gener Ator providing electricity As a rest the new Genera Tor Tost is not being used re paired electrical system components have been degraded inspectors said the inspector generals quarterly report on Iraq reconstruction is being released monday reports dealing with specific aspects of the reconstruction were released Over the last few Days