Washington, D.C. -- Rep. Neil Abercrombie today issued the following statement on the Defense Department Report on the Marine Corps delay in procurement of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Vehicles:

"Terrible misjudgments were made in not making MRAPs a top priority for Marines in combat in early 2005 when they were first requested by field commanders.  And even when the MRAP’s ability to survive roadside bomb blasts and save lives was acknowledged, an insufficient number were initially ordered.  Congress had to shift funding from other equipment programs in the National Defense Authorization Act to significantly increase the number of MRAPs.  

"However, the problem we face is far deeper and broader than a few bad decisions on MRAPs.  There is a systemic problem in the entire defense procurement process.  It is ponderous and frequently unresponsive to urgent needs.  It seems unable to anticipate how threats to our troops will evolve.  As a result, we are always playing catch-up, rather than getting ahead of new threats.

"The country cannot afford — in dollars or lives — to allow the Pentagon to continue buying weapons and equipment the way it has.  President-elect Obama and the 111th Congress have to work together to improve the system."

Rep. Neil Abercrombie chairs the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces and serves on the Seapower Subcommittee.  Abercrombie’s subcommittee reallocated hundreds of millions of dollars for the urgent production of MRAPs in 2007.

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