Army says it's fast-tracking shipment of more armored vehicles to Iraq
PENTAGON Amid increasing criticism on Capitol Hill, Army officials say they are speeding production of armored vehicles for use in Iraq. Major General Steven Speakes says more than four (b) billion dollars will be spent on vehicle production in the next six to nine months. He says Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has made it clear that cost is no object "when it involves a soldier's life."
Rumsfeld was embroiled in controversy over armor at a speech in Kuwait a week ago. When asked by a soldier why troops had to hunt down scrap metal to armor their vehicles, Rumsfeld told the soldier, "You go to war with the Army you have."
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