uk Troop Transport, 'Mastiff' upgrade

Though still badly designed and vulnerable, the UK 'Mastiff-dog' troop-transport is an improvemnt over the use of civilian vehicles for combat operations. (ie less dead and injured per bang).

Capitalist Spare-Parts non uniform problem. non mega-mass production:

"The MoD procurement process had led to a lack of spare parts for helicopters and ground vehicles, a Commons Public Accounts Committee report said.

Committee chairman Edward Leigh said the system was "creaking" in key areas.

But Armed Forces Minister Bill Rammell insisted that "huge improvements" had been made in procurement.

In July the government faced criticism over the availability of helicopters for troops in Afghanistan.

'Cannibalisation' (vehicles)

The report said that shortages of spare parts had affected Mastiff protected patrol vehicles as well as Merlin and Apache helicopters.

It said that the Vector, bought to replace the lightly-armoured Snatch Land Rovers, performed so badly it had to be withdrawn and replaced with upgraded Snatches.

At one stage only 20% of Mastiffs were classified as "fit", although the situation had improved since."

link. State Properganda Devision.

Legion. MoD Uk Attack Admin have no civilian stock-take and logistics awareness data. (soldiers do it, imperial army)

"Since July 2007, only 57 percent of the demands made in Afghanistan and 71 percent of the demands made in Iraq were met by the supply chain, the report said.

The report also found ground vehicles and helicopters had suffered from shortages of spare parts, and cannibalization of helicopters to support the fleets deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan had contributed to an 11-percent shortfall in helicopters available for training and for supporting contingent operations.

The committee has been examining the availability of equipment and spares, the re-supply of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the training of service personnel for operations.

Committee Chairman Edward Leigh said in the report: "The MOD has had some successes in providing support for our armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan: notably, the delivery of life-saving medical treatment at the front line. But there are important areas where the process is creaking.

"(That) the MOD continues to fail to meet its own supply chain targets is of concern. The department must improve its logistic information systems so that it always knows where stocks are and can fully track through the supply chain their movement to our troops," Leigh added."

link. warning. this link is state regualated.

USA economy down Army Recruitment up (want to work but where previously denied by denial state?). as not a zero unemployment area in policy, desperado-soldiers going to afghanistan for the money who dont otherwise want to be there aka 'imperial' volenteer army. (see slave corps).