General: U.S. guards lack correct weapons

[Barrett808]

WASHINGTON, July 28 (UPI) -- Excessive force has been used by the U.S. Army while guarding supply conveys because they don't have the right weaponry, The Washington Times reported Thursday.

The Times said it obtained a "secret internal memorandum" written by Brig. Gen. Joseph Chaves that says arming soldiers differently could cut down on incidents in which innocent people have been killed during attacks on U.S. convoys.

Chaves is the commander of the Army National Guard brigade that guards convoys from Camp Anaconda to other army posts in Iraq. In a memo marked "secret" he wrote that quick attacks do not give soldiers time to reach into vehicles for the right guns, so larger, more indiscriminate weaponry is used, sometimes resulting in "unauthorized deadly force."

Chaves suggested convoy guards be given sidearms with laser targeting capabilities, both to improve shooting accuracy during attacks and because, he wrote, wearing a sidearm in Iraq is a sign of authority.

The Pentagon told the Times it does not comment on classified documents.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/?feed=TopNews&article=UPI-1-20050728-11030100-bc-us-iraqequipment.xml

[Connie_Corleone]

1. "You go with the Army you have, not the one you want".

Or something like that.

[BlueEyedSon]

2. They probably need some kind of magical weapon that has not been invented

yet.... like Trek-style phasers, freeze rays or time-stasis fields.

[fooj]

3. Bet if they found that 11 billion missing in Iraq they could buy

the troops all kinds of weapons. They'd probably even have enough ammo...

It's disgraceful.

Peace.

[unhappycamper]

4. Minor correction - $8,800,000,000.00. . . . .

[uppityperson]

5. Lack correct training from the top down and correct leadership@ top too

[Justitia]

6. "Support The Troops!" Buy a ribbon magnet! -eom

[Barrett808]

7. Ill-equipped soldiers use excess force (original Moonie Times story)

Ill-equipped soldiers use excess force
By Rowan Scarborough
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
July 28, 2005

U.S. Army soldiers have used "excessive" and "unauthorized deadly force" in Iraq to defend supply convoys because they did not have the proper weapons, according to a commander's secret internal memorandum.

The memo says soldiers need precision-guided pistols, in addition to heavy-fire machine guns, to ensure that innocent people are not killed.

The memo was written by Brig. Gen. Joseph J. Chaves, who commands an Army National Guard brigade that performs the perilous job of guarding convoys that move in and out of Camp Anaconda, a sprawling logistics base near Balad, north of Baghdad. Such convoys have been the targets of numerous attacks by terrorists using suicide car bombs and other types of ambushes.

In the March 15 memo, Gen. Chaves tells top commanders in Baghdad that he does not have the right mix of weapons to fire from the turrets of armored Humvees and other vehicles that guard supply trucks.

"Previously, reports indicated that excessive use of force, to include unauthorized deadly force, was employed by some convoy escorts," Gen. Chaves writes to the commander of all multinational forces in Iraq in a memo stamped "secret." A copy of the memo was obtained by The Washington Times.

(more)

http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20050727-115941-2568r.htm

[WhiteTara]

8. ah, the beginning salvo for the ray gun that

will be the right weapon...blow out your eyeballs and ear drums, but you won't get shot with a grenade launcher?

[pinniped]

9. Laser targeting capabilities????

First of all, they would probably only work at night, second, that would give whoever their pointing it at a line of sight back to them.

Why don't they just get a phased plasma rifle in the 40watt range?

[Cori Cycle]

10. I think this article is about...

Army trying not to kill innocent people? I don't know what's so horrible about doing that.