World Tribune.com

Kuwait armoring center working 18-hour shifts

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Tuesday, July 5, 2005

The United States has designated Kuwait as the main center for the armoring of American combat vehicles deployed in Iraq.

Officials said the armoring facility in Kuwait has been operating seven days a week and 18 hours a day. They said the up-armoring of the Humvee required between 30 to 40 hours.

The officials said the facility was capable of armoring hundreds of existing Humvees and strengthening the chassis to ensure operation under the heavier weight, Middle East Newsline reported.

Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sorenson, deputy for systems management and acquisition to the assistant secretary of the army, said the army planned to up-armor 35,000 vehicles in a project headed by AM General. He said the army has received funding to complete 29,000 such vehicles.

"But over time now we've grown to a very, very high standard, and when you go, for example, and visit the fabrication facilities that we have in Kuwait today, what you'll see is, first of all, the Defense Logistics Agency-approved steel being used," Maj. Gen. Stephen Speakes, commanding general of operations of the U.S. Third Army, said.

Speakes said the facility, operated by the Army Service Command Forward, designed templates for what he termed Level-2 armoring of the Humvees. The design was completed by drivers of Humvees and support vehicles. Level-1 marked the production of the entire armored Humvee in the United States.

Level-3 was the armoring of the sides of military vehicles.

"This is an interim solution, but it's a darn good solution that's been very, very effective as we take a look at what we've done to protect the force," Speakes said on Dec. 15.

Officials said that by March 2005 the army would armor its heavy truck fleet for deployment in Iraq. They said that four facilities in Kuwait were contributing to the up-armor effort.


Copyright © 2005 East West Services, Inc.

Print this Article Print this Article Email this article Email this article Subscribe to this Feature Free Headline Alerts


Google
Search Worldwide Web Search WorldTribune.com Search WorldTrib Archives