MRAP and Beyond

In July 2007, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates asked Congress for approval to transfer nearly $1.2 billion to the Pentagon's Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) program to procure an additional 2,650 vehicles.

If approved, the fund transfer will make MRAP the Defense Department's third-largest acquisition program, behind only the missile defense and Joint Strike Fighter programs.

Is it the right choice? When will the money come from? What will the military do with these vehicles as the current conflict wind down? This article does not have the answers, but reading through the lines, one realizes there are many open questions, and only few answers.

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