Quote Originally Posted by M.L. View Post

While I supported the MRAP purchase for Iraq (large caches of leftover munitions made this conflict unique in terms of IEDs), I don't think we should keep them.
Is this really true?
I suspect that the IED problem is one that has been around for a number of decades in various parts of the world - I was almost going to say -perhaps the fact the US hasn't encountered IEDs a whole lot might be a perception problem.

Except I recall seeing lots of pics of US forces in Vietnam riding on top of APCs, placing sandbags of the floors of their AFVs and trucks etc due to - IEDs.

Then of course you leave the US experience and you get as previously mentioned South Africa, Rhodesia. To which you can add Northern Ireland - where some parts of the province were only patrolled on foot or by air due to - IEDs.

IMO It ain't a new problem nor a unique one.
Quote Originally Posted by M.L. View Post
What we should do is incorporate some design elements, such as the V-hull, etc... into a new vehicle that fixes many of the shortcomings in the current MRAP fleet (lack of commonality, limited offroad mobility, not a fighting vehicle, etc...). That is, IF we decide to continue our strategy of fighting long, drawn out counter-insurgency campaigns. The MRAP issue might be solved with a more modest national strategy, but that is another discussion...
Not sure if you are saying what I think you are saying, but I think I am with you.
I reckon if you do need mine resistance (and I am not really sure how mine and IEDs really differ. I think that an IED used to be called a nuisance minefield, the only real difference being one use a factory made mine and one a home made mine), then it should be incorporated idealy into all of your vehicles - and if now then definitely in your AFVs, whether they be Strykers, LAVs, Bradleys, M113s whatever.

And IMO in the current political era where troop delopyments are unrealistically low (i.e. not enough troops to secure AOs or even routes over night) and the stomach for troop losses quite low (thankfully, compared with past eras), then you want to incorporate them into your B ("soft", perhaps better to say log) vehicles too.