Troops tell Pentagon about shortfalls in military gear

PENTAGON (AP) _ Hundreds of U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are short on armored vehicles and roadside bomb protection. <br/><br/>And a Pentagon survey says communications gear is also high on the

Tuesday, January 30th 2007, 9:48 pm

By: News On 6

PENTAGON (AP) _ Hundreds of U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are short on armored vehicles and roadside bomb protection.

And a Pentagon survey says communications gear is also high on the wish list of hundreds of service members polled by the Defense Department.

The troops say they need more vehicles outfitted with armor and "crew-served'' weapons handled by more than one person. And they talked of shortfalls in equipment to jam the cell-phone signals that can detonate roadside bombs.

The survey also found that troops in need of more gear for their nontraditional missions -- like training or explosives disposal -- often went ahead with the work anyway. The report says some used informal means to get what they needed, or canceled or put off their jobs while waiting for equipment.