How good is the equipment that the troops use?

For six years now, America has been at war in the Middle East. Those of us that are educated enough; know that the reason for this war is oil. The question is, are the troops
equipped well enough to continue this senseless war?

Actually, no, the troops have been sent to Afghanistan and Iraq without even the correct medical supplies. The soldiers have been instructed that in the event of a wound to stick a Tampon in the cut or puncture, in the theory that it will swell and stop the bleeding.
The body armor that the soldiers are equipped with has failed all sorts of tests. It is called Interceptor. A Company known as Point Blank manufactures it. This is the way it is made: There is an outer layer of Kevlar (designed to stop bullets from handguns.) A ceramic disk (about eighteen inches in diameter) designed to stop bullets from higher-grade munitions like rifles and automatic weapons follows this.

The problem with all this is related to money. The ceramic disks and Kevlar rectangles have been reduced in size and thickness to reduce weight and consecutively, reduce cost. Resulting in a less dependable body armor. Well there is a new kid on the block, an armor known as; Dragon Skin. Manufactured by Pinnacle Armor, this body armor is made by dozens of overlapping ceramic disks, which are smaller (about four inches in diameter) than Point Blank’s design, and consequently weigh less, resulting in less cost. Yet it provides more coverage to the body by creating a vest. And thanks to its revolutionary design it is more durable than Interceptor is. On Utube you can watch videos of people unloading clip after clip into Dragon Skin without one penetration.

Lastly, the troops weapons. The primary weapon the United States Army and Marines use is the M16/M4. Around since before Vietnam, this gun has jammed so many times that it is a surprise that it is still used. One soldier said that out of his 30 round clip the M16 jammed 17 times. In fact, 67% of 100 soldiers polled said that they would (if given the chance) trade their M16 out for an AK47. Changes so dramatic as this aren’t even needed. The only thing that has to be done is to switch to the M16/M4 Ultimax (Specially designed to not jam) which can use the Ultimag (a 100-rnd magazine.)

If the government wasn’t so corrupt, it would be easy make such simple changes. But, since there is a revolving door between the government and companies such as Point Blank, which has thoroughly outlawed innovative technologies such as these, the solution is to pull out.

Randolph