MRAP Report Sparks Investigation, Halts Whisteblower's Work

A report by Marine Corps science adviser Franz Gayl on delays in fielding bomb-resistant vehicles to Iraq seems to have thrown senior military officials into a frenzy. After first criticizing the AP for calling Gayl's report an official study, CNN reported yesterday that in light of Gayl's report, the Marine Corps asked the Inspector General to look into charges about the delayed fielding of bomb-resistant vehicles to Iraq:

Marine Corps spokesman Col. David Lapan said the Defense Department's inspector general wants to investigate the report's claims that bureaucratic delays undermined the program to develop the armored vehicles.

The program was designed to provide combat forces with Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles, known by the acronym MRAPs.

*The Marine Corps requested an investigation last week after receiving Marine technology expert Franz Gayl's report. *

"If the mass procurement and fielding of MRAPs had begun in 2005 in response to the known and acknowledged threats at that time, as the USMC is doing today, hundreds of deaths and injuries could have been prevented," Gayl wrote in the report.

Now, as USA Today reports, the Marine Corps has ordered Gayl to halt this work:

*"He's been told to stop any further work," said Col. David Lapan, a Marine spokesman. "It's gotten beyond its initial purpose." *

*Lapan said Gayl exceeded his authority by writing about MRAPs because the proposal that requested the report never specifically mentioned the new armored vehicles by name. *

Gayl, who has filed for whistleblower status, sees the MRAP problem as indicative of wider issues with Marine Corps procurement policy.* World Politics Review's* blog notes: "Gayl deserves credit for bringing attention to the issue, and as bad as things seem, the Marines should be applauded for seeking to investigate and fix the problems."

I guess, but I'm not sure what to applaud the Marine Corps for, because it's not clear to me what they're doing. Stay tuned.