Kennedy-Biden Amendment Demanding Accountability for Protecting the Troops Against EFPs and IEDs Passes Senate

Press Release

The Senate passed legislation sponsored by U.S. Senators Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) and Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) requiring monthly reports from the Pentagon on what is being done to protect U.S. troops against Explosively Formed Penetrators (EFPs) and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in Iraq. Road-side bombs are responsible for 70 percent of casualties in Iraq, and equipment, such as Mine Resistant Ambush Vehicles (MRAPs) are proven reduce those casualties by sixty-seven to eighty percent. EFPs are an increasingly lethal threat, causing five to thirty percent of American fatalities according to the press. The Kennedy-Biden Amendment compels the Pentagon to provide a comprehensive plan of action, assessing technological and funding needs, recommending procedural and tactical adjustments, and providing data analysis on issues affecting troop protection, to mitigate these attacks. The legislation (S.AMDT.2068) passed last night as an amendment to the Department of Defense Authorization Bill.

"Our military is the finest in the world because of the quality and training of our personnel and the technological sophistication of our equipment and weaponry. Yet our troops are unacceptably vulnerable to dangerous Explosively Formed Projectiles. EFPs are one of the newest types of IEDs, and they have been killing our troops. The MRAP is not invincible but it is the best we have. We must take this step to ensure that it remains state of the art and that we always stay one step ahead of our enemies. To do anything less is to fail our brave men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan," said Senator Kennedy.

"Every day in Iraq, our troops on the ground face Improvised Explosive Devices, Rocket Propelled Grenades, Explosively Formed Penetrators, sniper fire, and suicide bombers," said Senator Biden. "Despite the urgency of the situation on the ground, I discovered several months ago that the Pentagon had ignored requests for MRAPs and for EFP protection from military commanders on the ground for over two years. The Kennedy-Biden amendment ensures that the Pentagon will be held responsible for any future foot-dragging when it comes to providing protection for our troops. As long as a single American soldier's life is on the line in Iraq, protecting him is our sacred responsibility."

Source