FREE TRUCKS FREE TRUCKS

[xoxoxoBruce]

They didn't want to leave them in the middle east, and don't want them here.

The Pentagon wants to give away 13,000 mine-resistant, ambush-protected trucks because they have outlived their original purpose. "We've notified our friends and allies that we have MRAPs available and if they want them they can have them," says Alan Estevez, deputy undersecretary of defense for acquisitions, technology and logistics.

But you, the original purchaser/owner, can't have one.

Interest from foreign militaries has been tepid. But they are a hit with stateside police agencies. Almost 200 trucks have been distributed to police departments since August and requests are pending for an additional 750 trucks. The vehicles, many of which feature machine-gun turrets, are off-limits to private citizens and businesses.

Just what the cops need, more military gear.
Oh, they thought about recycling (scrap), but that got shot down.

Scrapping unclaimed MRAPs would be a blow to truck maker Navistar International Corp. which built nearly 9,000 of the 27,000 vehicles bought by the Pentagon. Navistar's defense-related revenue fell 51% last year to $541 million as demand for trucks and replacement parts dried up. The company wants the U.S. Army to repurpose MRAPs for other uses, such as vehicles for battalion commanders. The more MRAPs that remain in service, the more sales of high-margin replacement parts for Navistar.

And OshKosh B'Gosh.

Oshkosh predicts that defense sales could fall by about 40% this year, after dropping 23% in 2013. The Wisconsin company cut 900 employees from its military-truck assembly business last year. Production of an all-terrain MRAP for Afghanistan kept Oshkosh afloat when sales of its commercial and public-safety vehicles crashed during the 2008 recession.

The militaryindustrial complex is just what Ike warned us it would be.

[tw]

Thank god (or George Jr) for Mission Acccomplished. As a result, the local National Guard transportation company finally got rid of their Studebaker trucks.

[Griff]

This box of our own making has no reasonable way out. Next time, don't make the box.

[footfootfoot]

I still regret not buying one of those $50. government surplus jeeps I saw in the back of my comic books. I'm sure it would have been even better than the working submarine for $6.95

sigh

Oh and Griff, not making boxes is un-American. Box making creates jobs and stimulates the economy.

[Griff]

My cousin has a 50's vintage Willys for plowing snow and fixing fence. Cool rig. We've been filling a lot of boxes even if they don't publish pictures anymore.

[Adak]

This is a great idea, because we know that we'll NEVER need reinforced trucks again.

The bad guys will just let our unprotected supply and patrol trucks, drive right on by, in future conflicts.

[sexobon]

Originally Posted by Griff

This box of our own making has no reasonable way out. Next time, don't make the box.

That's what I used to say, until I reversed myself.