December 13, 2004

Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
The United States Department of Defense
1300 Defense Pentagon
Washington, D.C. 20301

Dear Secretary Rumsfeld:

It is with much concern and regret that I contact you today. As you know, Army Spc. Thomas Wilson of the 278th Regimental Combat Team is from Tennessee, where I represent the Fourth Congressional District.

Army Spc. Wilson was able to bring to the forefront an issue many Members of Congress have been concerned with and questioning for months. Why is there a delay in the production of armor? Why has the DOD, once learning that Armor Holdings, Inc. can increase its monthly production of armored Humvees from 450 to 550, not placed an order for them to do so? Is it true that Armor Holdings, Inc. could increase the production beyond 550 but cites obligations to the private sector for its inability to do so? What is the DOD doing to expedite the negotiations process? When Congress passed the emergency supplementals, one for $62 billion, another for $87 billion, and the most recent for $25 billion, how much of that went towards armoring vehicles (trucks, Humvees, other armor kits)?

My constituents, who have sent their sons, daughters, husbands, wives, parents overseas for war and a hostile occupation, are contacting me with concerns about what "You go to war with the Army you have…not the Army you want or might wish to have…" means. I, too, have difficulty understanding what this means. The United States, the richest, most powerful nation in the world, has the resources to meet nearly every need and yet of our nearly 29,000 vehicles in the Central Command, 43% remain unarmored as well as 90% of our medium-weight transport trucks and 85% of our heavy transport vehicles. Why are these needs not being met? Congress has provided $1.2 billion more than the administration has requested for armor since FY03. Knowing that more armor is necessary, why are these funds not being properly requested and allocated?

I believe the United States expected a short, high-tech war when instead we find ourselves battling a patient, hostile counterinsurgency. That being said, the idea of battle lines has evaporated which makes all vehicles traveling in Iraq susceptible to attack, making the number of armored vehicles even more problematic. Understanding more clearly now what we face, I hope we will make decisions that put the protection of our soldiers as first priority. As Congress prepares the next war supplemental to the tune of nearly $100 billion, I hope you will bear these concerns in mind when determining funding allocations.

Sincerely,

Lincoln Davis
Member of Congress