The end of the military tank?
The Army says it doesn’t need it, but industry wants to keep building it
By Marjorie Censer, WashPost, Published: January 31
YORK, PA. — When an armored vehicle pulled down the statue of Saddam Hussein in an iconic moment of the Iraq War, it triggered a wave of pride here at the BAE Systems plant where that rig was built. The Marines who rolled to glory in it even showed up to pay their regards to the factory workers.
That bond between the machinists and tradesmen supporting the war effort at home and those fighting on the front lines has held tight for generations — as long as the tank has served as a symbol of military might.
Now that representation of U.S. power is rolling into another sort of morass: the emotional debates playing out as Congress, the military and the defense industry adapt to stark new realities in modern warfare and in the nation’s finances.
As its orders dwindle, the BAE Systems plant is shrinking, too. The company is slowly trimming workers and closing buildings.
(More here.)
By Marjorie Censer, WashPost, Published: January 31
YORK, PA. — When an armored vehicle pulled down the statue of Saddam Hussein in an iconic moment of the Iraq War, it triggered a wave of pride here at the BAE Systems plant where that rig was built. The Marines who rolled to glory in it even showed up to pay their regards to the factory workers.
That bond between the machinists and tradesmen supporting the war effort at home and those fighting on the front lines has held tight for generations — as long as the tank has served as a symbol of military might.
Now that representation of U.S. power is rolling into another sort of morass: the emotional debates playing out as Congress, the military and the defense industry adapt to stark new realities in modern warfare and in the nation’s finances.
As its orders dwindle, the BAE Systems plant is shrinking, too. The company is slowly trimming workers and closing buildings.
(More here.)
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1 Comments:
Actually Tanks may have more of a likelihood of being used than horses and elephants.
Did you know that DoD spent over $100 million on animals in 2012 ?
The Mountain Warfare Training Center teaches advanced horsemanship as well as how to use pack animals. many countries have terrain without roads or otherwise impassable with motor vehicles. Since some countries that have heavy rain may make many roads impassable, the Marine Corps uses nine basic pack species -- dog, elephant, llama, camel, horse, ox, donkey, mules, and even reindeer.
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