U.S. program to refurbish, transfer Humvees to Iraq

[unhappycamper]

U.S. program to refurbish, transfer Humvees to Iraq
Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Saturday, January 19, 2008

The U.S. military officially has launched an effort to give nearly 8,000 up-armored Humvees to the Iraqi Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Defense by the end of 2009.

A ceremony Thursday at Camp Taji, north of Baghdad, marked the beginning of the transfer program, with an initial goal of delivering 4,200 of the Humvees by the end of this year, officials said.

The program involves refurbishing and refitting Humvees used by U.S. troops, repainting them and transferring them to the government of Iraq. The program cost for fiscal 2008 is $123 million, officials said Friday. That figure includes $50 million to purchase the vehicles, $60 million for the refurbishment contracts and $13 million for vehicle parts.

In a news release, Maj. Gen. George Smith, identified as the Security Assistance Office director, said the Humvees “will provided protected mobility for the many Iraqi Security Forces who will receive them.”

On Friday, officials said there are some 600 Humvees already in a holding yard, “ready to undergo a maintenance overhaul of brakes, belts and fluids before the appropriate paint scheme is applied.”


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=51748



uhc comment: Hmmmm. I wonder who's going to get the refurbish contract.