Spending Billions in the Hopes of Safer Troops

July 18, 2007 — -- The Pentagon is taking a multibillion dollar gamble on a way to protect soldiers and Marines from the biggest killer they face: roadside bombs.

The government has issued a $5.4 billion rush order to buy thousands of hulking new vehicles to protect American soldiers in Iraq.

Nearly 4,000 MRAPs, or mine resistant ambush protected vehicles, are expected to be shipped to Iraq by the end of 2007.

They are massive, heavy and have an amazing ability to survive big blasts.

The MRAP is also expensive with a price of $1 million per vehicle, up to five times the cost of a Humvee.

The Pentagon is rushing these vehicles into production, declaring them to be the military's top acquisition priority with a goal that they will eventually replace most of the Humvees now used in Iraq.

One soldier commented on the MRAP's strengths to ABC's Jonathan Karl during a a visit to Fallujah earlier this year, where some of the vehicles were already in use.

"Anytime we do take a blast … the way the vehicle is built, it prevents casualties," Staff Sgt. Tim Kessler said. "I guarantee it's saved lives."

But the decision to order these vehicles raises major questions, including why are they only being rushed to production now? Commanders first started requesting MRAPs in February 2005.

It's also unclear whether the MRAP will be effective against the deadliest new threat troops now face — Iranian-made bombs called EFPs.

And while the MRAP works well on Iraq's highways, some military experts caution they will never fully replace the Humvee.

"It's much too heavy, it doesn't perform well off the road, and it's a logistical nightmare in terms of [the] fuel support it needs," said retired Gen. Jack Keane. "We are talking about tanks on wheels here."

Even with the rush, less than half of the MRAPs now under contract are expected to get to Iraq by the end of the year, and after that, they'll be produced at a rate of about 1,000 a month.

The surge of MRAPs into Iraq won't be fully under way until 2008, at about the same time many expect at least some of the troops in combat will be coming home.