Study: MRAP requests could have saved lives

PENTAGON (AP) - February 16, 2008 The internal study was written by a civilian official of the Marine Corps. It says battlefield commanders made an urgent request in 2005 for vehicles that could resist blasts, huge trucks called MRAPs. That stands for "Mine-Resistant, Ambush Protected."

The report says deliveries were delayed for more than two years because of "gross mismanagement." The million-dollar-per-truck cost prompted rejection. It was seen as a threat to programs aimed at developing other vehicles.

The trucks weren't shipped in large numbers until last May, when new Defense Secretary Robert Gates gave them top priority.