M1A2 Abrams

The M1A2 Abrams tank is the most advanced of its kind. The M1A2 tank uses a steel-encased depleted uranium armor. The armor is designed to blow out in the event of a missel attack saving the crew inside. 


The commander's station is equipped with six periscopes, providing a 360° view of the battlefield. The M1A2 Abrams tank has a two-axis Raytheon gunner's sight which increases the range and accuracy of the gun. 


The tank holds a crew of 4: a driver, gunner, loader, and commander. The tank weighs in at 69.5 tons and is equipped with an AGT 1500 gas turbine engine allowing for a top speed of 45 mph. The M1A2 will need approximately 300 gallons of fuel every eight hours  depending on the mission, terrain, and weather. This tank gives America the edge on the battle field. 

http://www.army-technology.com/projects/abrams/ 

Iraq Is On It's Own

On September 19 Three car bombs went off in Fallujah, killing at least 36 people. The blasts in the capital were so powerful they tore off the sides of buildings and left streets in ruins. It was said to be the worst violence since the U.S. military dropped to 50,000 troops and declared an end to combat operations.

Insurgents have attacked Iraqi forces and government buildings, because of gaps in security as the U.S. lessens its military force. 

Iraq is left to deal with this problem on its own. The Government officials and soldiers are working hard to keep peace in their country. 

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129977721

Are Our Troops In Danger?

Terry Jones, pastor of Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida planned to burn Qurans on September 11. This caused National concerns all the way to the White House. The Burning of the Muslims holy book would have endangered US Troops in Muslim countries. The incident would have given the radicals a reason to commit terrorist actions. 


Terry finally agreed to suspend the event because the Imam Muhammad Musri, the president of the Islamic Society of Central Florida, said that the New York mosque will be moved. When terry head that the plans for the mosque were still underway he said "Given what we are now hearing, we are forced to rethink our decision, so as of right now, we are not canceling the event, but we are suspending it." Does this mean that our troops are still in danger? only time will tell. 
Click to watch the video documenting this event.  

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/quran_burning

USS NEW YORK

The USS NEW YORK is the U.S Navies newest ship. The ship is made out of the steal rubble from the World Trade Center. The captain of the warship is Cmdr. Curtis Jones a native of Binghamton, N.Y. he will oversee a crew of 360 sailors and up to 700 Marines to war and humanitarian missions.The $1 billion warship was built near New Orleans by workers who survived Katrina. This ship is among the LPD series of new amphibious assault ships.the USS NEW YORK and her sister LPDs are designed with maximum stealth and flexibility. She can carry a V-22 tilt-rotor Osprey aircraft, three types of helicopters14 expeditionary fighting vehicles and air-cushioned landing crafts for deployments of Marines and Special Forces.

http://www.ussny.org/ship.php   

M.R.E Supersized

Troops on the battle field do not always have time to go to the mess hall to eat. Scientists have developed a solution to fix that the M.R.E (meal ready to eat). THe M.R.E is a pouch that contains chemicals that react with water to heat pre packaged food. Earlier one M.R.E would feed one person this was a waste of money . The scientists have now developed a M.R.E on steroids, the new M.R.E will be able to feed 18 people hot meals in the middle of the battlefield. The new M.R.E contains utensils and trash bags. It fits into a portable box that can be easily moved. To heat the meal all the soldier has to do is pull a leaver that relises a salt water solution onto a chemical that produces heat and in 32 minutes the food is hot and ready to serve.

http://usmilitary.about.com/od/weapons/a/newrations.htm

Interceptor Body Armor

The Interceptor Multi-Threat Body Armor System was developed by the Army and Marine Corps to improve protection and lessen the weight of previous vests. The vest is currently in use in Iraq and Afganistan. 
The Interceptor body armor system consists of an outer layer and two inserts designed to stop small arms fire. The outer layer is woven with Kevlar. These two parts of the vest are both bullet and heat resistant. The down side is that the vest can not handle heavy arms fire. The vest is also equipped with a removable neck, throat, shoulder and groin protection. 

http://www.olive-drab.com/od_soldiers_gear_body_armor_interceptor.php 

Introduction

This blog will talk about the war in Iraq. I will be following up on all the major events that will happen. I will also talk about why we are in Iraq and Obama's plan to withdraw all U.S troops. I will also talk about the equipment and vehicles issued to the troops and their effectiveness.