Truck crews get crash course in survival.

• Author: Erwin, Sandra I.

Despite efforts to accelerate production of armor plates and up-armored Humvees, the Army cannot supply enough protective kits to equip every one of its nearly 50,000 trucks now operating throughout Iraq. To make up for the shortage of armor, the Army intends to protect truck convoys from roadside bombs, mines and small-arms attacks by deploying more firepower aboard vehicles, along with other defensive techniques.

As thousands of troops rotate in and out of Iraq, convoys of Humvees, wreckers, 2 1/2-ton and 5-ton trucks--moving people and equipment--will continue to be targeted. The Army has put in place a package of security measures designed to protect vehicles, even if they don't have armor. On an average day, at least 2,000 trucks traverse the 900-mile stretch between U.S. bases ha Kuwait and Balad, Iraq.

"Clearly, we won't be able to put armor in every truck," said Lt. Gen. Claude V. Christianson, Army deputy chief of staff for logistics. But, he cautioned, "force protection is more than just armor on the vehicle."

Other defensive techniques are based on maneuvers and the deployment of weapons aboard trucks, such as machine guns and grenade launchers. The specific "offensive" measures are classified, Christianson told National Defense. "Control of movements, maneuver and the ability to fight from your truck" are key pieces of the strategy. "All that, together with the armor kits, provides the total force protection package."

In recent months, the Army has been withdrawing tanks and Bradley tracked vehicles from Iraq, and replacing them with trucks, which are better suited for patrolling and transporting supplies.

"The situation in Iraq requires maneuverability that you can't get from the heavy vehicles," said Christianson. "You have to go down narrow streets and move down very quickly."

Tanks and Bradleys are not only cumbersome to get around the cities, but they also are viewed as too threatening for routine patrols. "Once you are inside and closed up, you can't see very much. The patrols are more than just driving up and down." Soldiers have to be able to easily get out of their vehicles and talking to people. "A closed-up tank is intimidating," he said. "The current requirement only can be met with lighter vehicles."

The vulnerability of truck convoys and the inadequacies of the Army supply system are among the painful lessons the Army learned in this war. As is the case in every war, soldiers learn in adjust and make up for the...