Iraq: Looking for LAVs in All the Right Places

USMC LAV-25(click to view full) In July 2008, Iraq submitted a slew of official requests to buy over $10 billion worth of American defense equipment, in order to equip its forces with tanks, armored cars, weapons, and even key infrastructure. In December 2008, additional requests reached the formal notification stage, while some of their July 2008 requests have been clarified or modified. The volume of these announcements, and their content, strongly suggests an Iraqi military that is making significant strides in organization and responsibilities, and is beginning to order the equipment to match. Gen. David Petraeus’ December 2008 presentation in Washington [Transcript | Slideshow] regarding the less recognized aspects of “the surge,” and the current situation in Iraq, would appear to back that up. Time will tell. One of the requests that was modified by the December announcements was Iraq’s request for LAVs, similar to the amphibious vehicles used by the US Marine Corps… Stryker APC inMosul traffic jam(click to view full) Dec 10/08: The US DSCA announces [PDF] Iraq’s formal request for 400 Stryker (modified LAV-III) vehicles, as part of a larger order. The total value, if all options are exercised, could be as high as $1.11 billion. The […]