U.S. Ignored IED Threat In Iraq War

WASHINGTON [MENL] -- The U.S. Defense Department waited for years to protect
American troops from improvised explosive devices in Iraq.
A report said the Pentagon had determined the IED threat years before
the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. But the audit said the Pentagon refused
to order the development of combat vehicles that could withstand roadside
blasts.
"DoD was aware of the threat posed by mines and improvised explosive
devices in low-intensity conflicts and of the availability of mine-resistant
vehicles years before insurgent actions began in Iraq in 2003," the audit
said. "Yet DoD did not develop requirements for, fund, or acquire MRAP-type
vehicles for low-intensity conflicts that involved mines and IEDs."