"They're not tanks.

They're not designed to be tanks.

They're designed to go places where tanks can't go"

Major General James Dubik
First IBCT, Fort Lewis, commander describing wheeled IAVs
Fort Benning, BAYONET October 27, 2000 Page A-5

"A good defense against armored cars along roads is to dig sloping ditches in such a way that the tank enters them easily and afterwards cannot get out, as the picture shows. These can be easily hidden from the enemy, especially at nighttime or when he has no infantry in advance of the tanks because of resistance by the guerilla forces."

Ernesto Che' Guevara

Page 107 of Guerilla Warfare

Too often life imitates art; test your technotactical skills here by closely observing these wheeled armored car pictures and tell us what is WRONG, how to correct it....ATTENTION TO DETAIL!!

TRAIN AS YOU WOULD FIGHT!

Since the first LAV-III will not be delivered until a year and a half from now to meet the Army's "urgent" IBCT needs, surrogate vehicles like this M93 Fox NBC recon wheeled armored car are being used at Fort Lewis. What kind of cross-country mobility and resistance against enemy fire do these type vehicles have?

"The LAV III is optimized for close, complex or urban terrain and its platform commonality will significantly reduce or logistic footprint and support requirements. This is a great vehicle and we are committed to providing only the very best for our Soldiers."

Is being unable to survive mere small arms fire, wire, glass and rubble and limping home on run flats at 5 mph for 5 miles "OPTIMIZED"? For who? The enemy? Will run-flats work if the tires have burned up to the metal rims? (see picture above)

How will "platform commonality" save money when this will make the 7th DIFFERENT TYPE WHEELED ARMORED CAR IN U.S. ARMY SERVICE?

Let's see:

1. Army Security Vehicle XM1117 (ASV-150) 4x4 wheeled armored cars for Army MPs

2. Fox NBC 6x6 wheeled armored cars for Army Chemical Corps

3. HUM-VEE M11114 4x4 wheeled armored Army MPs/Infantry

4. Pandur 6x6 wheeled armored cars for SOF

5. Mamba 4x4 wheeled armored cars for Combat Engineers

6. Casspir 6x6 V-hulled armored cars for Combat Engineers

7. LAV-III 8x8 wheeled armored cars for Infantry/Armor IBCTs

ASVs, HUM-VEEs, Foxes, Pandurs, Mambas, Casspirs, LAV-IIIs....

We already have 6 different types of wheeled armored cars...so lets buy ANOTHER TYPE, so we have 7 DIFFERENT TYPES TO LOGISTICALLY SUPPORT! Where is the logic in this?