My Title: Incompetence, Thy Name is Rumsfield

The New York Times > International > Middle East > Many Missteps Tied to Delay in Armor for Troops in Iraq


Here's a quote:

But an examination of the issues involving the protective shielding and other critical equipment shows how a supply problem seen as an emergency on the ground in Iraq was treated as a routine procurement matter back in Washington.

While all soldiers eventually received plates for their vests, the Army is still scrambling to find new materials to better protect the 10,000 Humvees in Iraq that were not built for combat conditions. They are re-enforced by simple steel plates that cannot withstand the increasingly potent explosives being used by the insurgents, according to contractors who are working to develop more sophisticated armor for the Army.

Bonus question: Where did the "increasingly potent explosives" come from? Anybody? Anybody? Bueller?