US Plans to Transfer 8,000 Hummers to Iraq

“RESET of the US Army’s Vehicle Fleet Continues” covers the USA’s HMMWV RECAP program, while noting that the extra weight of the add-on armor was wearing out Hummers to the point where even RESET/RECAP programs may not be able to extend their life much. One solution is to turn them over to Iraqi forces, who are often driving unarmored pickup trucks. On Jan 17/08, a ceremony in Taji, Iraq marked the beginning of a program to refurbish and transfer more than 4,244 up-armored Humvees from US inventory to the government of Iraq by the end of 2008, and reach more than 8,000 Hummers transferred by the end of 2009. So, how are they doing? BaghdadThese Humvees start the transition process at the Camp Taji Redistribution Property Assistance Team Yard, a few miles north of Baghdad. By the time the January 2008 ceremony took place, 627 vehicles were already staged in the holding yard. They’ll receive a maintenance overhaul of brakes, belts and fluids, and can need to be shipped out for more extensive work if necessary. Once the vehicles are deemed fit, the appropriate paint scheme is applied, and quality assurance checks are conducted. Then the vehicles are be transferred to the government of Iraq. The 13-month contract can be extended by an additional 6 months, and is expected to generate more than 500 jobs, while serving as an on-the-job training mechanism for Iraqi soldiers who have completed their initial training.

Posted in: Iraq,USA