By Pfc. Christopher Grammer
50th Public Affairs Detachment
KUWAIT - Every Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected Vehicle that gets sent to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan goes through this facility for final checks and maintenance, said Lt. Col. Coll Haddon, with the Joint Program Office MRAP.
MRAPs are originally constructed by various contractors in one of two places depending on their final destination, said Haddon.
MRAPs constructed in Charleston, S.C., are made for use in Iraq and come fully constructed with all the sensitive equipment already installed. These vehicles make the trip by sea to Kuwait where the personnel at the MDF perform all the final maintenance and logistical processes necessary to make sure the vehicle is safe, up to standards, and ready for use in a combat zone, said Lt. Col. Mark S. Kelley, the Brigade S2/3 officer in charge.
South Africa is where the MRAPs needed for operations in Afghanistan are constructed, however those constructed there are devoid of the sensitive equipment and communications devices troops need to operate in a deployed environment. All the instruments these vehicles lack are installed and checked at the MDF before they are ready to ship to Afghanistan, said Kelley.
Though MRAPs come in many different variations due to the myriad of different contractors who produce the vehicles there are ultimately three categories of MRAPs.
Category 1 Mine Resistant Utility Vehicles are smaller, lighter and designed for urban operations. These vehicles can replace a humvee in most respects.
Category 2 Joint Explosive Ordnance Disposal Rapid Response Vehicles can be used in many different mission types such as convoy lead, troop transport, EOD missions or combat engineering. These types of MRAPs can also be used as heavily armored ambulances.
MRAPs of every type and use save lives by protecting troops from the leading killer of deployed servicemembers. Improvised explosive devices are responsible for about 60 percent of deaths in Iraq and guarding against this threat is one of the military's top priorities.