GAO Warns of Runaway MRAP Costs

WASHINGTON - The accelerated pace the military has used to buy and deploy thousands of heavily armored mine resistant vehicles for Iraq and Afghanistan could lead to problems with maintenance and cost overruns on the top priority project, according to congressional investigators.

Congress has appropriated $22 billion to acquire more than 15,000 mine resistant ambush protected vehicles, also known as MRAPs, to protect troops from roadside bombs and other insurgent ambushes, according to the Government Accountability Office report. Defense Secretary Robert Gates designated the program as the department's highest priority acquisition last year.

That meant testing of safety and performance occurred while the vehicles were being bought, raising the possibility costly errors would be uncovered after the fact. More than 100 vehicles the military paid for were not fielded because of problems discovered after their purchase, according to the GAO report made public Wednesday.

"While the department's concurrent approach to producing, testing, and fielding the vehicles has provided an urgently needed operational capability, it has also increased performance, sustainability and cost risks," the GAO concluded.

The MRAP program has so far fielded 6,600 vehicles for the Army and Marines. They are made by contractors that include units of the British firm BAE Systems, General Dynamics Corp., and a unit of heavy truck maker Navistar International Corp.

The MRAP vehicles have been in high demand from commanders in Iraq since 2005 after insurgents began to use explosives that could penetrate the armor of troop carriers and other vehicles. An even more durable version, known as MRAP II, is currently under development.

Cheryl Irwin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Defense, said the Pentagon had received the report and would respond to it.

"This is something the leadership in the department is going to take a look at," she said Wednesday.

The GAO also said the number of contractors involved in building MRAP vehicles could prove costly and create delays. Using a wide range of vendors may lead to problems finding parts for the different types of vehicles each contractor produces, and the military is still in the early stages of training technicians to repair them all.

The purchase of MRAPs has been largely funded through supplemental defense budgets, emergency spending measures the GAO said can obscure the cost of long-term maintenance. Those costs have not yet been determined, the report said.