April 28,
2008: Two years after they placed an order, Iraqi security forces are finally
receiving their IED (Improvised Explosive Device, or roadside bomb) jammers.
The Iraqis are getting 411 Symphony jammers, which cost about $124,000 each.
These are not the jammers used by American forces. No one will comment
officially on that, or the delay. But unofficially, there was great reluctance
by American military commanders to allow Iraqi army or police forces to have
jammers. That's because of the corruption in the security forces, and the
likelihood that the Islamic terrorists would simply buy one or more of the
jammers, and use it to come up with more ways to defeat the jamming.
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However,
in the last year, the terrorist organizations have been smashed. Many of the
Sunni Arab engineers and technicians who worked for the terrorists have been
killed, captured or quit the terror business. Morale, and loyalty, is way up in
the security forces. It was time to take a chance. It was also time to stop
lending the Iraqis U.S. troops, vehicles, and their jammers, for very dangerous
situations.
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