11/12/2017, 7:31 pm
Ft. Lee, VA -- Chief of Ordnance for the US Army, Brigadier General Maurice Piffle, is unhappy with the current US Rules of Engagement (ROE) in Afghanistan under President Trump. "Since the ROE changes in August, we've seen ammunition usage up 426% - do you know how much that costs?" he was quoted as saying in an interview with the New York Times recently.
The changed rules now allow soldiers to continue to engage enemies, even after contact is made. The ROE in place for most of the previous 8 years only allowed firing on targets that were actively engaged in firing on US Soldiers. Once contact was broken, US Soldiers were not permitted to engage.
General Piffle went on to express frustration with the new rules and admiration for the previous administration's ROE policies. "They greatly reduced our ordnance costs in theater. I don't think the President realizes it isn't just ammunition - it is maintenance and repair on all those weapons as well. My personal policy is 'weapons not used are also not jammed or broken.' I heard secondhand that some soldiers weren't even bringing their rifles into combat because the rules restricted them so much they were never fired. That allowed them to bring a lot more equipment they did need – things like first aid supplies. That is a much less expensive item."
The US Army Quartermaster Corps had similar complaints about the scrapping of the updated uniform, called the Army Combat Uniform, scheduled for rollout in 2019.
An unnamed official stated "we are so angry right now. We've been working on getting our new ACUs in the acquisition system and contracted and they just scrap it no questions asked. We've been working on it for eight years now - do you how much effort goes into that? Getting a bullseye on the front and back of the jacket at center of mass and having it all worked into the camouflage, but not interfere with where the rank insignias need to go and all the rest? A lot of work. I'm just very upset right now. The new group in charge didn't even want to see our designs.”
- Reporting by Gazelle Gazette
