The obvious requirement for mine resistant and armored military vehicles is safe, rapid transport through hostile environments where they are targets of enemy forces to destinations where ground forces and/or vehicle support of heavier weapons firepower is required for troops delivered by these vehicles. That is a self evident delivery mission. Extraction from a hot zone is merely the reverse mission running the same possible gamut. That is the in and the out. While on station in a hot zone the role the requirements are different. Mobility positioning on station remains important but positioning is obviously tied to the proximate location of the troops it delivered and changes in their tactical location offense or defense advantage. That is just all speculation but reasonable?
Police don't run a gamut of positioned opposition firepower or prepared mine placement to get to the scene of operations needing armored and mine resistant vehicles. They do well in patrol cars with sirens to clear the way. Most patrol cars seem to have big bumpers to move those vehicles that do not get out of the way. They are not often even cars but more often SUV's now. Insertion and extraction protection and safety of domestic police forces to scenes of unrest are less critical than military urban warfare? Probably. Especially considering that the opposition is civilian. Large numbers of civilians. Large enough perhaps that could surround the "heavy" military vehicles. That would be a problem. The problem: How to get out of that situation? The answer is don't get into it. The way out would not be easy, surrender not an option and it would all be televised or video recorded.
Rules of engagement cannot be established and mutually agreed upon with domestic civilians involved in civil disturbance. ROE is determined by the police force, what they will and will not do. Militarized police forces are a de facto statement of ROE that they and the police forces and installed weapons they carry may and will potentially be used when and if necessary. Necessary to protect the lives of police in the face of perceived deadly threat. The military credo of none left behind meme. That is a setup for disaster. It is also ironic because "serve and protect" is a police force meme. An open ended meme until who is being served and protected is defined.
Blurring the lines between military and police is a national issue. When police adopt military equipment, military style and military perception of "enemy forces" there is no doubt about what they are more like.
What is the answer?
If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck it is going to shoot like a duck.
"Militarized Police Don't Calm Things Down"
"Every item distributed to local law enforcement by the Pentagon's 1033 program over two years"
Something else that enables the purchase of military style equipment that is not documented by direct transfer from military stores is Stimulus Funding to local communities as well a Homeland Security grants and other governmental grants that provided funds to police forces for discretionary purchase of whatever they wanted.
The police could just as well ride into battle in a school bus as within the protection of a mine resistant vehicle that once at the scene is practically no better than a school bus as far as defensive/offensive value. Strategic withdrawal in school bus is the same situation as in a Bearcat if it is surrounded by demonstrating civilians. What is the driver going to do? Run them down? Tiananmin square? One thing that police forces are trained to do is to always give an avenue for demonstrators to disperse. Never block them in or surround them. Maybe there should be a civilian Geneva Conventions Rules of Engagement that dictates civilian demonstrators give the police the same opportunity. That, of course would require civilian command and control of the demonstration. What a funny situation but there are terms of civilized warfare? What about the Riot Act? Rules of Engagement is a strange concept. Gandhi had his rules, so did Martin Luther King Jr.
On another matter: Getting to the origin cause of all this militarized equipment flowing to police forces: It is excess to military requirements. Rules and regulations dictate that excess is not to be retained, it must be disposed. Excess material by its very official definition must be disposed or otherwise be redefined as something else like Pre-positioned War Reserves.
I wonder if the official root cause of the flow of militarized equipment to police forces is the requirement to dispose of officially designated "excess material". Material that by specific coding is military and cannot be disposed of by normal surplus sales to non-government and even non-police government entities. Friendly foreign military entities are a possibility. What if nobody will take the excess material at give away prices? Our police will. Otherwise de-militarization means destruction unless it is a demilitarized weapon to be displayed in a public park as a memorial or for kids to play on.
Moving excess militarized equipment out of DLA or Army inventories is always a way to buy more. Especially if the equipment is financed by a Working Capital revolving stock fund. Sale or disposal of equipment in stock funded stores frees the value of sold or disposed equipment to be invested in new stores inventory. Rules for Working Capital Funds are established by this section of US Code.
This document describes the Army Working Capital Fund.
Big ticket items are usually funded by appropriation purchase accounts, not the military revolving stock fund account. I don't know what account funds Bercats but lesser value stock inventories are funded by revolving funds.
This link is a long boring description of Military Accounting
Simple: There are two types of funding mechanisms: Appropriations Accounts (Fiscal Year Budgets) and Revolving Accounts (non-appropriated funding). Military end users of equipment buy for their direct use using their budget dollars (Operation and Maintenance Funds). They either buy directly from non-government sources or from government stocks that are Working Capital Funded to provide goods and services on a revolving fund basis. That funding basis is this: When an item in inventory (or service/material in an Industrial Revolving Account) is sold the end use military customer payment received for the item is available for re-investment in inventory. Some amount of the payment is a surcharge to fund the administrative cost of operating the Revolving Working Capital Fund.
There are strong management controls on excess inventory financed by Military Working Capital Funds. Excess material that is not selling, which is the definition of excess material but the technical definition is much more complicated based on past sales and future projections and the type of material and nature of the requirement. Basically, if inventory is selling, more can be bought to replace it. If it is not selling then that is bad for business.
What "excess" may be operating behind the donation of excess stock of military equipment to police forces. Is this used equipment? Certainly not in the case of ammunition! How much is coming out of new Working Capital Funded stock. Excess disposal, and in the case of militarized material that cannot be excessed to civilian entities, only to police forces or foreign military sales, is coming out of the Working Capital Fund stocks that free up the investment in that material for the purpose of stock replenishment with new (hopefully different!) stock?
That is an excellent question!
So, what funds Bearcats held in stock inventories? That means brand new Bearcats. Appropriation Account or Working Capital Account.
There are two types of Condition Codes. One is for stock held in inventory. The other is for stock held by DRMO disposal activity.
These are the Milstrip Federal Condition Codes:
FEDERAL CONDITION CODE
NUMBER OF CHARACTERS:
TYPE OF CODE:
EXPLANATION:
One
Alpha/Numeric
There are two different and distinct condition codes under the definition of Federal Condition Codes:
There are two different and distinct condition codes under the definition of Federal Condition Codes:
-
Supplyconditioncodesareusedtoclassify
materiel in terms of readiness for issue and
use or to identify action underway to change
the status of materiel.
-
Disposalconditioncodesareassignedbythe
DRMO based on inspection of materiel at
time of receipt. A combination of the disposal
condition codes, which most accurately
describe the materiel physical condition, and
the supply condition codes will constitute the
Federal condition codes for utilization
program screening and review purpose.
NUMBER OF CHARACTERS:
TYPE OF CODE:
EXPLANATION:
RECORD POSITIONS: TITLE
RECO RD POSITI ONS:
CODE
RECORD POSITIONS: TITLE
RECO RD POSITI ONS:
CODE
One
Alphabetic
Classify materiel in terms of readiness for issue and use or to identify action underway to change the status of materiel. When materiel is determined to be in excess of approved stock levels and/or no longer serviceable, Supply Condition Codes A through H and S will be utilized to reflect materiel condition prior to turn-in to the DRMO.1
Classify materiel in terms of readiness for issue and use or to identify action underway to change the status of materiel. When materiel is determined to be in excess of approved stock levels and/or no longer serviceable, Supply Condition Codes A through H and S will be utilized to reflect materiel condition prior to turn-in to the DRMO.1
A SERVICEABLE (ISSUABLE
WITHOUT QUALIFICATION)
EXPLANATION
New, used, repaired, or reconditioned materiel which is serviceable and issuable to all customers without limitation or restriction. Includes materiel with more than 6 months shelf- life remaining.
New, used, repaired, or reconditioned materiel which is serviceable and issuable to all customers without limitation or restriction. Includes materiel with more than 6 months shelf- life remaining.
CODE
-
B SERVICEABLE (ISSUABLE
WITH QUALIFICATION)
-
C SERVICEABLE (PRIORITY
ISSUE)
-
D SERVICEABLE (TEST/
MODIFICATION)
-
E UNSERVICEABLE (LIMITED
RESTORATION)
DoD 4000.25-2-M, January 2006
Change 4
EXPLANATION
New, used, repaired, or reconditioned materiel which is serviceable and issuable for its intended purpose but which is restricted from issue to specific units, activities, or geographical areas by reason of its limited usefulness or short service life expectancy. Includes materiel with 3 through 6 months shelf-life remaining.
Items which are serviceable and issuable to selected customers, but which must be issued before Supply Condition Codes A and B materiel to avoid loss as a usable asset. Includes materiel with less than 3 months shelf-life remaining.
Serviceable materiel which requires test, alteration, modification, technical data marking, conversion, or disassembly. This does not include items which must be inspected or tested immediately prior to issue.
Materiel which involves only limited expense or effort to restore to serviceable condition and which is accomplished in the SA where the stock is located. May be issued to support ammunition requisitions coded to indicate acceptability of usable condition E stock.
EXPLANATION
New, used, repaired, or reconditioned materiel which is serviceable and issuable for its intended purpose but which is restricted from issue to specific units, activities, or geographical areas by reason of its limited usefulness or short service life expectancy. Includes materiel with 3 through 6 months shelf-life remaining.
Items which are serviceable and issuable to selected customers, but which must be issued before Supply Condition Codes A and B materiel to avoid loss as a usable asset. Includes materiel with less than 3 months shelf-life remaining.
Serviceable materiel which requires test, alteration, modification, technical data marking, conversion, or disassembly. This does not include items which must be inspected or tested immediately prior to issue.
Materiel which involves only limited expense or effort to restore to serviceable condition and which is accomplished in the SA where the stock is located. May be issued to support ammunition requisitions coded to indicate acceptability of usable condition E stock.
These are the Milstrip "Disposal Condition Codes"; Material turned over to a disposal activity
DoD 4000.25-2-M, January 2006
Change 4
DISPOSAL CONDITION CODES
DISPOSAL CONDITION CODES
NUMBER OF CHARACTERS:
TYPE OF CODE:
EXPLANATION:
CODE DEFINITION
CODE DEFINITION
One
Numeric
Assigned by DRMO to accurately describe the materiel physical condition based on inspection of materiel at time of receipt. DoD 4160.21-M is the authoritative source for the disposal condition code portion of the Federal condition code.
Assigned by DRMO to accurately describe the materiel physical condition based on inspection of materiel at time of receipt. DoD 4160.21-M is the authoritative source for the disposal condition code portion of the Federal condition code.
1 New. Property which is in new condition or unused condition and can be
used immediately without modifications or repairs.
4 Usable. Property which shows some wear, but can be used without significant repair.
7 Repairable. Property which is unusable in its current condition but can be economically repaired.
X Salvage. Property which has value in excess of its basic materiel content but repair or rehabilitation is impractical and/or uneconomical.
S Scrap. Property which has no value except for its basic materiel content.
What were the Bearcats? Used by the Army and then turned in for disposal or taken out of new stock held in a Working Capital Fund and sent to disposal/offered through a disposal program from new stock? Working Capital surely does not fund the procurement of this big ticket item. However the smaller items may or most likely are from working capital stocks.
4 Usable. Property which shows some wear, but can be used without significant repair.
7 Repairable. Property which is unusable in its current condition but can be economically repaired.
X Salvage. Property which has value in excess of its basic materiel content but repair or rehabilitation is impractical and/or uneconomical.
S Scrap. Property which has no value except for its basic materiel content.
What were the Bearcats? Used by the Army and then turned in for disposal or taken out of new stock held in a Working Capital Fund and sent to disposal/offered through a disposal program from new stock? Working Capital surely does not fund the procurement of this big ticket item. However the smaller items may or most likely are from working capital stocks.
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