Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld had to listen to some criticism today from U.S. troops, according to the BBC and Washington Post. Rummy was speaking at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, before American soldiers preparing for duty in Iraq. Several soldiers reportedly questioned the quality of the equipment being provided to them, and the priorities under which this equipment is distributed to different military units. Spc. Thomas Wilson asked the secretary:

Why do we soldiers have to dig through local landfills for pieces of scrap metal and compromised ballistic glass to up-armor our vehicles? We do not have proper armored vehicles to carry with us north.

Rumsfeld answered:

You go to war with the Army you have, not the Army you might want or wish to have. You can have all the armor in the world on a tank and a tank can (still) be blown up.

These soldiers are asking valid questions. I’m not so sure Rummy handled their questions in the best manner. I just hope he and President Bush are really doing all they can for these brave kids. Rumsfeld was quoted as saying:

Rumsfeld said the Army was sparing no expense or effort to acquire as many Humvees and other vehicles with extra armor as it can.