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Pack solution needed sooner rather than later

Clunky, uncomfortable and a lousy fit with body armor, the Corps’ standard ruck is “completely unacceptable” to combat-experienced Marines who answered a Systems Command gear survey.

Fortunately for every Marine, the 5-year-old Individual Load Bearing Equipment pack is on its way out.

Field testing for possible replacements could begin as early as spring. Officials have identified at least five alternatives. The downside is that the military’s convoluted acquisition process ensures it will be at least a year before a better system finally hits the fleet.

Now that’s completely unacceptable: Marines headed to Afghanistan in the coming months need and deserve something better much sooner. The ILBE’s thick shoulder straps hinder a Marine’s ability to smoothly and precisely engage his weapon, a potentially life-threatening safety risk. And when hooked to a ruck stuffed with 50 pounds of gear or more, they can slice into a Marine’s armpits, causing painful chafing and bleeding. ILBE also is faulted for causing and exacerbating joint and muscle pain. The pack’s back is flat, but body armor includes a rounded rear protective plate, meaning the two systems meet in only one spot — so all that weight inside the pack pulls away from a Marine’s torso, straining his neck, knees, hips and lower back.

Post-deployment health data collected from 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, which completed an Afghanistan tour in late 2008, found that nearly one-third of the battalion’s 786 members suffered from back pain while a quarter experienced problems with their joints. About 70 percent of 2/7’s patrols were conducted on foot. Units stationed there now and those expected to arrive in 2010 will perform just as much, if not more, legwork, and can expect to have to endure similar aches and pains.

The ILBE was a top-notch product when approved in 2004, before the surge in improvised explosives necessitated development of such cumbersome body armor. ILBE still has several first-rate features — including quick-release buckles and exterior pockets that allow easy access to spare ammunition. With upgrades, the ILBE could be transformed from battlefield liability to an asset and long-term solution.

But even upgrades would require too much time to ensure Marines in the war zone are adequately outfitted. An interim fix is needed now — and one is available. At least three packs currently in use by the Army and U.S. Special Operations Command have aroused the Corps’ interest, and all address the ILBE’s most dire deficiencies.

Those packs would not require time-consuming test and evaluation cycles, or lengthy periods to write specifications or set up manufacturing facilities. Those packs are in production and have proven themselves on the battlefield. The Corps should quickly determine which of them would best suit its requirements for the next 18 months and fast-track procurement of 40,000, enough to outfit every Marine scheduled for an Afghan tour in 2010 and early 2011. This would provide those most in need with a fully vetted, suitable substitute for the ILBE while allowing the Corps enough time to thoroughly research its permanent replacement.