Trucks That Save American Lives in Iraq - Then Why so Few of Them

55 percent of the deaths (1,400 soldiers) of American troops in Iraq have been from roadside bombs. Cougars are armored vehicles that protect those same troops, unlike humvees. So why are there so few of them deployed? The vehicles have been around for decades in one form or the other:

The first Cougars were shipped in late 2004 to Marine engineers in Fallujah, and to date, no one has been killed in an IED blast while riding in a Cougar.

More than two years after that first shipment, however, only a few hundred of the 15-ton lifesavers are available to U.S. troops — a pace that is too slow for some.

More...