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Manufacturers Ramp Up Armored Truck Production

An armored cab on the assembly line at the Stewart and Stevenson tactical truck factory in Houston. The cab will replace unarmored versions on trucks used to haul food, fuel, troops and supplies around Iraq.
Chris Arnold, NPR
An armored cab on the assembly line at the Stewart and Stevenson tactical truck factory in Houston. The cab will replace unarmored versions on trucks used to haul food, fuel, troops and supplies around Iraq.

According to the House Armed Services Committee, the military has armored only about 15 percent of the medium and heavyweight trucks it uses in and around war zones.

One manufacturer says the biggest problem in building more trucks is getting enough specialized parts. Another says it could increase production of armored vehicles if the Pentagon asked. NPR's Chris Arnold reports.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

NPR correspondent Chris Arnold is based in Boston. His reports are heard regularly on NPR's award-winning newsmagazines Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Weekend Edition. He joined NPR in 1996 and was based in San Francisco before moving to Boston in 2001.