GAO: Marines Need More Training; Clearer SOPs, Oversight Needed to Stem Fatal Vehicle Mishaps usni.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from usni.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Michael McDowell
Fellow, International Security Program
Michael H.C. McDowell is a Fellow in New America s International Security Program, focusing on the alarmingly high death rate and critical injury toll on soldiers, Marines, airmen and women, and Navy personnel, in military tactical vehicle rollovers Humvees, Light Armored Vehicles, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, heavy troop trucks, dune-buggy-like MRZRs, etc. The fatalities, all in training, on these vics, now exceed deaths in combat. Each of these war machines is top-heavy, over armored, and prone to rollover if not driven carefully, or encountering unidentified terrain hazards. These transports also are often old, worn out by wars, unreliable, and pushed through safety inspections which they should fail. Mr. McDowell has been a fellow at several think tanks, colleges, and foundations: the Carnegie Endowment, Harvard University, Aspen Institute, Gates Foundation, etc. He was honored by the UK government for his work on the
Marine Corps inspector general suspended pending third investigation into AAV accident May 3 Maj. Gen. Robert F. Castellvi, the then -outgoing commanding general of the 1st Marine Division, speaks during a change of command ceremony held at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Sept. 22, 2020. (Cpl. Jailine L. AliceaSantiago/Marine Corps) At the end of April, the Marine Corps suspended Maj. Gen. Robert Castellvi, the inspector general of the Marine Corps and former 1st Marine Division commander, from his duties pending the outcome of a third investigation into a deadly sinking accident. Prior to taking on the role as inspector general of the Marine Corps, Castellvi was the commander of the 1st Marine Division, responsible for the training and readiness of the Marines of 3rd Amphibious Assault Battalion and 1st Battalion, 4th Marines.
The Buck Stops Here: Hold High-Ranking Officers Responsible for Training Accidents
A U.S. Marine carries a pair of combat boots during a memorial service at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Aug. 21, 2020, held in remembrance of the eight Marines and one sailor from Bravo Company, BLT 1/4, 15th MEU, who died in an assault amphibious vehicle mishap (U.S. Marine Corps/Cpl. Dalton S. Swanbeck)
5 Apr 2021 Military.com | By Michael McDowell
Michael H.C. McDowell is a Fellow in New America s International Security Program, focusing on the high death rate and critical injury toll on service members in military tactical vehicle rollovers. His son, Marine troop commander 1st Lt. H. Conor McDowell, 24, was killed in a rollover at Camp Pendleton, California, on May 9, 2019.