Marines in Iraq angered by lack of proper equipment

A report by Richard Lardner of the Tampa Tribune indicates that "civilian casualties in Iraq's volatile Anbar province would have been greatly reduced over the past 20 months if an inexpensive, hand-held laser system had been sent to the Marines operating there, according to a series of e-mail messages between troops in the field and acquisition officials in suburban Washington." Two requests by the Marine officials in Iraq have gone unfilled since 2005; officials at Marine Corps Base Quantico cite inadequate testing and safety reviews of the laser systems.