I ran across this story today, which used the term ‘deadlined’ in an unfamiliar context:
Platoon defies orders in Iraq
Is deadlined a technical military term, and if so what official meaning does it have, or is it just GI slang for beat up vehicles?
Deadline is a term used in readiness reporting. Every duty day, the vehicles are inspected and if there is a deficiency which renders the vehicle unusable, it is reported as not avaiable for use, or “deadlined.” Vehicles can be deadlined because mechanically they just won’t run, or for failing to meet safety requirements. It used to be that in certain circumstances (war zone would be one of them) the commander could override safety deadlines and declare the vehicle operational. I would imagine that this is still the case.
A commander can override a deadline at any time, not just in wartime. Of course he has to be able to justify it. Something like a substantial oil leak would be a deadline but the commander may downgrade it and tell the driver to bring extra oil and check it often if the mission is essential. The same with safety problems like cracked windshields, missing mirrors etc. The vehicle can still work in degraded mode without any significant risk. A deadlined vehicle is not necessarily “extremely unsafe” like it says in your quote, though they might be.
I recall there being an “Admin Deadline” and a “Combat Deadline”, one being windshield wipers, and one being something like a driveshaft missing. I may be recalling incorrectly, anyone else know these terms?
Never heard that. As far as I recall its: fully mission capable (/ and - on the 2404), partially mission capable (circle X on the 2404) and nonmission capable (X on the 2404). Only a commander can change an X to a circle X. Things may have changed, turning wrenches was never may forte and I haven’t done it in years.
We have something similar for aircraft in the Air Force, called the AF Form 781. A Red X is something that will affect safety-of-flight, grounding the aircraft. In our case, nobody can override a Red X as far as I know. A Red \ denotes something broken or otherwise missing that does not affect safety-of-flight, but will reduce mission effectiveness, and a Red - is simply a note that something is due at such and such a time or something was removed for whatever reason, but what was removed makes no difference whatsoever in readiness and availability.
We had the same thing in Army Aviation except there is a circle red X. I was aircrew but not a wrench turner so I hope I get this right. A TI (technical inpector) or maintenance test pilot were the only ones who could sign off a red X when repairs were complete. A commander could turn a red X to a cirlce red X under certain circumstances. In my experience (which does not include combat) it was usually used for one time flights. For example if an oil-line had a class III leak a commander may turn the X into a circle X for a one time flight from the field back to base for repairs. This is usually after consulting with the mechanics and maintenance pilots. It is not a decision which is made lightly. Of course there is less urgency when dealing with ground vehicles, with them having less tendancy to fall from the sky and all.