Near the beginning of the Iraq war in 2003, the U.S. forces found themselves increasingly vulnerable to guerrilla attacks from roadside bombs and RPGs when driving in Humvees. By February 2004, more than 80 soldiers were killed by roadside bombs since the start of the war; soldiers improved armor but even that was not sufficient. U.S. troops had to rely on improvised vehicle armour and many soldiers resorted to jury-rigging scrap metal onto the doors of unprotected Humvees. At the same time military contractors in Iraq had protected vehicles like the Rhino Runner and the M1117, which had not been approved for procurement. The issue came to public attention when troops preparing to deploy to Iraq challenged Donald Rumsfeld as to why they had to resort to "hillbilly armor" scrounged from junk yards to protect themselves.