SOCOM Faces Scrutiny after Body Armor Recall
Nov 27, 2012
Military.com
by Matthew Cox
U.S. Special Operations Command is recalling thousands of body armor plates after discovering a manufacture’s defect that could put operators at risk. At the same time defense industry experts, are questioning whether SOCOM may have added to the risk by searching for the lightest plates possible.
Throughout the war, elite troops have worn body armor known as the Special Operations Forces Equipment Advanced Requirements, or SPEAR, made by Ceradyne Defense. The lightweight, ceramic plates have proven to be effective at stopping enemy rifle bullets and weigh significantly less than the conventional Army’s Enhanced Small Arms Protective Insert, or ESAPI.
A little less than a year ago, government inspectors discovered a defect in Ceradyne’s new SPEAR Gen III plates. The special, metal “crack arrestor” in the back of the plate began separating or “delaminating” from the plate’s ceramic material. The arrestor was designed to reduce the spreading of cracks in the ceramic when dropped – a common characteristic of all ceramic body armor plates.
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Showing posts with label body armor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label body armor. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Florida Rep. Allen West gave body armor to soldier in Iraq
This is a great story and shows how much they care about each other.
But it also shows how little planning was done when the troops were sent into Iraq.
That shows for all the time politicians used to sell the war in Iraq, they didn't take much time to pay for it or send the troops with everything they needed to do the job they were sent to do.
It is still a wonderful story about the men and women risking their lives for each other.
Iraq Veteran Sgt. Robert Delgado Touts Rep. Allen West in New Campaign Ad
At the Los Angeles Times, "Iraq war vet: 'Allen West saved my life'."
July 25, 2012
WASHINGTON – An Iraq war veteran has come to the aid of his former boss, Rep. Allen West, to tell how the Florida congressman handed over his body armor on the way to combat in Iraq, an act that might have saved the soldier’s life.
In a campaign spot that will air on Florida television during the Olympics, Sgt. Robert Delgado (Ret.) says he worried when he was deployed to Iraq that he might not make it home to see his new child – his wife was eight months pregnant at the time.
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But it also shows how little planning was done when the troops were sent into Iraq.
"It reminded me of a time when I deployed to Iraq in 2003 and we did not have enough body armor so I had to lend my body armor to my driver. Thank God when he got shot in the chest he had the right type of body armor that ricocheted that bullet off into his arm." Weekly Standard
That shows for all the time politicians used to sell the war in Iraq, they didn't take much time to pay for it or send the troops with everything they needed to do the job they were sent to do.
It is still a wonderful story about the men and women risking their lives for each other.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Body armor plates improperly tested
Pentagon: Body armor plates improperly tested
By Donna Cassata - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Aug 17, 2011 9:05:55 EDT
WASHINGTON — The Army improperly tested new bullet-blocking plates for body armor and cannot be certain that 5 million pieces of the critical battlefield equipment meet the standards to protect troops, the Defense Department's inspector general found.
The Pentagon report focused on seven Army contracts for the plates, known as ballistic inserts, awarded between 2004 and 2006 and totaling $2.5 billion. The inspector general's audit, carried out over a two-year period ending in March, found the tests were incomplete, conducted with the wrong size plates or relied on ballistic test rounds that were inconsistent. Due to the demands of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, tests under certain temperatures and altitudes were scrapped altogether.
"Consequently, the Army cannot be sure that ballistic inserts meet ... requirements," the report said. "As a result, the Army lacks assurance that 5.1 million ballistic inserts acquired through the seven contracts provide appropriate protection."
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By Donna Cassata - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Aug 17, 2011 9:05:55 EDT
WASHINGTON — The Army improperly tested new bullet-blocking plates for body armor and cannot be certain that 5 million pieces of the critical battlefield equipment meet the standards to protect troops, the Defense Department's inspector general found.
The Pentagon report focused on seven Army contracts for the plates, known as ballistic inserts, awarded between 2004 and 2006 and totaling $2.5 billion. The inspector general's audit, carried out over a two-year period ending in March, found the tests were incomplete, conducted with the wrong size plates or relied on ballistic test rounds that were inconsistent. Due to the demands of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, tests under certain temperatures and altitudes were scrapped altogether.
"Consequently, the Army cannot be sure that ballistic inserts meet ... requirements," the report said. "As a result, the Army lacks assurance that 5.1 million ballistic inserts acquired through the seven contracts provide appropriate protection."
read more here
Friday, January 30, 2009
Army says body armor is "safe" for soldiers in combat
Army: Body armor safe for soldiers in combat
By Richard Lardner - The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Jan 30, 2009 5:58:09 EST
WASHINGTON — No U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan because their body armor was flawed and failed to protect them, a senior Army official said Thursday as the service defended how the lifesaving gear is tested before being used in combat.
A new audit by the Pentagon inspector general said the specially hardened ceramic plates from one body armor manufacturer — Armor Works of Chandler, Ariz. — were tested improperly and may not provide troops adequate protection.
The audit recommended that nearly 33,000 of the Armor Works plates be withdrawn from an inventory of about 2 million produced by nearly a dozen different companies.
Army Secretary Pete Geren disputed the inspector general’s findings, but agreed to withdraw the Armor Works plates as a precautionary step. In a move underscoring the tension between the inspector general’s office and the Army, Geren has asked a senior Pentagon official to settle the disagreement.
In a separate action, the Army in December voluntarily withdrew just over 8,000 plates because of testing gaps. Those plates were made by Armor Works and other manufacturers, including Ceradyne of Costa Mesa, Calif., and Simula, which is part of BAE Systems.
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Thursday, January 29, 2009
EXCLUSIVE: Army to recall armor
EXCLUSIVE: Army to recall armor
Sara A. Carter (Contact)
Thursday, January 29, 2009
The Army will withdraw from service more than 16,000 sets of ceramic body armor plates that the Pentagon's inspector general believes were not properly tested and could jeopardize the lives of U.S. service personnel, The Washington Times has learned.
A Defense official, speaking on the condition that he not be named, said the Army is acting proactively while challenging the contention of Inspector General Gordon S. Heddell that the armor could be unsafe.
"This decision reflects the Army's commitment to do everything within its power to be sure only the very best equipment is fielded to its soldiers," the official said.
He said, however, that there have been no reports of defects in the plates or deaths or injuries resulting from their use. The plates are being recalled so that soldiers will not worry that they are wearing unsafe armor, he said.
The equipment in question was manufactured between 2005 and 2007 and accounts for 1.6 percent of the 1.9 million plates that the Army has purchased to date, he said.
The recall was announced a day before the inspector general's office is to brief the chairman of the House Rules Committee, Rep. Louise M. Slaughter. Mrs. Slaughter, New York Democrat, has focused on the issue of body armor failures and procurement.
"Two years ago, I asked the Department of Defense Inspector General to make sure that the U.S. Army was doing their due diligence in ensuring that the quality of body armor being used by our Armed Forces meets the very highest standards to save lives," Mrs. Slaughter said in a statement.
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Sara A. Carter (Contact)
Thursday, January 29, 2009
The Army will withdraw from service more than 16,000 sets of ceramic body armor plates that the Pentagon's inspector general believes were not properly tested and could jeopardize the lives of U.S. service personnel, The Washington Times has learned.
A Defense official, speaking on the condition that he not be named, said the Army is acting proactively while challenging the contention of Inspector General Gordon S. Heddell that the armor could be unsafe.
"This decision reflects the Army's commitment to do everything within its power to be sure only the very best equipment is fielded to its soldiers," the official said.
He said, however, that there have been no reports of defects in the plates or deaths or injuries resulting from their use. The plates are being recalled so that soldiers will not worry that they are wearing unsafe armor, he said.
The equipment in question was manufactured between 2005 and 2007 and accounts for 1.6 percent of the 1.9 million plates that the Army has purchased to date, he said.
The recall was announced a day before the inspector general's office is to brief the chairman of the House Rules Committee, Rep. Louise M. Slaughter. Mrs. Slaughter, New York Democrat, has focused on the issue of body armor failures and procurement.
"Two years ago, I asked the Department of Defense Inspector General to make sure that the U.S. Army was doing their due diligence in ensuring that the quality of body armor being used by our Armed Forces meets the very highest standards to save lives," Mrs. Slaughter said in a statement.
click link for more
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Wavers given to contactors on body armor?
Investigators question body armor tests
By Matthew Cox - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Apr 3, 2008 16:38:28 EDT
The Army failed to adequately document testing of hundreds of thousands of soldier body armor components the service bought between 2004 and 2006, according to a Defense Department Inspector General audit.
The March 31 draft report on DoD procurement policy for body armor states that specific information concerning testing of “first articles,” or initial production samples, was not included in 13 of 28 Army contracts reviewed for the DoD audit. In addition, the report states that the contracting files of 11 of 28 Army contracts did not show why the procurement decisions were made. Such documentation is required by Federal Acquisition Regulations, the audit states.
“As a result, DoD has no assurance that first articles produced under 13 of the 28 contracts and orders reviewed met the required standards, or that 11 of the 28 contracts were awarded based on informed procurement decisions,” the audit report states.
The Army took issue with the audit’s findings in an April 2 release.
The service maintains that it is in “full compliance” with federal regulations and current policy when it comes to buying body armor, Army spokesman Paul Boyce said in the release.
go here for the rest
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/04/army_armor_040208w/
How many died and were wounded because of this?
By Matthew Cox - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Apr 3, 2008 16:38:28 EDT
The Army failed to adequately document testing of hundreds of thousands of soldier body armor components the service bought between 2004 and 2006, according to a Defense Department Inspector General audit.
The March 31 draft report on DoD procurement policy for body armor states that specific information concerning testing of “first articles,” or initial production samples, was not included in 13 of 28 Army contracts reviewed for the DoD audit. In addition, the report states that the contracting files of 11 of 28 Army contracts did not show why the procurement decisions were made. Such documentation is required by Federal Acquisition Regulations, the audit states.
“As a result, DoD has no assurance that first articles produced under 13 of the 28 contracts and orders reviewed met the required standards, or that 11 of the 28 contracts were awarded based on informed procurement decisions,” the audit report states.
The Army took issue with the audit’s findings in an April 2 release.
The service maintains that it is in “full compliance” with federal regulations and current policy when it comes to buying body armor, Army spokesman Paul Boyce said in the release.
go here for the rest
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/04/army_armor_040208w/
How many died and were wounded because of this?
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