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 U.S. 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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The inspector general said it did not conduct its own tests, so it couldn't say whether the plates were defective.
In response, the Army said Tuesday that it had initiated improvements to the testing system before and during the inspector general's audit. The service also said "all inspector general recommendations to improve the testing processes have been implemented. ... The Army continues to work with the test community for test improvements to provide the best body armor possible to the soldier."
The Aug. 1 report was the fourth in a series by the inspector general in response to a request from Rep. Louise Slaughter. Since January 2006, the New York Democrat has pressed the military about the effectiveness of body armor after The New York Times reported that 80 percent of Marines serving in Iraq who had been shot in the upper body had died because of inadequate body armor.
U.S. Toll in Iraq
4,478
Deaths
32,172
Wounded
Source: Department of Defense
U.S. Toll in Afghanistan
1,631
Deaths
13,316
Wounded
Latest identifications
• 2nd Lt. Joe L. Cunningham, 27, of Kingston, Okla.; was assigned to 1st Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma Army National Guard, Stillwater, Okla.
• Spc. Dennis G. Jensen, 21, of Vermillion, S.D.; was assigned to the 153rd Engineer Battalion, 196th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Sioux Falls, S.D.
• 1st Lt. Damon T. Leehan, 30, of Edmond, Okla.; was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma National Guard, Stillwater, Okla.
• Master Sgt. Charles L. Price III, 40, of Milam, Texas; was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.
The following two soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade Grafenwoehr, Germany.
• Sgt. Matthew A. Harmon, 29, of Bagley, Minn.
• Spc. Joseph A. VanDreumel, 32, of Grand Rapids, Mich.
The following five soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.
• Sgt. Edward J. Frank II, 26, of Yonkers, N.Y.
• Sgt. Jameel T. Freeman, 26, of Baltimore.
• Spc. Patrick L. Lay II, 21, of Fletcher, N.C.
• Spc. Jordan M. Morris, 23, of Stillwater, Okla.
• Pfc. Rueben J. Lopez, 27, of Williams, Calif.
Source: Department of Defense
