In Reversal, Army Ends Delay on Lightweight Armor

[RamboLiberal]

Source: NY Times

WASHINGTON — The Army has ordered that $3 million in new, lighter combat gear be sent immediately to two battalions preparing for duty in Afghanistan, officials disclosed on Friday.

The decision lifts a hold on the experimental effort that the Army ordered last month, when it halted a shipment of the lighter equipment that was intended for troops already in Afghanistan. The turnabout came after The New York Times reported last Saturday on the decision to halt the shipment and to recall an advance team that had been sent to Afghanistan, and after Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates asked the Army to explain the delay.

“Secretary Gates takes a special interest in all force protection matters,” said Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary. “He wanted to know why this latest body armor design had not yet been provided to our soldiers in the field. He asked his staff to get to the bottom of it.”

Army officials had said there was high-level concern that any combat deaths among troops using the lighter-weight gear during the assessment might bring public criticism. They had said that further reviews of the new equipment, and of body armor in particular, were to make certain that the entire set of protective vests, clothing, weapons and tools would be an “integrated system” and not put soldiers at risk during the assessment, to be carried out during combat operations.


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/25/world/25army.html?_r=1&hp

[jody]

1. The Army was criticized before because it sent ineffective body armor to our troops. If the armor

in question is ineffective, it's Gates problem.

[shadowknows69]

2. It's the troop's problem

Hopefully it would be Gate's ASS.

[jody]

3. Agree. n/t

[pasto76]

4. I liek what I read here

the SECDEF getting invovled in something the ground pounders need really badly. It sounds like some brasshats are afraid of bad PR......like when has that ever stopped them before.

How can they NOT know if it is effective? You mean to tell me we cant develop a testing process to certify a performance level1!?!?!?



SGT PASTO