Army Bans Use of Privately Bought Armor

[AGENDA21]

WASHINGTON (AP) - Soldiers will no longer be allowed to wear body armor other than the protective gear issued by the military, Army officials said Thursday, the latest twist in a running battle over the equipment the Pentagon gives its troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Army officials told The Associated Press that the order was prompted by concerns that soldiers or their families were buying inadequate or untested commercial armor from private companies - including the popular Dragon Skin gear made by California-based Pinnacle Armor.

``We're very concerned that people are spending their hard-earned money on something that doesn't provide the level of protection that the Army requires people to wear. So they're, frankly, wasting their money on substandard stuff,'' said Col. Thomas Spoehr, director of materiel for the Army.

Murray Neal, chief executive officer of Pinnacle, said he hadn't seen the directive and wants to review it.

http://my.netscape.com/corewidgets/news/story.psp?cat=51180&id=2006033018170001373988

[DUHandle]

1. What, they are afraid of someone getting hurt?

Actually, some of the stuff they buy has a "shelf life" before it looses it's effectiveness.

[Richard Steele]

2. The Army-issue armor is DISPOSABLE- it only works ONCE.

The design calls for the armor to be REPLACED after a single hit.

It uses ceramic plates to stop high-velocity rounds;
the plates SHATTER when they stop the projectile,
and do nothing to stop the NEXT one.

The 'Dragon Skin' brand is worn by the SS who protect the President;
you can't tell me it's not a superior product.

[DUHandle]

7. Wasn't the firm that supplies body armor to the President

sued for providing an out-of-date Kevlar product?

[LaurenG]

3. This just sounds fishy and my bs alarm is screaming

Something isn't right here. First they have no armor then the families send them armor (remember the story of the two men sharing armor) and now their own armor isn't good enough.
There is another story here somewhere but I don't know what it is.

[Tim4319]

4. I guess having nothing is safer than having some "substandard stuff"!

Hell, this administration isn't doing anything to protect them.

[harpo]

5. they don't want armor bought in the US...they want to buy it from

Halliburton where there is a guarantee of profit on WHATEVER they buy.

:nuke:

[zbdent]

6. More likely that they're buying the better armor than the Army supplies

and it's not under contract . . .