Senators Clinton & Webb: DoD Audit of Army Body Armor Procurement Raises Concerns

Underscores Need for Comprehensive Investigation; Senators Call for Expedited Completion of Current GAO Investigation

April 2, 2008 -- Washington, DC – Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and Jim Webb (D-VA) today faulted U.S. Army leadership for its failure to comply with federal standards relating to contracts awarded for body armor. According to a report released today, the Department of Defense (DoD) Inspector General “has no assurance” that 13 of the 28 Army body armor contracts—valued at $5.2 billion—“met the required standards.”

Soldiers examine a hole in Iraqi body armor: Photo by John Rohan (CC)

By contrast, the DoD audit found no deficiencies in 12 Marine Corps body armor contracts.

The Senators said the DoD report underscores the need for an expeditious completion of the Government Accountability Office’s current investigation into the effectiveness and reliability of body armor systems. Clinton and Webb—both members of the Senate Committee on Armed Services—called for this GAO investigation last spring.

“There should not even be a question about the quality of body armor given to our troops. This report raises serious concerns and our men and women in uniform deserve answers,” said Senator Clinton. “There can be no greater priority than making sure our soldiers have the protection they need and deserve.”

“The DoD report raises a host of troubling findings relating to the Army’s failure to properly document important testing and safety actions,” said Senator Webb. “The safety of our troops is not an area where we can afford to be reckless or irresponsible.”

“We’re not talking simply about bureaucratic requirements—we’re asking that serious issues of performance and troop safety be addressed,” continued Senator Webb. “We owe it to those who are in harm’s way to examine conclusively whether we are providing them the best protection possible.”

The Senators requested that the scope of the GAO review include:

1) A comparison and testing of the Interceptor Body Armor system with other commercially available products including the Pinnacle Dragon Skin Body Armor system and the Special Operations Forces Equipment Advanced Requirements (SPEAR) to determine if troops are currently issued the best available body armor system;

2) A determination of the necessary procurement steps required to obtain and field the best body armor systems for the armed forces;

3) A review to confirm compliance and applicability of current body armor system policies and Safety-of-Use Messages for wear that apply to conventional forces and special operations forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

For the full text of the Senators’ letter to the Comptroller of the United States, dated May 18, 2007, visit:
http://webb.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=274656

For the full report of the Department of Defense Inspector General, issued today entitled “DoD Procurement Policy for Body Armor,” visit: http://www.dodig.osd.mil/Audit/reports/fy08/08-067.pdf

Source: Senator Hillary Clinton

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