Warfighter Support: Independent Expert Assessment of Army Body Armor Test Results and Procedures Needed Before Fielding

William M. Solis‏

פבר׳ 2010 · DIANE Publishing

מידע על הספר הדיגיטלי הזה

The Army has issued soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan personal body armor, comprising an outer protective vest and ceramic plate inserts. The author observed Preliminary Design Model testing of new plate designs, which resulted in the Army's awarding contracts in Sept. 2008 valued at over $8 billion to vendors of the designs that passed that testing. Between Nov. and Dec. 2008, the Army conducted further testing, called First Article Testing, on these designs. This is a report on the degree to which the Army followed its established testing protocols during these two tests. The author analyzed data, and interviewed agency and industry officials to evaluate observed deviations from testing protocols. Charts and tables.