Rep. Courtney Seeks Immediate Government Accountability Office Review of Body Armor

Press Release

Rep. Courtney Seeks Immediate Government Accountability Office Review of Body Armor

Congressman Joe Courtney announced today that he has requested a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study of body armor issued to United States troops in combat after a media report suggests that the Department of Defense is not providing United States servicemen and women the best available body armor.

NBC Dateline reported last week results of an independent study that it completed testing the quality of the current body armor issued to U.S. soldiers by the Department of Defense. Troops are currently issued Interceptor Body Armor (IBA), but some are arguing that Dragon Skin Body Armor is far superior in preventing round penetration and offers greater flexibility to the soldier.

"The men and women who proudly serve in our nation's armed services deserve nothing less than the best protection available. I want to know if we can do better for our soldiers," stated Congressman Joe Courtney. "I trust that the GAO will provide unbiased and independent results of the two body armor systems and I request that the study be completed expeditiously. For many of our men and women in harm's way, and their families, this is a matter of life and death."

This examination would evaluate the Interceptor Body Armor against other commercially available body armor, such as the Dragon Skin system, to determine if our troops are currently issued the best available body armor system. In addition, the letter asks GAO to evaluate the adequacy of the testing and evaluation process for body armor. Finally, the letter asks for an examination of how current body armor policies, including a policy issued last year restricting the use of unofficial but commercially available armor, are applied across the conventional and Special Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The letter to the GAO is attached below:

May 21, 2007
The Honorable David M. Walker
Comptroller General
Government Accountability Office
441 G Street, NW
Washington, DC 20548

Dear Mr. Walker:

I am writing to request that the Government Accountability Office conduct an investigation that would reassess body armor systems currently being issued by all the military services and the Special Operations Command for effectiveness and reliability against the threats facing our troops in combat.

Recent media reports suggest that alternative body armor systems, such as the Pinnacle Dragon Skin Body Armor, may offer better protection than the Interceptor Body Armor currently issued to our forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. While the Army maintains that Dragon Skin failed military testing procedures, from the limited testing aired on national television over the weekend the Dragon Skin armor appears to have performed much better than the Army has previously indicated.

Ongoing assertions that potentially superior body armor is available, but not provided, to our troops are extremely troubling. Given the serious nature of these concerns, I believe an independent assessment is necessary to fully evaluate these claims. To this end, I respectfully request that the Government Accountability Office reassess the various body armor systems currently being employed by all branches of the armed forces and the Special Operations Command for effectiveness and reliability against the threats facing our troops in combat. The scope of this review should include:

* a comparison and testing of the Interceptor Body Armor system with other commercially available products, including the Pinnacle Dragon Skin Body Armor system, to determine if our troops are currently issued the best available body armor system;
* a full description and evaluation of current military testing processes as they relate to body armor to determine if the present procedures fairly and adequately test for conditions faced by today's war fighter, including: environmental factors, weight, mobility, resistance to weapons currently found in the field, and other relevant factors;
* a review of compliance and applicability of current body armor and "Safety-of-Use" policies prohibiting certain commercial body armor system across the conventional forces and special operations forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I thank you for your consideration and look forward to your prompt response. Please do not hesitate to contact my Military Legislative Assistant Neil McKiernan at (202) 225-2076 with any questions about this request.

Sincerely,

JOE COURTNEY
Member of Congress

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