Gillibrand Calls for Independent Investigation into Body Armor for U.S. Troops

Press Release

Gillibrand Calls for Independent Investigation into Body Armor for U.S. Troops

Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand today participated in an Armed Services Committee hearing to investigate the discrepancies between claims by the manufacturers of Dragonskin Body Armor and the United States Army. The hearing was called to examine recent controversy regarding sufficient levels of protection of body armor currently provided to U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Following the hearing Congresswoman Gillibrand joined a bipartisan effort calling on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct an independent study to resolve the conflicting stories and ensure our men and women in harms way have the best possible protection.

"It is imperative that we give our troops the best possible equipment and protection. Clearly this is a matter that deserves Congress' close attention," said Gillibrand, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. "It is my hope that the GAO can quickly get to the bottom of this. Our troops and their families need to have confidence in the equipment they are being issued."

Recently a NBC report claimed that after an independent study, Dragonskin Body Armor performed better than the standard issue Interceptor Body Armor (IBA) currently distributed to combat troops. The Department of Defense refutes the findings and stands by its own findings that the IBA is a more safe and effective system and that the Dragonskin failed their tests.

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