CommunityEditor
04-23-2008, 08:45 PM
Legislation calling for a uniform way to test body armor for the troops was introduced Wednesday, Rep. Joseph Courtney, D-Conn., announced.
Courtney, who is sponsoring the Providing Responsible Oversight and Testing of Equipment for Combat Troops (PROTECT) Act of 2008, said at least a dozen other lawmakers had signed off as co-sponsors for the bill.
The PROTECT Act will aim to “reform the process that the Pentagon presently is using to deal with selection and testing of body armor for our ground forces, Army and Marines,” Courtney said during a conference call with reporters.
The bill will bring the testing under one agency, the Director of Operational Testing and Evaluation.
DOT&E, part of the Defense Department, is responsible for, among other things, issuing operational test and evaluation policy and procedures, reviewing and analyzing results of tests conducted for each major DoD acquisition program, and providing independent assessments to the Defense Secretary, according to its Web site.
“We’re never satisfied with the last thing,” said Col. Dan Baggio, an Army spokesman. “We’re always looking for the next best thing for our soldiers. We’re always looking for the best protection for our soldiers.”
The Army works for Congress, Baggio said.
“Whatever laws are passed, we’re going to abide by them,” he said. “But in the mean time, we always strive to do the best by our soldiers because the Army is made up of soldiers. The Army is soldiers. We don’t take that lightly.”
The PROTECT Act was spurred by military families concerned about the quality of the equipment being issued to their loved ones, questions raised in the national media and a recent Defense Department Inspector General audit, Courtney said.
The DoD IG audit said the Army failed to adequately document testing of hundreds of thousands of body armor components between 2004 and 2006. It also said that documentation on a number of contracts did not comply with federal regulations.
The Army took issue with the report’s findings, and top leaders defended to lawmakers the service’s testing and documentation.
Using DOT&E to test body armor will increase public confidence in the equipment being issued to troops, Courtney said.
“It’s an agency that has a long track record of working with the military,” he said.
Article: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/04/army_bodyarmor_testing_042308w/
Courtney, who is sponsoring the Providing Responsible Oversight and Testing of Equipment for Combat Troops (PROTECT) Act of 2008, said at least a dozen other lawmakers had signed off as co-sponsors for the bill.
The PROTECT Act will aim to “reform the process that the Pentagon presently is using to deal with selection and testing of body armor for our ground forces, Army and Marines,” Courtney said during a conference call with reporters.
The bill will bring the testing under one agency, the Director of Operational Testing and Evaluation.
DOT&E, part of the Defense Department, is responsible for, among other things, issuing operational test and evaluation policy and procedures, reviewing and analyzing results of tests conducted for each major DoD acquisition program, and providing independent assessments to the Defense Secretary, according to its Web site.
“We’re never satisfied with the last thing,” said Col. Dan Baggio, an Army spokesman. “We’re always looking for the next best thing for our soldiers. We’re always looking for the best protection for our soldiers.”
The Army works for Congress, Baggio said.
“Whatever laws are passed, we’re going to abide by them,” he said. “But in the mean time, we always strive to do the best by our soldiers because the Army is made up of soldiers. The Army is soldiers. We don’t take that lightly.”
The PROTECT Act was spurred by military families concerned about the quality of the equipment being issued to their loved ones, questions raised in the national media and a recent Defense Department Inspector General audit, Courtney said.
The DoD IG audit said the Army failed to adequately document testing of hundreds of thousands of body armor components between 2004 and 2006. It also said that documentation on a number of contracts did not comply with federal regulations.
The Army took issue with the report’s findings, and top leaders defended to lawmakers the service’s testing and documentation.
Using DOT&E to test body armor will increase public confidence in the equipment being issued to troops, Courtney said.
“It’s an agency that has a long track record of working with the military,” he said.
Article: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/04/army_bodyarmor_testing_042308w/