Warfighter support : independent expert assessment of Army body armor test results and procedures needed before fielding : report to congressional requesters.

Format:

Book

Government document

Author/Creator:

United States. Government Accountability Office

Contributor:

Solis, William M.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center--Rules and practice.

U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center.

United States. Army--Equipment and supplies--Quality control.

United States.

United States. Army.

Body armor--United States--Testing.

Body armor.

Personal protective equipment--Testing.

Personal protective equipment.

Genre:

Rules and practice.

Rules

Physical Description:

1 online resource (ii, 104 pages) : illustrations

Other Title:

Independent expert assessment of Army body armor test results and procedures needed before fielding

Place of Publication:

[Washington, D.C.] : U.S. Govt. Accountability Office, [2009]

Summary:

The Army has issued soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan personal body armor, comprising an outer protective vest and ceramic plate inserts. GAO observed Preliminary Design Model testing of new plate designs, which resulted in the Army's awarding contracts in September 2008 valued at a total of over $8 billion to vendors of the designs that passed that testing. Between November and December 2008, the Army conducted further testing, called First Article Testing, on these designs. GAO is reporting on the degree to which the Army followed its established testing protocols during these two tests. GAO did not provide an expert ballistics evaluation of the results of testing. GAO, using a structured, GAO-developed data collection instrument, observed both tests at the Army's Aberdeen Test Center, analyzed data, and interviewed agency and industry officials to evaluate observed deviations from testing protocols. However, independent ballistics testing expertise is needed to determine the full effect of these deviations. GAO makes several recommendations including to provide for an independent assessment of First Article Testing data, to assess the need to change Army's procedures based on that assessment, documenting this and all other key decisions made, and to provide for an external peer review of Aberdeen Test Center's protocols, facilities, and instrumentation.

Contents:

Results in brief

Background

Army took significant steps during preliminary design model testing to run a controlled test and maintain consistency but did not consistently follow established testing protocols and, as a result, did not achieve the intended test objective

During first article testing the Army addressed some of the problems identified in preliminary design model testing, but Army testers did not always follow established testing protocols and did non maintain some internal controls

Conclusions.

Notes:

Title from cover screen (GAO, viewed Oct. 19, 2009).

"October 2009."

Includes bibliographical references.

"GAO-10-119."

OCLC:

457041395