GAO rejects claim that Army botched body armor tests

[unhappycamper]

GAO rejects claim that Army botched body armor tests
By Richard Lardner - The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Sep 26, 2008 20:12:26 EDT

WASHINGTON — The Government Accountability Office has rejected a claim that testing of improved body armor for U.S. forces was flawed, clearing the way for the Army to get the stalled $1 billion project moving again.

Had the GAO agreed with a contract protest filed in July by ArmorWorks of Chandler, Ariz., the program to buy sturdier armor could have been delayed for months. That would have been bad news for the Army, which has been criticized for moving too slowly to provide troops in Iraq and Afghanistan with the best battlefield gear.

ArmorWorks accused the Army of not following accepted testing standards after the company’s protective plates failed when armor-piercing rounds were fired at them.

Once a protest is filed with the GAO, work on a contract is put on hold until the complaint is resolved.

Three other companies passed the tests that took place at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., between February and June. That means they’ll compete for as many as 1.2 million sets of body armor the military will buy over the next five years.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/09/ap_bodyarmor_092608/%2e