Representative Praises Independent Review Of Body Armor Testing

Press Release

Today, Representative Joe Courtney applauded Army Secretary John McHugh's announcement that the National Research Council (NRC) will perform an independent assessment of the Army's body armor testing. This independent review follows a recommendation by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in a review of body armor testing requested by Rep. Courtney.

"This is a great step towards building confidence in our servicemembers and their families that the equipment they rely on to protect them is truly the best available," stated Rep. Courtney. "For too long, I have heard concerns that the armor that we have assigned to our troops in harm's way might not be the best or properly tested. This review is the latest in a series of steps to improve the reliability of body armor testing, both now and in the future. I thank Secretary McHugh, my former colleague on the House Armed Services Committee, for addressing this important issue."

On October 16, 2009, the GAO released a report, "Independent Expert Assessment of Army Body Armor Test Results and Procedures Needed Before Fielding," that analyzed the Army's body armor testing process. Rep. Courtney requested this study in 2007 after concerns were raised about the adequacy of testing procedures for body armor being used in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In its report, GAO found several inconsistencies in the Army testing procedures, including deviations in measurements, data collection and changes in established testing protocol. To address these issues, the GAO recommended that an independent review be conducted on testing results before any new body armor is supplied to members of the military.

Click here for Rep. Courtney's request letter to GAO

Click here for the GAO report

Rep. Courtney has been a leader on improving the oversight and quality of body armor testing. In 2007, reports from troops serving abroad, their families, and the media, raised doubt about whether the current body armor currently issued is the best available protection or had been adequately tested. In response, Rep. Courtney spearheaded a letter signed by 40 of his colleagues asking the GAO to evaluate these claims and conduct an independent review of body armor testing.

That review, began in August 2007 at the Connecticut lawmaker's request, resulted in the October 2009 GAO report. As part of their review, GAO monitored several phases of Army body armor testing, from test planning, to execution and post-test analysis. On April 22, 2008, Rep. Courtney visited Aberdeen Proving Ground, where the Army conducted this testing, to witness the progress first hand and understand the steps being taken to ensure a full and fair test of body armor.

In addition, April 23, 2008 Rep. Courtney introduced the Providing Responsible Oversight and Testing of Equipment for Combat Troops (PROTECT) Act (H.R. 5875), to improve the testing of body armor and other protective equipment issued to our troops in combat. The Courtney legislation placed responsibility for the testing and evaluation of body armor under a single lead agency, the Director of Operational Testing and Evaluation (DOT&E), an independent agency within the Department of Defense that has provided unbiased evaluation of over 300 major military acquisition programs since 1983.

The PROTECT Act not only improves the process by ensuring a consistent and standard process by which body armor is testing and evaluated across the military services, but increases servicemember and public confidence in the body armor we provide those in combat by fully and independently testing these systems to make sure our troops have the best armor available.

Rep. Courtney's H.R. 5875 was included in the Fiscal Year 2009 National Defense Authorization (NDAA) bill and is now law (Public Law 110-417).

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