Washington – A dispute over testing is stalling the Army’s plans to move ahead with buying a new high-tech body armor now off-limits to soldiers.
The stalemate is the latest development in a complex disagreement over the quality of the protective gear, known as Dragon Skin, made by Pinnacle Armor of Fresno, Calif.
The fight over body armor has spread beyond the Pentagon and reverberated throughout the country as families try to buy the best protection possible for loved ones serving overseas.
Murray Neal, Pinnacle’s chief executive, said Friday he will not send the Army 30 vests to test next month, as planned, unless the Army agrees to his testing requirements.
Neal said he is worried that the vests may be tampered with before the ballistic tests are conducted – potentially giving the Army an excuse not to buy.
“I’m not going to leave it to chance that they could mess with the body armor prior to it being tested, and that could cause premature failure,” Neal said.
The Army says it has a contract for 30 vests and expects delivery.
“The expectations for the test are spelled out in the specification that was part of the contract that (Pinnacle Armor) signed,” said Maj. Desiree Wineland, an Army spokeswoman. “The Army does not intend to make any changes to the contract.”
The Army has said it wants to buy the best protective gear possible, including the Dragon Skin vest, if the gear passes tests.
Pinnacle’s armor has been caught up in a series of contradictory statements about its worthiness. The Army last month banned soldiers from wearing it or any other armor not issued by the military. The Air Force, however, has ordered a number of the Dragon Skin vests.
Army officials had said previously that the Air Force recalled the vests after they failed tests.
According to a memo obtained by The Associated Press, the armor stopped the “level three-plus” ammunition rounds it is rated for. It did not do as well with level-four rounds the armor was not rated to stop.
