Washington – The Defense Department put U.S. troops in Iraq at risk by awarding contracts for badly needed armored vehicles to companies that failed to deliver them on time, according to a review by the Pentagon’s inspector general.
The June 27 report, obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press, examined 15 no-bid contracts worth $2.2 billion awarded since 2000 to Force Protection Inc. and Armor Holdings Inc.
The inspector general’s report concluded that, overall, Force Protection, of Ladson, S.C., failed to meet all delivery schedules for its mine-resistant trucks.
Mike Aldrich, a Force Protection vice president, said that the delays were caused by an inability to get essential manufacturing materials but that delivery schedules have improved greatly.
The report, not yet publicly released, also criticizes the Army’s award of a $266 million contract for crew protection kits to Simula Aerospace and Defense Group, a subsidiary of Armor Holdings, of Jacksonville, Fla.
Simula lacked the internal controls necessary to ensure delivery of the kits, which were needed to make military vehicles less vulnerable to roadside bombs and small-arms fire, according to the report.
