Posted on 08/17/2016 6:52:41 PM PDT by blueyon
WASHINGTON Federal inmates made thousands of defective combat helmets for the U.S. military at a prison facility that was rife with problems, including the use of degraded armor and the submission of preselected helmets for inspection to make sure they would be approved, according to a newly released investigative report.
A Justice Department Inspector General summary report released Wednesday said faulty helmets were made by Federal Prison Industries (FPI), for the Army and the Marine Corps. The U.S. government-owned company operates under the trade name UNICOR and served as a subcontractor for ArmorSource, an Ohio company that was one of four defense firms to win an estimated $30 million contract in 2006 for the Armys then-new Advanced Combat Helmet. Separately, ArmorSource won multimillion-dollar contracts for the Marine Corps Lightweight Helmet, which has a slightly different design.
(Excerpt) Read more at breaking911.com ...
A prison? Really?
Might as well have them made in China.
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I can imagine there is corruption and bribes involved in this ups nd down the line. The prisoners making the helmets are just the beginning of the problem. You can bet some contractor, or several layers of contractors, are all raking in the bulk of the contract money. Then they farm the work out to prisoners, because there is nothing cheaper than a slave labor \work force. That the soldiers get defective equipment that can get them killed; nobody cares.
Prison industries are usually supervised by company mangers and civilian state employees. that where you look first. for 19 million worth of helmets to be made without no inspections or quality control is gross negligence.
the place I worked in the early 90s did TWA reservations. If you’re young, I’ll explain that to you. LOL. They took credit card info. The calls were randomly monitored. The inmates made far more than food service etc. Some parolees paid their own way when they left, room and board, work clothes etc. A few became TWA supervisors in LA where they had twice the complaints we had in the joint.
Didn’t some sleazebag go to prison for selling the Army defective body armor?
FPI and UNICOR make crap. We were forced to buy it in the military.
I can't believe it. I just can't believe it.
Follow the money and the power. (contract = political influence/racial/government influence/political donations)
Key phrase here says it all: “U.S. Government-owned company.”
Why not?
I guess the new ones are a lot better.
Around 1969 I took a WWII model without it’s liner and fired at it with a Browning Hi-Power. The ammo was Super Vel 90 gr. jacketed HP.
It went through both sides and I don’t think the addition of the liner would have made any difference.
I think they say the new ones will stop a 9mm but don’t know for sure.
Because using slave labor in a system that is rife with graft and professional indifference to produce the helmets that should protect the precious brains of our sons, husbands, and fathers is CRIMINAL, and why our procurement process even ALLOWED it is obscene.
That’s why.
And why not?
The new ones are better in just about every way imaginable, except perhaps that they can’t have food cooked in them in a pinch like maybe the old steel pots could!
Active Duty ping.
I am willing to bet that there was a payoff to the quality control inspectors or at personnel at DPSC for these helmets to get passed and sent for use. There are strict guidelines and quality control protocols to prevent this from happening during the procurement process and the only way for it to be perverted is by illegal means.
I hope that Trump hears this.
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I was issued body armor produced by federal prisoners working for UNICOR back in the mid 80s. I went out and purchased my own level 3 body armor and never wore the UNICOR junk. It’s not surprising at all that the government puts people at risk to save a buck. The same company produces office furniture too. There’s also another company that outfits law enforcement vehicles installing emergency equipment and the protective caged screens that are between the operator and the detainees. What could possibly go wrong?
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