Posted on 12/01/2005 4:12:46 PM PST by SandRat
MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. (Dec. 1, 2005) -- Following the Corps’ recall of more than 10,000 protective vests in November, Marine Corps Systems Command officials are defending the decision to initially field them to leathernecks in combat.
Headquarters Marine Corps ordered 10,342 Outer Tactical Vests pulled from the operating forces after media reports indicated some samples tested by the manufacturer and by the Army’s Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland failed to fully comply with ballistics standards.
The Outer Tactical Vest, together with Small Arms Protective Inserts, composes the Interceptor Body Armor System, which has been credited with saving numerous lives in operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.
Major Gen. William G. Catto, Marine Corps Systems Command’s commanding general, defended the acquisition of the now recalled OTVs.
“Marine Corps Systems Command has never allowed equipment to be fielded to the operating forces that did not significantly improve the combat capability of our Marines,” Catto stated in a written statement released Nov. 23.
Retired Lt. Col. Dan Fitzgerald, program manager for infantry combat equipment at Systems Command, said fielding the recalled vests, designed to stop fragmentation and 9 mm rounds, never presented a safety concern to deployed Marines or sailors.
“The recall by no means indicates that the (Outer Tactical Vest) itself has any ballistic problems,” Fitzgerald said. “At no time has the ballistic capability … on that vest been below operational capabilities requirements doctrine. Those vests were recalled for contractual purposes only, not for ballistic impact. It still stopped 9 millimeter and fragmentation as intended. We knew at the time that our choice was to either give the Marine an older vest that would not stop any ballistic shot and have less fragmentation (protection), or give them this system.”
Fitzgerald said the recall is entirely for the peace of mind of troops in theater in the wake of critical news reports, and, with 198,000 OTVs in the Marine Corps’ inventory, will have zero impact on ongoing combat operations.
“We are taking (the recall) to alleviate the minds of the Marines and sailors in combat, and we have enough in the Marine Corps right now to make sure everybody has one,” Fitzgerald said.
Fitzgerald added that he personally wore a recalled vest while leading a Systems Command research team in Iraq to demonstrate his confidence in the gear.
“I had no concerns going outside the perimeter with that vest myself when I was in Iraq,” Fitzgerald said. “This system has performed on battlefields to date with no issues at all. It has saved Marines’ lives repeatedly. We know that from … data that we (review) in this office on a monthly basis. The system has performed as designed at all times.”
Fitzgerald said he does not anticipate any future OTV recalls, and highlighted new protective equipment now enhancing the safety of forward deployed Marines and sailors.
Systems Command is fielding both the Enhanced SAPI plate, with a greater degree of ballistic protection, and a new Interceptor system with additional SAPI plates to protect the sides of the torso from small arms fire. Four levels of add-on armor are now available for the Interceptor that offer the same degree of ballistic protection as the OTV for extremities, including the neck, shoulders, arms, groin and legs. The new armor can be configured for specific mission requirements and covers up to 75 percent of the body.
Already in theater are lightweight helmets and ballistic goggles and sunglasses.
“The Marines today have the finest ballistic protection we can provide them from industry,” Fitzgerald said. “The technology is advancing. We don’t buy cheap stuff. We buy quality equipment.”
Protecting our Marines
I thought their gear could stop rifle rounds. Few insurgents use 9mm.
WAIT A MINUTE. Police under-the-shirt vests stop 9mm
An outer-garment tactical vest is supposed to stop rifle
The future of armor: Pinnacle Armor Inc. SOV-1000 Level III "scalar" body armor shot with multiple 7.62x51mm M80 ball steel-jacketed rounds at 2850-2900 fps, at a distance of 15ft (muzzle to body armor). The rounds were all successfully stopped with minimal backface deformation signature (BDS).
BTTT
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