Problems with Armor Found On Stryker Combat Vehicle

Seattle Times ^ | 9/5/03 | Ray Rivera

[Cannoneer No. 4]

The same as we're doing being supplied by the Canadians. Strykers are built in London, Ontario.

[centurion316]

Exactly. And in Anniston, Alabama.

[Bedford Forrest]

"We actually buy many things from foreign sources, especially NATO countries. In most cases, we require a U.S. Manufacturing capability, by a U.S. subsidiary operating under license to the foreign source. A few examples of German kit: the Fox NBC vehicle, Unimog engineer vehicle, 120mm cannon for M1 tank."

So, as I understand you, if the Germans were to become more recalcitrant, insolent and insubordinate than usual, we would still have the tooling and the production line [for the 120mm gun, for example] right here in the goood old USA - correct? That's better than the defective ceramic armor - which, from the sound of it, appeared to involve a vendor in Germany.

[lshoultz]

No, only the final assembly steps are done in Anniston so that General Dynamics can dodge the Berry Amendment that states "DoD SHALL buy American." The last I heard from the Anniston Star, the folks out at the Anniston Depot were bolting on the wheels and putting the "finished vehicle" on railroad flatcars for delivery to Ft. Lewis.

[centurion316]

Far be it for me to challenge such an expert as you claim to be, but the GD Ontario plant had insufficient capbility to support the full production schedule for the Army's buy. The Army decided to convert Anniston to both assembly and production. But then, I'm sure your sources have a direct line to the decision makers.

[lshoultz]

The General Dynamics spin is that they are utilizing the Lima, OH tank plant for the extra capacity. However, their London, Ontario, Canada plant had undergone a layoff and the Stryker contract allowed them to return Canadian workers to their jobs 24/7. The 1,500 American workers in Pennsylvania still lost their jobs.

So, the Berry Aamendment only seems to apply if a company cannot afford to buy an Army general.