The Pentagon inspector general has just issued an unsettling report, especially if you have a loved one currently in harm’s way in the uniform of the U.S. military:
We are performing a series of Interceptor Body Armor audits in response to a congressional request. This audit covered six contracts valued at $434 million awarded to Point Blank Body Armor, Inc. for vest components. We determined that the ballistic testing of the Interceptor Body Armor – Vest Components for five contracts and product quality surveillance for six contracts could only provide limited assurance that the vest components met contract requirements…
We did not conduct any testing of the vest components acquired through the five contracts; therefore, we do not know whether the above conditions affected the performance of the vest components. However, if the ballistic testing requirements are not implemented in cannot assure that the vest components meet the contract requirements, which were developed to provide an appropriate level of protection for the warfighter.
Sleep soundly tonight, soldier. The country has your back. Sort of.