02.15.07

Cantwell Seeks Side Armor Delivery for U.S. Troops Serving in Iraq

2005 Defense Department report cited side armor plates as key to preventing upper body injuries, but armor still hasn't been delivered

WASHINGTON, DC - Thursday, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) joined a bipartisan coalition of senators in calling on Defense Secretary Robert Gates to take immediate steps to get U.S. troops serving in Iraq the body armor they need. According to a 2005 Defense Department report, side armor plates could prevent many of the fatalities caused by upper body injuries. However, despite assurances from former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld that side armor plates would be delivered, a recent Inspector General report uncovered continued side armor shortages among soldiers serving in Iraq. The report also found shortages in up-armored vehicles, communications equipment, and electronic countermeasure devices.

"We have no business putting our troops in harm's way without the best technology and equipment, which clearly includes full body armor," said Cantwell. "Two years later, it's unacceptable that American soldiers serving in Iraq are without this critical equipment. When the president has decided to send even more troops to Iraq, it's irresponsible that he hasn't come up with a plan to get body armor to the troops. We need a plan immediately."

In a letter sent Thursday to Secretary Gates, Cantwell and 16 other senators from both parties asked for an update on the number of troops currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan who have not been issued body armor with side armor plates, and for the percentage of troops currently being mobilized who will receive complete sets of body armor that include side armor plates. The senators also asked the Defense Department to outline the steps it plans to take to address the armor and equipment shortages detailed in the Inspector General report.

Cantwell has long worked to keep our troops equipped. Last October, the president signed into law Cantwell's legislation to address National Guard equipment shortfalls and help give our citizen soldiers the resources they need to train and stay prepared to help out during emergencies. The measure, supported by Adjutant General Timothy Lowenberg and included in the final version of the Defense Department Authorization Act for 2007, mandates a system to track and replace equipment left in the theater of operations by National Guard units. Cantwell also backed a measure signed into law in 2004 to reimburse deployed service members and their families for purchases of protective equipment in connection with operations in Iraq. She has also consistently supported funding for up-armored Humvees and body armor, and backed funding for the Army Rapid Fielding Initiative to provide soldiers with needed equipment more quickly by streamlining the Defense Department purchasing process.

[The full text of the senators' letter to Secretary Gates follows below]

February 15, 2007

The Honorable Robert M. Gates
Secretary of Defense
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-1000

Dear Mr. Secretary:

We are writing to express our grave concerns about recent reports of inadequate supplies of body armor and force-protection equipment for troops being deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

According to a report by the Department of Defense in late 2005, many of the fatalities caused by upper body injuries in Iraq could be prevented if all body armor issued to our troops included side armor plates. In response to this report, many of us in the Senate asked then-Secretary Rumsfeld to ensure that the best available body armor be delivered to our soldiers in harm's way as quickly as possible. We were assured that the Department of Defense would promptly begin procurement and delivery of an additional 230,000 sets of side armor plates.

A January 25, 2007 report from the Inspector General, however, found continued shortages in force-protection equipment for our soldiers. The report found shortages in body armor, up-armored vehicles, communications equipment, and electronic countermeasure devices. We have also heard first-hand accounts that many service members being issued body armor are still not receiving side armor plates. It seems reasonable to surmise that if a service member requires body armor for their job, the side armor plates would provide extra protection.

These accounts alone are troubling, but the President's plan to send more than 20,000 additional troops to Baghdad raises further questions about our ability to properly equip and protect our men and women in uniform. When asked by The Washington Post about the President's surge proposal, Lt. Gen. Stephen Speakes, the Army's deputy chief of staff for force development, said: "We don't have the [armor] kits, and we don't have the trucks." This statement raises grave concerns about our ability to equip and protect not just the soldiers that are currently fighting, but also the new soldiers that the President is planning to send to Baghdad.

In light of these concerns, we respectfully ask that you provide us an update of how many troops currently in Iraq and Afghanistan have not been issued body armor with side armor plates. In addition, we would like to know what percentage of troops currently being mobilized in support of the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan are not being issued complete sets of body armor that include side armor plates. We would also like to know the number and proportion of troops in each of the services, including figures for both the National Guard and the Reserve, receiving this essential protective equipment. Finally, we would like to know what steps the Department of Defense is taking to implement the recommendations made by the Inspector General in its January 25 report on force-protection equipment shortages among deployed units.

We are sure you agree that our men and women in uniform deserve nothing less than the best protective equipment. If there are indeed shortages of complete body armor sets, or shortages of other force-protection equipment, among our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, we urge you to take immediate action to correct this grave problem. You can be certain that we stand ready with our colleagues to assist you overcome any shortfall that you identify in the most expeditious way possible.

Thank you in advance for your prompt attention to this urgent matter.

Sincerely,

Senators Ken Salazar, Susan Collins, Blanche Lincoln, Olympia Snowe, Richard Durbin, Jeff Bingaman, Byron Dorgan, Debbie Stabenow, Frank Lautenberg, Barbara Mikulski, Maria Cantwell, Ron Wyden, Sheldon Whitehouse, Chuck Schumer, Sherrod Brown, Chris Dodd, John Kerry