Over the course of the past year or so I have diaried a few times about the Pentagon’s stubborn refusal to conduct full, fair and open testing of body armor that might be superior to that currently issued to our troops. The last round of testing for this new type of body armor was halted by the Pentagon 11 months ago for no reason, and has not been resumed since.
Well, in my periodic digital perambulations to check on the latest developments in this story, I stumbled across an interesting fact that might have a bearing on just exactly why those tests were abruptly stopped.
(Also available at My Left Wing)
I periodically use "the Google" to scan for new developments in the ongoing saga of Dragon Skin body armor and its pursuit of a fair shake by the Pentagon. (I won't rehash the whole story here, but if you'd like to peruse some of the past diaries to get yourself up to speed, they can be found here, here, here, here and here.) The Reader's Digest® version:
The body armor system currently issued to our soldiers is called Interceptor. The lead contractor for Interceptor body armor, Armor Holdings, is a big-time Republican campaign donor, as were some of Armor Holdings' largest shareholders.
Interceptor uses ceramic plates to stop bullets. These plates, which are inserted into vests, are shipped in crates marked "FRAGILE" and "DO NOT DROP." It has been reported that when struck by multiple rounds, the ceramic plates shatter and become useless as protection against further rounds. The system when worn with the plates is heavy, cumbersome and hot.
Dragon Skin body armor has been shown to be capable of stopping multiple rounds fired from close range without significant damage to the armor. It is lighter than equivalent Interceptor armor, as well as more flexible.
In May 2006, the Pentagon, through its PEO (Program Executive Officer) Soldier program, had begun testing Dragon Skin at its H.P. White facility, when it abruptly stopped less than a third of the way through the tests. No reason was given. The testing has not been resumed.
Okay. So - the person in charge of the testing at the Pentagon's facility last May was Col. John D. Norwood. He was the Project Manager for Soldier Equipment at PEO-Soldier beginning in 2003.
(Stay with me here. It's worth it.)
After the tests of Dragon Skin were stopped last year, Col. Norwood retired to go to work in the private sector.
Guess who he went to work for?
Okay, I'll give you a hint:
What defense contractor stood to lose the most if Dragon Skin were to be found superior to Interceptor?
<cue "Final Jeopardy" music . . . >
Doo, doo, doo, doo
Doo, doo, DOO
Doo, doo, doo, doo, DOO!
doo-doo-doo-doo-doo.
And your answer is -
THAT'S ABSOLUTELY CORRECT!!! IT'S ARMOR HOLDINGS!!!
Yes, you read that right: Col. (Ret.) John D. Norwood is now a Vice President of Armor Holdings' Aerospace and Defense Group, according to Lt. Col. (Ret.) Roger Charles, president of Soldiers for the Truth.
Colonel (Retired) John D. Norwood, West Point Class of 1980, former Project Manager for Soldier Equipment under PEO-SOLDIER, from 2003 until his retirement in the summer of 2006. He is currently a new Vice President of the Aerospace & Defense Group of Armor Holdings, one of the principal manufacturers of Interceptor Body Armor.
Well, I'll be dipped in you-know-what. What a shocker. Huh. The guy who was in charge of testing a piece of equipment that would have killed contracts worth $360 million dollars last year for Armor Holdings, NOW WORKS FOR ARMOR HOLDINGS!
What else is there to say?
How do I e-mail this to Henry Waxman?
(Don't miss Dragon Skin's big debut on R. Lee Ermey's Mail Call on The History Channel, April 6 at 10 p.m. EDT.)