U.S. troops lack protective body armor

WASHINGTON — Nearly one-quarter of the 130,000 U.S. troops in Iraq still have not been issued a new type of ceramic body armor strong enough to stop bullets fired from assault rifles.

Delays in funding, production and shipping mean it will be December before all troops in Iraq will have the vests, which were introduced four years ago, military officials say.

Congress approved $310 million in April to buy 300,000 more of the bulletproof vests, with 30,000 destined to complete outfitting of the troops in Iraq. Of that money, however, only about $75 million has reached the Army office responsible for overseeing the vests’ manufacture and distribution, said David Nelson, an official in that office.

Angry members of Congress say up to 44,000 soldiers lack the best vests because of the sluggish supply chain.

The House version of an $86.7 billion Iraq spending bill passed last week would include $251 million for body armor and for clearing unexploded munitions. President Bush’s original request included no more money for body armor.

The military’s Interceptor vests, introduced in 1999, include removable ceramic plates in the front and back that can stop bullets such as the 7.62mm rounds fired by Kalashnikov rifles common in Iraq and Afghanistan. Older-model vests can protect against shrapnel and other low-speed projectiles but not high-velocity rifle rounds.

Several soldiers serving in both countries have credited the Interceptor vests with saving their lives.

The shortfall in Iraq came because the military’s need for body armor outstripped its ability to make and deliver the Interceptor plates, said Nelson, the Army’s deputy product manager for outfitting soldiers.

Nelson said the Army originally hired three companies to make the plates, and recently added three more companies.