PROTECTION; Many Missteps Tied to Delay Of Armor to Protect Soldiers

[MORTARDUDE]

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstrac...AA0894DD404482

THE CONFLICT IN IRAQ: PROTECTION; Many Missteps Tied to Delay Of Armor to Protect Soldiers

By MICHAEL MOSS (NYT) 3385 words
Late Edition - Final , Section A , Page 1 , Column 1

ABSTRACT - Records show that Pentagon's difficulties in shielding troops and their vehicles in Iraq with armor have been far more extensive and intractable than officials have acknowledged, special report, Missing in Action: The Supply Gap in Iraq; finds that supply problem seen as emergency on ground in Iraq was treated as routine procurement matter back in Washington; among findings: Pentagon's contract for ceramic plate inserts that make vests bulletproof was given to former Army researcher lacking any experience with mass production; Army's equipment manager effectively reduced armor's priority to status of socks; 10,000 plates were lost along way, and rest arrived late; in all, Defense Dept took 167 days just to start getting bulletproof vests to soldiers in Iraq once order was placed; records show it actually took weeks and even months more, at time when Iraqi insurgency was intensifying and American casualties were mounting; by contrast, US allies in Iraq got armor in just 12 days by bypassing Pentagon and ordering directly from manufacturer; photos (L)...........