Whatever one’s opinion of United States involvement in the on-going wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, there is universal agreement that America’s military men and women there and elsewhere should be provided with the best equipment possible. Apparently, that’s not always the case. The U.S. Army announced Monday that it is recalling 44,000 combat helmets because they fail to meet ballistics testing standards.
In plain talk, that means that the headgear designed to protect those wearing it from harm might not do so in certain circumstances. Tests indicated, military officials say, that the helmet might not protect a solider against a rare but “worst case scenario” of multiple guns shots at a specific angle. Those who put their lives on the line for this country deserve better than that.
Brig. Gen. Peter Fuller, in charge of purchasing and testing equipment for soldiers, said that he was not aware of any injuries or deaths related to the recalled helmets. Hopefully, he’s correct. There is no assurance that he is. “We don’t know where they [the allegedly defective helmets] are, so they could be on a soldier’s head in Iraq or Afghanistan. We are seeing some getting returned in Bagram (Afghanistan),” he told reporters at the Pentagon.
The recall of 102,000 helmets — 44,000 that have been distributed, 55,000 in storage and 3,000 manufactured but refused by the Army — obviously comes none to soon, but it is still late. The question that demands an answer, of course, is why the helmets were initially approved, but later rejected after a Justice Department investigation of the manufacturer prompted the Army to conduct a second round of tests. There is, so far, no definitive answer.
What is known is that the Justice Department is investigating ArmorSource LLC, formerly Rabintex USA LLC, manufacturer of the recalled helmet. An agency spokeswoman verified that an investigation is on-going, but did not provide details, including whether or not the case was criminal. However, an All Army Activities message sent to soldiers around the globe reported that “There is evidence that ArmorSource and Rabintex ACHs (Advanced Combat Helmets) were produced using unauthorized manufacturing practices, defective materials and improper quality procedures which could potentially reduce ballistic and fragmentation protection.”
The recall and destruction of the recalled helmets will not cause a shortage. Replacements that do meet standards from three other companies already are in the supply pipeline. That, hopefully, resolves the short-term problem. What’s needed, though, is assurance that similar defects in essential equipment don’t expose America’s fighting men and women to injury or death in the future. Surely the Pentagon can find way to provide that.