Troops dispute study on Body Armour.

When you want to know, ask the guys really wearing it..

Published on January 8, 2006 By ShadowWar In War on Terror

OK now there is a question of how much body armour is and should be available to the troops.

Here is what the Washington Post had:
Body-Armor Gaps Are Shown to Endanger Troops
Pentagon Studies Call Deaths Preventable

They of coure accuse, accuse, accuse. Not once did they bother to ask the guys wearing the stuff what they thought. Then a few smart reporters went out and did just that, what a concept! Here is what they found:

Some U.S. troops reject more body armor
Chicago Sun Times Link

and: Associated Press
Update 6: U.S. Soldiers Question Use of More Armor Link

Any ground pounder (Infantry) solider will tell you that he wants to be fast, mobile and able to move quickly. While body armour is great and has saved many lives (one of my good friends included) it is very heavy, hot and restricts movement. MOST solider I have talked too, about 10, 8 of the 10 reject wearing more armour as it would be just too much. Its like trying to armour up a HMMwV. Something it was not designed for in the first place.

All the body Armour questions and accusations may be moot in a year or two anyway:

Army Scientists, Engineers develop Liquid Body Armor
April 21, 2004

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. -- Liquid armor for Kevlar vests is one of the newest technologies being developed at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory to save Soldiers' lives.

This type of body armor is light and flexible, which allows soldiers to be more mobile and won't hinder an individual from running or aiming his or her weapon.

The key component of liquid armor is a shear thickening fluid. STF is composed of hard particles suspended in a liquid. The liquid, polyethylene glycol, is non-toxic, and can withstand a wide range of temperatures. Hard, nano-particles of silica are the other components of STF. This combination of flowable and hard components results in a material with unusual properties.

"During normal handling, the STF is very deformable and flows like a liquid. However, once a bullet or frag hits the vest, it transitions to a rigid material, which prevents the projectile from penetrating the Soldier's body," said Dr. Eric Wetzel, a mechanical engineer from the Weapons and Materials Research Directorate who heads the project team.

To make liquid armor, STF is soaked into all layers of the Kevlar vest. The Kevlar fabric holds the STF in place, and also helps to stop the bullet. The saturated fabric can be soaked, draped, and sewn just like any other fabric.

Wetzel and his team have been working on this technology with Dr. Norman J. Wagner and his students from the University of Delaware for three years.

"The goal of the technology is to create a new material that is low cost and lightweight which offers equivalent or superior ballistic properties as compared to current Kevlar fabric, but has more flexibility and less thickness," said Wetzel. "This technology has a lot of potential."

Liquid armor is still undergoing laboratory tests, but Wetzel is enthusiastic about other applications that the technology might be applied to.

"The sky's the limit," said Wetzel. "We would first like to put this material in a soldier's sleeves and pants, areas that aren't protected by ballistic vests but need to remain flexible. We could also use this material for bomb blankets, to cover suspicious packages or unexploded ordnance. Liquid armor could even be applied to jump boots, so that they would stiffen during impact to support Soldiers' ankles."

In addition to saving Soldiers' lives, Wetzel said liquid armor in Kevlar vests could help those who work in law enforcement.

"Prison guards and police officers could also benefit from this technology," said Wetzel. "Liquid armor is much more stab resistant than conventional body armor. This capability is especially important for prison guards, who are most often attacked with handmade sharp weapons." I like this part!!

For their work on liquid armor, Wetzel and his team were awarded the 2002 Paul A. Siple Award, the Army's highest award for scientific achievement, at the Army Science Conference.

Very interesting stuff, I hope it is as good as they claim, it would really make movement easier for the solider. One of the biggest complaints I get from the guys I talk too is that the ceramic body armour is very heavy, hot and hard to move around in. I guess we can always add more armour so our guys can' t move at all. There comes a fine line between having enough body armour and too much that it hinders yours mission.

Comments (Page 4)

singrdave

on Jan 11, 2006

Most of my facts come from U S Government agencies.

Yet all he links are goofy liberal anti-war, anti-Bush sites that aren't worth the pixels they're printed on.

Deference

on Jan 11, 2006

I always find it amazing how far from the original subject soome of these threads wander. From my original post about body armour to the information above shows just how far off topic some will go to try and defend the view they have when they have nothing to say on the orginal subject matter.

Yes, truly it is incorrect and inappropriate to respond to other points made by other posters that are not within the strict confines of the actual article. Doing so must somehow invalidate and expose those posters of their irrational agenda.

Wel thats an issue you have to deal with, professional help or medication is always available.

Thankfully, my 'condition' doesn't seem to adversely affect you, but your support for policies that amend or abridge my civil liberties handed down through 200 years of American history does provide me with some detriment. Thanks, I guess.

Only a fool would use the word "never".

Okay, yet you insinuate New York has not been attacked because of the Iraq invasion - so if you feel that to be concise, would you not agree that condition will exist indefinently contingent on us staying in Iraq? If not, why? If you can think of a reason, apply that reason to the current state of things and you can understand as to why some of us doubt your extremely 'linear' and perhaps not 'logical' thinking.

Keep in mind, as well, the 'terrorist' forces are not dealing in zero sums, i.e., there is a never-ending supply of terrorists that can always be replenished.

If you are conceding the point that our troops are partially in Iraq to be the 'honey' terrorist 'bees' are drawn to, don't you think there is a smarter way to defend against 'terrorism'. Do you also believe that the bees are not going to go strictly for the drop of honey but also the source? Particularly when it is in abundance.

Hmmm...buzzzy buzzy bee....

I can say this with some amount of logical reasoning and linear thinking.

'Some' being a hell of a qualifier.

stevendedalus

on Jan 12, 2006

If you are conceding the point that our troops are partially in Iraq to be the 'honey' terrorist 'bees' are drawn to, don't you think there is a smarter way to defend against 'terrorism'.

Excellent thought! We went to Iraq because of the erronious connection of Iraq and Al Qaeda. We lost 3,000 on 9/11 and chose to lose 2100 more based on extraneous reasoning.

The US has not been attacked since we went to War.

In Afghanistan?
You are not citing facts; they are viewpoints that cannot be tested and could very well be fallacious. With or without the war attacks are not materializing because of our defensive operations at home.

Deference

on Jan 12, 2006

Excellent thought!

Thanks, the more people scratch at the surface of this war, the more people will realize the rhetoric provided to justify it's expense simply doesn't balance out - but I'm guessing that'll be another ten years or so from now, and by then, people will only say. "What's done is done" - then fall for yet another unjustified war.

For more information on this pattern look up Leo Strauss and, seperately, Korean War / Gulf of Tonkin at Wikipedia.com . I trust readers will appreciate the eye opening information provided. Learn about the man behind the neo-con movement and understand how the U.S. government has goaded Americans to war before.

stevendedalus

on Jan 13, 2006

"What's done is done" - then fall for yet another unjustified war.

Aye, we will never learn, it seems.

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