U.S. Special Operations Command is recalling thousands of body armor plates after discovering a manufacture’s defect that could put operators at risk. At the same time defense industry experts, are questioning whether SOCOM may have added to the risk by searching for the lightest plates possible.
Throughout the war, elite troops have worn body armor known as the Special Operations Forces Equipment Advanced Requirements, or SPEAR, made by Ceradyne Defense. The lightweight, ceramic plates have proven to be effective at stopping enemy rifle bullets and weigh significantly less than the conventional Army’s Enhanced Small Arms Protective Insert, or ESAPI.
A little less than a year ago, government inspectors discovered a defect in Ceradyne’s new SPEAR Gen III plates. The special, metal “crack arrestor” in the back of the plate began separating or “delaminating” from the plate’s ceramic material. The arrestor was designed to reduce the spreading of cracks in the ceramic when dropped – a common characteristic of all ceramic body armor plates.
SOCOM officials did not respond to questions from Military.com by press time and Ceradyne officials said that a clause in the company’s contract with SOCOM prohibits them from talking about the issue.
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
will socom recall itself for putting its operators at risk??
**** happens, it appears they caught this early.
Sometimes things like this happens when you look at new technology, that does not mean we should stop looking for new tech that keeps everyone safe.
Now that they have identified the issue it can be fixed.
It seems that the Obama Administration and the Idiot decision makers at the Pentagon along with the Cowardly House and Senate have chosen to “DOWNSIZE” THE ARMY AND THE OTHER BRANCHES. instead of taking some of the Precious MONEY they send to foreign countries and use it for the ABSOLUTE BEST EQUIPMENT available for the Men and Women that are Protecting OUR RIGHTS and FREEDOMS THROUGHOUT THE wORLD, Hey I have a wonderful Idea,take all of them out on a field trip,give them the same equipment Our Troops have and drop them including Obama,and Hillary into Afganistan,for lets say 2 weeks, then after being fire tempered see what their opinion is then……….. a Marine and a Patriot
/facepalm
“Our rights and freedoms throughout the world”. Tell me, what rights and freedoms do you have outside the borders of the U.S.? And how do you suppose you protect them?
Try reading the whole sentence in its entirety instead of being a troglodyte. What he said was “Protecting OUR RIGHTS and FREEDOMS THROUGHOUT THE wORLD” and if you need a clear definition of what that means, then you’re probably trolling on the wrong web pages….
Clearly I did read the whole sentence and, no, I’m not trolling.
I don’t know why “critics” are getting mad at SOCOM for wanting a better plate for their soldiers. Its Ceradyne Defense’s responsibility to deliver the quality products that they SOCOM paid for. If anyone is to blame its Ceradyne Defense.
Holy cow guys! This is nowhere near the “big deal” y’all are making it out to be. Granted, Matt Cox makes it seem much more than it is. We have used the SPEAR for a long time with great success. SOCOM is NOT at fault, Obama is NOT at fault. This is a small issue that will either get fixed or it won’t. But in the grand scheme of things, this situation is a minor issue. Little stuff like this happens all the time with “new” kit.
Agreed. As I recall the exact thing happened with plates issued to conventional forces a year or so back, let’s not make a mountain out of a mole hill
This is the internet…everything is a mountain and there are no mole hills.
I totally agree that this recall, and the problem behind it, doesn’t seem like a huge deal. However, I don’t have the luxery of ignoring it when my good friend Rob Curtis runs a story saying that this defect could also affect the millions of ESAPI plates Ceradyne has made as well. I haven’t found anything to convince me of that or that this recall is any different than past recalls. They happen.
I was attempting to calm the lynch mobs out there that are ready to condemn Ceradyne for what appears to be mistake and nothing more. Of course, SOCOM pushes for the lightest plates possible, but even body armor designed for the elite is limited by today’s technology. If that wasn’t the case, our guys would be ******* around plates that weigh far less than SPEAR Gen III.