The turnover process for used body armor to troops who need it will encounter less red tape, the Army said. In too many instances, the service said, inspection of used body armor within the required nine-month window had been impossible. The process required shipping the used plates first to Sierra, Calif., and then to Europe for issuance to deploying soldiers. Now, the Army’s 21st Theater Sustainment Command has its own armor-inspection system in place at Kaiserslautern, Germany, closer to Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation New Dawn theaters of operation. Armor plates that prove serviceable can be reissued from there, and damaged plates can be returned to the U.S.
