Collins asks Army chief about armor for troops

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Susan Collins this week questioned Acting Secretary of the Army Les Brownlee about the shortage of body armor and fortified Humvees for troops serving in Iraq. Army records show that a year ago only 12 percent of the soldiers in Iraq were equipped with body armor and only 500 Humvees were fortified.

Secretary Brownlee testified Tuesday before the Senate Armed Services Committee, of which Collins is a member.

“One soldier was home on leave in December and called me personally to talk about this problem and the consequences that he feared for the members of his unit,” said Collins.

Brownlee replied that the army is expected to be able to supply body armor to all soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan by this coming Friday. To fulfill the immediate need, the army had increased production of body armor to 25,000 sets per month since December 2003.