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US Marines recall body armor amid safety questions
By Will Dunham 15 minutes ago

The U.S. Marine Corps has recalled body armor given to thousands of troops fighting in Iraq because of questions about whether it offers adequate protection, officials said on Monday.

The Marines bought 19,000 torso-protecting "outer tactical vests" from Point Blank Body Armor Inc. of Pompano Beach, Florida, but the vests failed tests by military ballistics experts involving 9mm pistol rounds.

However, the Marines said the body armor subsequently passed tests by a private firm.
The Marines defended the vests and denied risking the lives of troops in war zones by giving them poor equipment, arguing that the vests were vastly superior to the "outdated" flak jacket they replaced.

Even so, the Marines said they were recalling more than half of the roughly 10,000 vests given to troops deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan and missions in the Horn of Africa region because media coverage about safety questions would "sow seeds of doubt in the minds of Marines in active combat."