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GAO-09-768R 1 (2009-07-28)

handle is hein.gao/gaobaanoy0001 and id is 1 raw text is: I im T E M Accountability * Integrity * Reliability United States Government Accountability Office Washington, DC 20548 July 28, 2009 Congressional Committees Subject: Warfighter Support: Information on Army and Marine Corps Ground Combat Helmet Pads Combat soldiers operate in diverse environments and face injury threats that place demands on the protective equipment systems they use to provide consistent protection throughout a range of temperatures and threat magnitudes. Protective helmets are one of those systems. In addition to protecting against ballistic threats, Army and Marine Corps ground combat helmets are now designed to absorb energy in order to reduce head injury risk from blunt impacts; previous combat helmets, such as the Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops helmet in use until 2002, were not designed to provide any tested levels of blunt impact protection.1 The currently used Army Advanced Combat Helmet and Marine Corps Light Weight Helmet are outfitted with a pad suspension system to protect against these threats. These pad suspension systems have been found to offer superior blunt impact protection over the older sling suspension systems. The Explanatory Statement accompanying the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act of 2009 directed GAO to review ground combat helmet pads. In response, this report focuses on two objectives: (1) Who currently provides the pads used in Army and Marine Corps ground combat helmets, and how were they chosen? and (2) What efforts and research have been undertaken by the Army and Marine Corps to improve helmet pad performance and helmet technology? In addition, we have included information on servicemembers' use of helmet pads that are not approved. A timeline of events regarding helmet technology is included in the attached enclosure. In April 2009, we provided congressional staff with a preliminary overview of our work, including our scope and methodology. This report summarizes that briefing and includes additional information subsequently obtained from Department of Defense officials. To conduct our review, we interviewed officials from the Army, Marines, and Defense Logistics Agency, as well as representatives from National Industries for the Blind, which packages and supplies helmet pads to the Army and Marines. We also met with representatives from two helmet pad manufacturers at their request. Further, we reviewed and analyzed test reports and other documentation related to helmet pad performance, although we did not evaluate the reliability or validity of the testing or test results. A detailed scope and 1Examples of blunt impacts include trips and falls while maneuvering by foot, airborne (parachutist) operations, and motor vehicle or aircraft accidents where body flail and vehicle structural deformation could produce a head impact. GAO-09-768R Warfighter Support Page I

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