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GAO-01-1113R 1 (2001-08-29)

handle is hein.gao/gaocrptamvm0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Accountability * Integrity Reliability United States General Accounting Office Washington, DC 20548 August 29, 2001 The Honorable Kay Bailey Hutchison United States Senate Subject: U.S. Army's Procurements of Battle Effects Simulators Dear Senator Hutchison: This responds to your March 26, 2001, letter asking us to review the U.S. Army's procurements of battle effects simulators. The Army uses these simulators on training ranges to help prepare its soldiers for realistic combat conditions. The simulators fire pyrotechnic cartridges that simulate the sound, smoke, and flash of shells being fired from or striking targets, such as armored vehicles. There have been concerns surrounding the safety of the simulators currently being used by the Army and the possibility that U.S. companies may be excluded from full and open competition for new simulators. As agreed with your office, we reviewed (1) the safety record of the Army's existing battle effects simulators, (2) the Army's plans for determining the safety and effectiveness of U.S.- produced simulators and cartridges, and (3) the possibility that the Army could rely on the Navy and the Marine Corps to determine the safety and effectiveness of U.S. products. In brief, we found that the safety record for the Army's existing battle effects simulators includes more than 120 documented incidents of malfunctions, many of which resulted in injuries such as third-degree burns, loss of appendages, and lacerations. The Army has attempted to make the devices safer and suspended them from use numerous times. It is also in the process of assessing the safety and effectiveness of a new system from a foreign source. However, it does not plan to assess a U.S. produced system due to funding limitations. The Army could rely on the Marine Corps' planned type classification of a U.S. produced device to certify another qualified source for future competition. Background In 1999, five U.S. contractor teams responded to a solicitation from the Army's Tank, Automotive and Armaments Command to provide the Army with a new target system referred to as the Intermediate New Generation Army Target System. Army gunners will fire upon this target system from their armored vehicles to hone their skills for combat. According to Army officials, an important subcomponent of this new target system was a new battle effects simulator. However, during the selection process for the target system, the Army amended its solicitation by eliminating any possibility of orders for new battle effects simulators. Army officials stated this was done because none of the selected subcontractor's GAO-01-1113R Battle Effects Simulators

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