Many Missteps Tied to Delay in Armor for Troops in Iraq - The New York Times > International > Middle East >

The New York Times > International > Middle East > Many Missteps Tied to Delay in Armor for Troops in Iraq:

"In all, with additional paperwork delays, the Defense Department took 167 days just to start getting the bulletproof vests to soldiers in Iraq once General Cody placed the order. But for thousands of soldiers, it took weeks and even months more, records show, at a time when the Iraqi insurgency was intensifying and American casualties were mounting.

By contrast, when the United States' allies in Iraq also realized they needed more bulletproof vests, they bypassed the Pentagon and ordered directly from a manufacturer in Michigan. They began getting armor in just 12 days."