In a solid piece of investigative reporting, WHEC of Rochester, New York reports that local firm A.J. Hughes Screw Products may have supplied defective screws for combat helmets.
I-Team 10 Investigative Reporter, Brett Davidsen, reports that the now defunct A.J. Hughes Screw Products was sub-contracted by Gentex Corporation to make parts for Army and Air Force helmets. According to court filings unearthed by WHEC investigative reporters, A.J. Hughes was subcontracted to supply screws that attach the chin strap of the Advanced Combat Helmet. Apparently, the screws didn’t meet specifications and the US Army found that ” in extreme environmental conditions, the non-conforming screws corroded pre-maturely.”
As a result, the Army recalled about 37,000 of the helmets that were issued to soldiers and airmen. U.S. Army Project Manager of Soldier Protection Colonel William Cole said, “Instead of protecting the soldiers the way it should, there’s a potential you could have a ballistic failure where either there would be a penetration, or more likely, a part of the bolt that would break off and impact the soldier’s skull.”
Retired Army General John Batiste was commander of the First Infantry Division in Iraq. “Our troops in harms way deserve the very best…the best equipment that money can buy that we can provide them to protect their lives.”
As SFTT is quoted in the article, this is not the first time defective equipment has been furnished to our frontline troops. In fact, defective helmets were recalled when irregularities were found in the manufacture of combat helmets subcontracted to the Federal Prison Industries. Even more egregious, are DoD efforts to hide the efficacy of body armor issued to US troops. In fact, SFTT has filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) to obtain access to autopsy records which may prove that defective body armor and cracked ceramic plates may have been a factor in their deaths.
While “the Army says no one was ever injured as a result of the faulty screw,” how can one be sure? Those in charge with the procurement process insist that our troops have the best equipment. Furthermore, they claim that there has never been a failure which contributed to injury or death caused by a defective “screw” or “ceramic plate.” If true, why do military officials stonewall every public effort to get the facts? If DoD and military leaders would be more straight-forward with the public and the troops they lead, we would be in a far better position to truly provide our troops with the” best equipment money can provide.”
I-Team 10 investigation: Screwed up Army helmets
Posted at: 11/24/2010 4:53 PM | Updated at: 11/24/2010 7:17 PM
By: Brett Davidsen | WHEC.com
Did a local company put U.S. soldiers at risk?
A.J. Hughes Screw Products was sub-contracted to make parts for Army and Air Force helmets but I-Team 10 has learned that one of the executives from the company is now the target of a federal criminal investigation.
In a war zone, specially designed helmets can be the difference between life and death. But a local company that provided parts for the Army’s advanced combat helmets is under investigation for using lesser quality parts.
Retired Army General John Batiste was commander of the First Infantry Division in Iraq. “Our troops in harms way deserve the very best…the best equipment that money can buy that we can provide them to protect their lives.”
A Pennsylvania company called Gentex Corporation was contracted by the U.S. Army to make the helmets. Gentex sub-contracted with A.J. Hughes Screw Products of Rochester to manufacture the screws that attach the chin straps and other parts.
Now, A.J. Hughes is facing allegations it cut corners by using screws that did not meet government requirements.
U.S. Army Project Manager of Soldier Protection Colonel William Cole said, “The fact of the matter is we put out a very specific specifications on what the material has to be and they didn’t follow it.”
As a result, last year the Army recalled about 37,000 of the helmets that were issued to soldiers and airmen. The Army found that in extreme environmental conditions, the non-conforming screws corroded pre-maturely.
While the risk may have been minimal, the Army says the helmets were not as safe as they should have been. Col. Cole said, “Instead of protecting the soldiers the way it should, there’s a potential you could have a ballistic failure where either there would be a penetration, or more likely, a part of the bolt that would break off and impact the soldier’s skull.”
A.J. Hughes is no longer in business. But I-Team 10 has discovered the federal government is preparing criminal charges against the former vice-president of the company, Gregory Tremaine of Spencerport.
Felony information was filed in U.S. district court last week. It accuses Tremaine of making false claims causing the U.S. government to be over-billed by $130,000. The court documents say Tremaine signed certificates of compliance attesting to the fact that the screws met Army specifications.
I-Team 10 went to Tremaine’s home twice to speak with him about the allegations, but no one was there. And his attorney declined to comment.
Gentex has already taken civil action, accusing the screw maker of malicious conduct. It won a default judgement of more than $672,000 when no one from A.J. Hughes responded to the lawsuit.
General Batiste said, “Rochester is a lot of great things and one of them should be the center of ethics and integrity. And this is an example, maybe, where we don’t measure up.”
I-Team 10 also contacted an organization called Soldiers for the Truth whose stated objective is to get the best equipment for the troops the government can provide.
A spokesperson for the group echoed General Batiste’s sentiment but added that unfortunately, this is not the first case of defense contractors not living up to their promises.
As for how the sub-standard screw discovered, the problem was actually discovered by the helmet company, Gentex, when they noticed the screw appeared different. They notified the Army and ultimately provided replacement helmets for the troops at no cost.
The Army says no one was ever injured as a result of the faulty screw.
NOV
2010
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