Apr 04 2008
This will come as no surprise to anyone who has followed this issue over the past two-plus years:
The Army can’t be sure some of its body armor met safety standards, partly because it didn’t do proper paperwork on initial testing of the protective vests, a Defense Department audit said.
Jan 28 2008
where to find defense contracts
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bae goes after MTC Dec. 2007
http://www.forbes.com/2007/12/…
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/mon…
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blair blocked bae investigation dec. 2007
http://www.guardian.co.uk/baef…
http://www.guardian.co.uk/baef…
http://www.businessday.co.za/a…
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9e3c…
the guardian has an entire web page devoted to BAE scandal
http://www.guardian.co.uk/baef…
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saudi arabia warns it might stop cooperating vis terrorism if bae investigation goes forward january 30 2008
http://www.thebulletin.us/site…
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so. african president-elect jacob zuma involved in bae
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/t…
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bae to go forward with ah purchase jun 8
http://news.independent.co.uk/…
dhb/pint blank gets $52 million order for OT
armor holdings press releases
http://www.google.com/search?q…
ARMOR HOLDINGS conference calls
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/ph…
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seattle times – earmarks
http://community.seattletimes….
armor holdings contracts 2006 $800 million
http://www.usaspending.gov/fpd…
armor holdings $32.1 million Feb. 24, 2006 contract
http://www.usaspending.gov/fpd…
detail on contract
http://www.usaspending.gov/fpd…
how the info works on usaspending.gov
http://www.usaspending.gov/abo…
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simula gets $46 million contract for ESAPI inserts on Nov. 29, 2007; same day, BAE holdings get total of nearly $1 billion in contracts, including for Stewart & Stevenson
http://www.defenselink.mil/con…
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from hasc hearings: cool powerpoint on army’s may 2006 dragon skin “findings” (PDF FILE)
http://www.defenselink.mil/dod…
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from a comment on TPM Muckraker June 7 2007
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/ar…
Re Dragon Skin vs Interceptor body armor
Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Hugh Shelton and former Secret Service Director Brian Stafford joined the board of Ceramic Protection Corporation (CPC) last year.
CPC manufactures a lot of the boron ceramic inserts that go into the Interceptor armor at its Newark DE facility. Last year, it purchased a Florida manufacturer of the soft body armor that goes into the Interceptor system.
Around the time that Shelton and Stafford joined the CPC board, CPC got a slew of new body armor contracts from the DoD.
I’ve been following body armor news and I wonder if magnesium ceramic body armor is going to be the next big thing.
One of the investors in CPC, PA-based financier Heinz Schimmelbusch, has a financial interest in a company that produces and markets mangnesium.
Dynamic Defense Materials DDM, a tiny defense contractor based in Bootwyn PA, has been trying to develop contoured magnesium ceramic body armor. Katherine T. Leighton, DDM officer, has a patent application pending which involves the manufacutre of magnesium ceramic body armor.
Leighton and Schimmelbusch both have ties to a Newark DE company, Lanxide, that went belly up in 1999.
DDM contributed more than $17k to Curt Weldon’s last campaign and is now a client of Weldon’s firm, Defense Solutions LLC.
I suspect the big shots in the Army have already picked out the next generation of body armor and it isn’t Dragon Skin. Lisa Myers of NBC just didn’t ask the right questions.
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armor holdings names to replace 156,000 Second Chance vests July 2005
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/ph…
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air force seeks to debar pinnacle
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfe…
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david brooks wants out of jail dec 22 2007
http://www.examiner.com/a-1119…
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judge approves house arrest for brooks
http://www.newsday.com/news/lo…
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brooks sued by Point Blank for $4 million dec 7 2007
http://www.bizjournals.com/sou…
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air force times and navy times editorial calling for fair testing (june 18 ’07?)
http://www.airforcetimes.com/c…
http://www.navytimes.com/commu…
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“bloggers’ roundtable with gen. brown may 21, 2007 (PDF FILE)
funny – i don’t know of anyone who was invited
http://www.defendamerica.mil/p…
pogo on debarment
http://www.pogo.org/p/contract…
http://www.pogo.org/p/contract…
what is debarment
http://www.fedmarket.com/artic…
can be debarred for illegal immigrants
http://www.ffhsj.com/cmemos/00…
can be debarred for not maintaining a drug-free workplace
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/…
contractors accountability act of 2003
http://www.theorator.com/bills…
should boeing be debarred?
http://www.commondreams.org/ne…
large contractors tough to debar, gove exec.com
http://govexec.com/dailyfed/05…
bush admin proposes repeal of contractor responsibility rule 2001
http://www.ombwatch.org/articl…
anti-scofflaw rule proposed 1999
http://www.ombwatch.org/articl…
iraq contractors’ debarment may 2007
http://www.usatoday.com/news/w…
parsons debarment a good sign
http://pogoblog.typepad.com/po…
steve kelman
http://pogoblog.typepad.com/po…
some of parsons’ iraq failings
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/…
Federal Acquisition Regulations, Part 9.4
http://www.arnet.gov/far/curre…
sba proposal may 2007 to include tax violations as cuase for debarment
http://www.sba.gov/advo/laws/c…
oversight pendulum swinging bakc may 2007
http://www.washingtontechnolog…
air force stopped testing in 2006
http://www.defensereview.com/m…
http://www.military.com/NewsCo…
navy bans body armor june 13
http://www.military.com/NewsCo…
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army addresses norwood in nbc interview
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18…
captain’s journal compliments occams hatchet june 1
http://www.captainsjournal.com…
u.s. opens bae investigation june 15 latimes
http://www.latimes.com/news/na…
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bae appoints judge to examine bae’s ethics – at $10,000/day june 15
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/…
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bae’s self-examination not setting well with MPs
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/mon…
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bae now sells more in u.s. than u.k.
http://business.timesonline.co…
bae acquisition of armor holdings closed july 31
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap…
pentagon balked at pleas for safer vehicles
http://www.usatoday.com/news/m…
analysis of injuries
http://www.fayobserver.com/art…
norwood
http://news.google.com/news/ur…
aei’s and pnac’s michael donnelly “NBC’s body armor embarrassment” june 20
http://news.google.com/news/ur…
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pentagon losing control to contractors – business week june 25
http://www.businessweek.com/ma…
bae shares drop with u.s. investigation june26
http://www.forbes.com/markets/…
army seeks better plates aug 07
http://www.defensenews.com/sto…
armor holdings $1.1 million export fine August 20
http://news.moneycentral.msn.c…
armor holdings $1.2 million air pollution fine august 20
http://www.azcentral.com/arizo…
armor holdings armored vehicle 1,200 ordered; others out August 16
http://blog.wired.com/defense/…
force protection loses; look for it to be bought by Armro Holdings
http://www.fool.com/investing/…
dragon skin unlikely to get side-by-side test august 16
http://www.ksee24.com/news/loc…
arizona congressman pushes for armor holdings contracts august 2007
http://www.bizjournals.com/pho…
fewer mraps to be delivered august 2007
http://news.google.com/news/ur…
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“bribery is normal” – rightwing publication august 2007
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/vi…
cns news whackos
http://conwebwatch.tripod.com/…
http://www.sourcewatch.org/ind…
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories…
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hold earmarks for bae – under investigation
http://thehill.com/business–l…
$15 million in fines paid for dfectine armor
http://www.portfolio.com/views…
http://www.pacificnewscenter.c…
mrap contractors narrowed to 3 – including Armor Holdings
http://www.defenselink.mil/tra…
mrap contractors
http://www.fool.com/investing/…
bae chief quits
http://www.forbes.com/facesint…
bae armor holdings individual body armor contract $43 million
http://www.tradingmarkets.com/…
Washington attacking corporate corruption elsewhere in the world
Justice Dept. probes British firm’s suspect payments to Saudis
corpwatch – fcpa heating up dec 07
http://www.corpwatch.org/artic…
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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/…
evolution armor supposedly has level 4 armor – don’t hold your breath waiting for professional soldiers or OpFor to jump down evolution’s throat about their utterly untested armor
http://www.evolutionarmor.com/
http://www.evolutionarmor.com/…
The Skaalar Exo-Skin product line is available now, but only for special forces teams and their operators. It’s completely flexible level 4 armor capable of addressing the ESAPI and XSAPI requirements with no gaps in coverage and is custom designed per each teams requirements. Also available in early 2008 we have a level 3+ Exo-Skin coming for law enforcement personnel using a new method of creating flexible comfort. Check back with at the first of the year for details about the Gen 3 product for law enforcement.
professional soldiers.com still very smug
http://www.professionalsoldier…
bae (with 2 entities) gets order for !,268 of 3,100 MRAPs
http://www.defenselink.mil/rel…
force protection could be takeover target
http://news.google.com/news/ur…
mrap contracts given to big contractors (ceradyne also mentioned)
http://www.fool.com/investing/…
bizarre: huff post columnist recommended dragon skin to bhutto
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…
bhutto needed export license for dragon skin
http://lakeexpo.com/articles/2…
army regs re foia 25-55 – PDF FILE
http://www.army.mil/usapa/epub…
value of mraps debated dec 27 2007 latimes
http://www.latimes.com/news/na…
british SFO investigating drug companies for oil-for-food corruption dec 31
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq…
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riechers suicide dec 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12…
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pimco challenge to boeing (vis riechers) upheld dec 28 2007
http://www.al.com/business/mob…
http://www.flightglobal.com/ar…
bbc world service podcast on procurement
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldserv…
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british anti-corruption laws have teeth (legal advice) dec 2007
http://www.metrocorpcounsel.co…
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company fined for falsely claiming fed contract with bae jan 2008
http://www.unionleader.com/art…
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s. african arms deal may fall apart jan3 2008
http://www.sowetan.co.za/News/…
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not happy with dragon skin dec 2008
http://www.michaelyon-online.c…
with armor holdings having been bought by bae, it’s got even more leverage – bae is scattered all across the u.s., in several states and dozens of congressional districts.
bae probe may tear south africa apart january 10 2008
http://www.businessday.co.za/a…
http://www.thoughtleader.co.za…
saudis “urge” MI6 to drop bae investigation jan 2008
http://www.washingtonpost.com/…
guy who actually worked for pinnacle jan 2008
http://a-gunguy.livejournal.co…
bae wins contract for mine-clearing vehicles jan 10 2008
http://www.military-quotes.com…
Designed for use by US forces, BAE’s “medium mine-protected vehicles” are built to clear routes littered with mines and improvised explosive devices, which, according to the defence department, are responsible for almost two-thirds of US casualties in Iraq.
Orders for standard counter-insurgency vehicles, supplied currently by BAE, are likely to fall, said Colin Crook, a UBS analyst.
But he said that the deal suggested “the sustainability of BAE’s military vehicle work is much better than many commentators may fear”.
cheney in dragon skin?
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/…
michael yon’s comment
http://www.michaelyon-online.c…
profile of yon in NYT
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01…
sov-300 for sale on ebay feb 6 2008
http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayI…
turtle skin armor
http://blog.wired.com/defense/…
ADDED FEB 9 2008
british firms don’t know they have to comply with FCPA
http://www.ethicalcorp.com/con…
ADDED FEB 18 2008
bae chief retiring, history of scandal feb 17 08
http://business.timesonline.co…
high court says blair put irresistible force against investigation feb 14 08
http://business.timesonline.co…
judges to rule on dropped investigation feb 15 08
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/bus…
The SFO lawyer Philip Sales was frequently interrupted by one of the judges with questions about the stance taken by the SFO and the British government in the face of an alleged “serious and imminent” threat to national security.
Lord Justice Moses said it appeared that Britain had simply “rolled over” instead of trying to make the Saudi government withdraw the threats, which amounted to criminal offences under British law.
But Mr Sales hit back: “We in the UK can’t compel the Saudi Arabian government to adopt a different stance.”
Documents released to the court showed the government thought “British lives on British streets” would have been at risk if the inquiry into alleged bribery had not been dropped.
In the documents, Helen Garlick, assistant director at the Serious Fraud Office stated:
“If this caused another 7/7 how could we say that our investigation, which at this stage might or might not result in a successful prosecution, was more important?”
judge says govt “rolled over” on saudi threat feb 14 08
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worl…
icr hired in 2003 to raise Armor HOldings profile
http://www.icrinc.com/web/feat…
dragon skin on ebay – ksee video report feb 15 08
http://www.ksee24.com/news/loc…
ADDED FEB 20 2008
http://www.themanufacturer.com…
bae chief says
Appearing on the Sky Jeff Randall Live programme, Turner described the accusations as having gone too far, and having come from “a small portion of the UK media and minority groups who have a strange distorted view of the world”. He also deemed the High Court case as damaging for the country.
ADDED MARCH 2 2008
british probe focuses on commissions, only 4 countries
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/mon…
oecd starts investigation into great britain corruption march 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/busi…