VESTED INTEREST


QUALITY CHECK


SPC Christopher Hattaway, left, SPC Chanel Coco and SSG Anthony Sabato, 143rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), inspect and exchange plates at the plate carrier collection point Feb. 11 in Manas, Kyrgyzstan. They look for any rips, tears or cracks in the ceramic plating that might endanger the lives of deploying service men and women. (U.S. Army photo by SSG Ian Shay, 143rd Sustainment Command)


system. Current contracts have already saved U.S. taxpayers $56 million.


The team of


product engineers, quality assurance representatives, logistics support experts and contracting personnel developed a plan with the potential to save more than $150 million while giving Soldiers the best possible system.


A decade ago, as the nation waged wars on multiple fronts across the globe, defense spending rose and the Army acquired 1.7 million IOTVs, starting in 2007. Many of those IOTVs are older models that lack Soldier-driven improvements and may not be as effective in combat as the upgraded version. Almost 400,000 of the older IOTVs manufactured in the Uni- versal Camouflage Pattern (UCP) remain in inventory and need to be replaced with the Operational Camouflage Pattern (OCP). With defense funding on the decline, this is a much different acquisi- tion environment from that two years ago, and that was the spur for this effort.


In 2014, the team took advantage of smart decisions made during IOTV improve- ments to formulate a strategy that would


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deal with tighter budgets, an aging IOTV inventory and concerns about the combat- effectiveness of older IOTVs. Continuous Soldier feedback spurred creation of three different generations of the IOTV. Gen I came in five sizes and included a threaded cable quick-release system. Tis allowed rapid removal of the IOTV if a Soldier fell in water or required first aid. Gen II came in 11 sizes in response to Soldier feedback, and included greater adjustability and other incremental improvements, such as in the quick-release system and soft- armor inserts. Finally, Gen III eliminated hook-and-loop closures and added a faster, more intuitive quick-release system.


Two factors characterized each IOTV iteration: 1) Each brought significant enhancements to the warfighter; and 2) Te improvements did not change the size or shape of the ballistic materials used in the vests, which usually accounts


Army AL&T Magazine April–June 2015


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