AFP,
Australian soldiers serving in Iraq have been issued with faulty equipment including defective helmets, it was claimed here Tuesday.
Peter Marshall, a private supplier to the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO), which equips the Australian military, said that about 8,000 helmets he sold in 1995 have not been properly maintained.
He said the faulty helmets remain in use and troops in Iraq had been issued with them. “A helmet that hasn't been refurbished has no ability to absorb shock in the harness,” he told ABC radio.
“If a projectile strikes the helmet all the shock will go through the shell, through the harness, and even if the projectile doesn't penetrate it will break the soldier's neck.
“I do know that at this very moment there are soldiers in Iraq, Australian soldiers, wearing helmets that will not protect them if they're struck by a projectile.”
A former director of combat support logistics Alan Hands said there had been major problems and millions of dollars wasted on sub-standard boots for troops.
The boot was said to have been revised four times since it was launched in 1998 because of a failure to consult troops in the field.
“My view is that you have finished up with a boot which wasn't as good as what the soldiers were after and wasn't as good as what they deserved,” he said.
However, defence force spokesman Brigadier Mike Hannan denied both claims.
He said there were no helmets on operations which were defective or below specification and the fact that there had been four versions of the boot suggested the soldiers had been consulted right throughout the process.
“The consultation for the boots was extensive and was backed up by substantial research into the requirements,” Hannan added.
