Press

PRESS

February 06, 2008

CREW Demands Investigation into $74 Million Contract to Company Producing Substandard Helmets

Requests for Investigation, Federal Agencies, Department of Defense, House, House Armed Services Committee, Senate, Senate Armed Services Committee, Press Releases

Helmets Today, in light of evidence that a company has been outfitting our nation's troops with substandard Kevlar helmets, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) sent a letter to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees requesting an investigation into a Department of Defense $74 million contract awarded to Sioux Manufacturing.

The New York Times reported that Sioux Manufacturing, which makes Kevlar helmets, has agreed to pay $2 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that the company had shortchanged the armor in up to 2.2 million helmets for the military, including helmets used by American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Department of Defense, aware of both the problem with Sioux's helmets and the company's efforts to cover it up, awarded another contract to Sioux a mere 12 days before the lawsuit was settled.

Click Here to read CREW letter to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees

Click Here to read Sioux Manunfacturing's response to CREW's letter

Click Here to read Sioux Manunfacturing's response to the New York Times Article

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a non-profit legal watchdog group dedicated to holding public officials accountable for their actions. For more information, please visit www.citizensforethics.org or contact David Merchant at 202.408.5565 or dmerchant@citizensforethics.org