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23 February 2007
In an award winning investigative series, "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams" exposed "efforts by the United States Army to scuttle a promising technology designed to protect soldiers from rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs)." Why would the U.S. Army do this? The answer lies in the complex way in which Army procurement practices, with the interests of rival defense contractors intertwined. In this instance, the Army chose to go with another approach, even though it won't be available for years to come, a fact that many people, including officials inside the Pentagon, and CDI Senior Advisor Philip Coyle, find questionable.
"The whole idea is to get new equipment that would make a difference...I just don't understand the reluctance," said Coyle to NBC News.
Based on his experience as assistant secretary of defense for Test and Evaluation for the Department of Defense, Coyle was able to provide the investigative team with insightful analysis and information and assist in sifting through dozens of documents to help decipher the meaning and story behind the Pentagon and Army jargon. The effect that this investigation could have on policy or congressional action is still unknown.
Coyle appeared in two of the three broadcast news segments that were aired nationwide on Sept. 6, 2006, and Jan. 10, 2007, and in a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Jan. 18, 2007, regarding Army force protection equipment for the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
To read a summary of the series from NBC News click here.
To watch the aired series click on the desired date of the segment below:
Sept. 5, 2006
Sept. 6, 2006
Jan. 10, 2007