Military says armor has mixed benefits

WASHINGTON -- Insurgents in Iraq now commonly use explosives that ''overmatch" American armor, the Army and Marine Corps warned yesterday in response to a recent study showing greater use of body armor might have saved the lives of some troops.

The two branches also warned that expanding the use of armor, as some members of Congress have demanded, could deprive troops of the mobility needed to avoid other threats.

In a set of talking points prepared for a closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill, senior officers sought to rebut the impression that they are not addressing lingering shortages of armor. They maintained that every soldier in harm's way has ''the best body armor in the world" and that ''no soldier leaves a US base in Iraq unless they are in at least an armored vehicle."

But they also asserted that increasing the amount of armor is not likely to offset the increasing strength of insurgents' weapons.

''The enemy our forces face continues to improve his means and tactics, " the paper said. ''He is employing sophisticated technology and tactics. They are using quantities and types of explosives that provide overmatch against even tanks."

Officers also warned that in the zeal to protect soldiers, commanders could weigh them down, making them vulnerable to other dangers.

For example, some Humvees outfitted with heavy armor have experienced greater rates of rollover and injury to passengers, officers said.

The Defense Department has been on the defensive since The New York Times reported that an internal Pentagon study had concluded that 80 percent of Marines who have died from wounds to their upper body might have survived had they been wearing the latest version of protective plates.

Officers have acknowledged that the military was slow to grasp the threat to US troops posed by improvised explosive devices in Iraq. But they asserted yesterday that protective plates are now being shipped to troops as quickly as possible. According to military data, 9,235 sets have been shipped to the Middle East, and 28,800 will be delivered by April. They declined to say how many sets are needed.

Complaints from military families have led Congress to provide hundreds of millions of dollars in extra funding to churn out more armored vehicles and body armor.

News of the Pentagon study sparked new outrage, as senators demanded to know whether the Pentagon was doing all it could to protect the troops. Army and Marine Corps leaders yesterday sought to allay some of those concerns to the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The Pentagon, they said, has provided nearly 700,000 sets of basic body armor to troops. It has has also provided 173,000 extra protectors to cover parts of the upper back left exposed by basic armor. Monthly production of armored Humvees has increased to more than 700 from 30 two years ago.

''It is a serious Army issue," said Colonel Joseph Curtin, an Army spokesman. ''It is a huge priority and there is a Herculean effort behind the scenes to get soldiers what they need," including the recent establishment of a high-level task force to come up with new ways to spot and defuse roadside bombs.

But military leaders also urged lawmakers not to cling to the false hope that more armor will automatically save lives.

Describing increasingly powerful weapons being utilized by insurgents, the Army-Marine Corps paper said that armor alone would not suffice.

Officers also warned of the potential consequences of too much armor.

''We must not burden our soldiers with weight to the point that they become ineffective and susceptible to other dangers," Major General Stephen Speakes told reporters after the briefing. ''In response to the changing battlefield conditions, and as new technologies emerge, the Army continues to develop improvements to soldier protection equipment to enhance survivability and mobility."

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner, Republican of Virginia, said he was satisfied that the armor issue is being adequately addressed.

''There is more than adequate money -- has been, is, and always will be -- to provide our troops the best equipment in the world," he said.

But not all senators were convinced.

''Too many soldiers in Iraq have put their lives on the line without the armor and armored Humvees they needed," Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, said in a statement. ''I will continue to urge strong congressional oversight into the military's efforts to ensure every soldier has the best protection possible. Our soldiers and their families deserve nothing less."

Bender can be reached at bender@globe.com.