Journalists get math wrong -- a lot. I used to joke a lot that I was probably the only journalist in the world who had taken multi-variable calculus. Then I found out that OpinionJournal.com's James Taranto had too. (For the record: It's been nearly 16 years since I took the course. I passed, with a C. And no, I don't remember any of it.)

The only thing journalists do worse than math is science. If in doubt, check out any of the global warming reporting of the past decade.

NBC News recently decided to do some "science" on what's the best body armor. As you might suspect, they did it poorly.

Bottom line up front. From 16-19 May 2006, in Department of Defense (DoD) test protocols at HP White Labs, Pinnacle SOV 3000 Level IV Dragon Skin vests suffered 13 first or second shot complete penetrations, failing four of eight initial subtests with Enhanced Small Arms Protective Inserts (ESAPI) threat baseline 7.62 x 63mm M2 Armor Piercing (AP) ammunition. The Project Manager (PM) Soldier Equipment Briefing report is on line and is easily available.

I say again, of eight Pinnacle SOV 3000 Level IV Dragon Skin (DS) vests tested for V0 penetration, four of them failed, and 13 of 48 rounds fired for record were complete penetrations. Of these, significant first shot failures were noted when the DS vests were exposed to diesel fuel, a serious concern since almost all of our vehicles use this fuel and between spillage during refueling and the potential for saturation after an IED attack on US convoys, vests can easily be contaminated with fuels. A first shot complete penetration was also observed after a DS vest was drop tested. Anyone who has served understands that a 48 pound vest is going to get dropped, dragged, and abused a LOT in a combat zone, even during normal patrolling and movement. Finally, and most significantly, the vest cannot be exposed to heat. With solar loads regularly generating vehicle interior temperatures well in excess of 150 degrees, the DS vest disks delaminate themselves and fall to the bottom of the vest, effectively reducing the armor protection to nearly nothing. All panels shot after high temperature exposure failed in the first shot. This is unacceptable and is hardly a characteristic I would look for in a product to replace the current proven ESAPI in conjunction with the Enhanced Side Ballistic Inserts (ESBI).

Among the problems with the NBC report that the author of the piece, an anonymous special forces officer, notes:

• NBC shot at the vests lying flat, not around a simulated human torso. The Dragonskin armor is similar to scalemail, and the round portions of a human body can definitely effect how well it works. The author snarkily notes: "Do you see a lot of soldiers shaped like doors?"
• The Dragonskin armor wasn't tested by NBC News at varying temperatures. The military tests the vests after subjecting them to a temperature of about 165 degrees F -- similar to the temperature reached in the back seat of an un-air conditioned Humvee in the middle of the Iraqi summer. The military found that the adhesive holding the Dragonskin "discs" in place melted at those temperatures, compromising the armor.

  Christian Lowe over at Defensetech.org notes: "So why did NBC ignore the x-ray data from the PEO soldier brief? What would the public’s reaction have been if they’d seen the interviews and tests – then the x-ray photos showing the disks bunched together like a roll of nickels?"

• NBC neglected to mention that the Dragonskin armor is nearly 20 pounds heavier than the military's Interceptor armor. If all of the other stuff didn't matter, then this certainly would. These guys have to carry enough stuff around -- an extra 20 pounds of body armor is too much to ask

Go and read the first article, and there's a second one here.

The tragedy is that NBC has likely duped some concerned parents into rushing out to buy this armor for their sons or daughters serving in Iraq. It makes money for the armor manufacturer, but it doesn't do much good for the soldiers on the ground.