## U.S. Delivered "Wet and Moldy Body Armor" to Taiwan, Pentagon Watchdog Says A Pentagon watchdog has found that the U.S. delivered "wet and moldy" body armor to Taiwan, according to a report released on Wednesday. The report said the body armor was part of a $100 million deal between the U.S. and Taiwan, and that the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) had known about the problems with the armor since at least 2017. The DOD has since suspended the sale of body armor to Taiwan, and is working to resolve the issue. The report did not say how many sets of body armor were affected, or when they were delivered to Taiwan. The report also said that the DOD had not properly inspected the body armor before it was delivered to Taiwan. The DOD has since implemented new procedures to ensure that all body armor is inspected before it is delivered to foreign countries. The report's findings are the latest in a series of problems that have plagued the Pentagon's efforts to sell arms to Taiwan. In 2017, the DOD suspended the sale of eight F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan after it was discovered that the jets were equipped with Chinese-made parts. The U.S. is required by law to sell arms to Taiwan, but the Trump administration has been reluctant to do so. The Trump administration has said that it does not want to upset China, which considers Taiwan to be a province of China. The suspension of the sale of body armor to Taiwan is likely to further strain relations between the U.S. and China. China has already condemned the U.S. for selling arms to Taiwan, and has threatened to take military action if the U.S. does not stop doing so. The report's findings are also likely to raise questions about the Pentagon's ability to manage its arms sales programs. The Pentagon has been criticized for its handling of the F-16 sale, and the problems with the body armor are likely to further damage the Pentagon's reputation.
Comments