Press Release Summary = In an action alarmingly reminiscent of the current body armor controversy, the Army is forcing combat troops to use an inferior lubricant on their weapons. Weapons malfunction, troops lose confidence.
Press Release Body = News Media report that the Army has steadfastly rejected troops’ requests for the superior, commercially available Dragon Skin body armor in favor of the Army-developed, but less effective, Interceptor body armor. Likewise, the Army is insisting troops use the Army-developed Cleaner, Lubricant and Preservative (CLP) to lubricate their weapons, even though the troops prefer a commercially available, superior lubricant, MILITEC-1.
While troops choose to use MILITEC-1, some Army officials are obstructing the military supply system’s delivery of MILITEC-1. Until Army officials abruptly directed the Defense Logistics Agency to cancel contracts for MILITEC-1 two years ago, MILITEC-1 had been in the Defense supply system for 11 years. Thousands of soldiers, from privates to general officers, have been satisfied with the product, and swear by MILITEC-1, then and now.
American soldiers overwhelmingly reject CLP because it causes weapons to malfunction, threatening their lives. When lubricating a weapon, CLP must be used “wet.” That is, in order for CLP to be effective, it must maintain a wet film on the weapon at all times. In harsh desert conditions of blowing dust and sand, the wet lubricant film attracts and holds dirt like a magnet. Weapons contaminated with sand and dust will not operate properly in real-world field conditions, such as convoys, patrolling operations, and helicopter operations.
Troops in theater strongly prefer MILITEC-1 because, after being applied as a liquid, it impregnates and bonds with metal parts, and functions as a “dry” lubricant. It does not attract sand, dust and dirt. A weapon lubricated with MILITEC-1 will continue firing reliably in conditions that will jam a CLP-lubricated weapon. MILITEC-1 treated weapons don’t jam in combat; CLP-treated weapons do. Militec, Inc. has documented communications from over 20,000 troops testifying that CLP is a poor choice for desert warfare, while MILITEC-1 gives them weapons that actually work.
Many federal agencies mandate the use of MILITEC-1. The commercial gun industry recognizes MILITEC-1 as a superior product. U.S. Border Patrol units operating in harsh conditions of our desert southwest use MILITEC-1 extensively. But the Army’s military specifications require a wet lubricant, despite the reality of desert conditions.
Following after-action interviews with soldiers taken after the fall of Baghdad, the initial After Action Report of the Army’s own fact-finding group stated, “Soldiers provided consistent comments that CLP was not a good choice for weapons maintenance in this environment. Soldiers considered a product called Militec (sic) to be a much better solution for lubricating individual and crew served weapons.”
Every soldier in combat must have a weapon that works. Yet the Army continues to block free access to MILITEC-1 through the supply system. Therefore, to ensure that that no soldier goes without MILITEC-1, Militec, Inc. has donated, directly to the troops in the field, over $2.5 million of product out of its operating budget, and the troops keep asking for more.
Transparency is the enemy of officials who suffer from the “not invented here” syndrome. A fair, open, real-world comparison of soldiers’ tools, including body armor and weapons lubricant, is the ultimate test of what works best. And military field units should be the final arbiters, not research and laboratory technicians.
Web Site = http://www.militec-1.com
Contact Details = Militec, Inc. 11828 Pika Drive Waldorf, Maryland 20602 (301) 893-3910 militec@militec-1.com
2012
