Army grappling with antiquated buying rules.

• Position: For armors - Brief article

Army leaders continue to squabble over how best to satisfy, soldiers' immediate equipment needs and simultaneously develop futuristic weapons systems for the decades ahead.

At the heart of the problem is an antiquated "requirements" process, says Gen. William S. Wallace, head of the Army Training and Doctrine Command. Only months after the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Army had to set aside its procurement rulebook so it could bypass the bureaucracy and buy loads of armored trucks, body armor and other critical supplies.

But the Army has yet to come to grips with how to...