http://www.grandforksherald.com/ap/index.cfm?page=view&id=D8SRMRNO1

Indian-owned plant to build armor for vehicles in Iraq

The Associated Press - Sunday, November 11, 2007
BISMARCK, N.D.

A Fort Totten-based American Indian-owned company has been awarded a
contract to build protective armor for bomb-resistant vehicles for troops
in Iraq, the company's president says.

Sioux Manufacturing Corp. was one of three companies selected to build
armor for the mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles, called MRAPs, said
Carl McKay, the company's president and chief executive officer.

McKay would not disclose the terms of the contract, saying "it's
competition sensitive."

In May, Defense Secretary Robert Gates made the MRAP the Pentagon's top
acquisition priority. John Young, the Defense Department's top acquisition
official, said more than 560 vehicles have been fielded, and monthly
production will top 1,000 by the end of the year.

Sioux Manufacturing is owned by the Spirit Lake Sioux tribe, on the Spirit
Lake reservation in northeastern North Dakota. The company has been the
target of a federal investigation involving questionable business practices
since last year.

Federal agents raided the armor plant in June 2006, confiscating boxes of
company records under a search warrant. The Justice Department and the U.S.
Attorney's office said at the time that the raid centered on "alleged
contract irregularities" but would not elaborate.

McKay said the company has done nothing wrong. He said the federal
investigation centers on the strength and density of Kevlar weave used in
military helmets.

Sioux Manufacturing uses a loom to weave Kevlar fibers in helmets and armor
for vehicles. The company also makes breast plates for ballistic vests, or
flak jackets. Composite tiles made at the factory are pieced together to
line interiors of military vehicles, ships and aircraft.