Fall 2012 (Issue # 67) Press for Conversion! 11

IDF.” The group’s coordinator,Wendela de Vries, says DSM does “notexport from Holland to Israel directly,as far as we know,” because “militaryexports from the Netherlands to Israelare limited by human rights considera-tions.” A now-defunct DSM webpage,accessed by the group in 2006, said“Dyneema is also used in the armor sys-tems of the Patria and Hagglundsarmored personnel carriers and vehi-cles in Israel.”

The “In-ternet Archive”has 30 “snap-shots” of DSM’swebsite from be-tween 2003 and2009. Each ver-sion contains the(now-missing)reference to DSMarmour in Israel’sPatria and Hagg-lunds’ battle vehi-cles. Finland’sPatria is largelyowned (73.2%)by the Finnishgovernment, while EADS holds the re-maining shares. EADS is partly owned(22.46%) by Daimler. (See previousissue, pp.21-22.) Sweden’s Hagglundsis now owned by the UK’s BAE Sys-tems. (See previous issue, pp.8-9.)

The IDF’s arsenal vehicles alsoincludes the Hagglunds-made Band-vagn 206, a tracked, all-terrain, troopcarrier. This may be the IDF vehiclethat DSM said used Dyneema armour.

ReferencesOur companywww.dsm.com/en_US/cworld/public/about/pages/Our_company.jsp

Annual Report 2010www.annualreport2010.dsm.com/pages/Homepage.html

“DSM in Life protection: Saving lives on thefrontline,” January 21, 2012.www.dsm.com/en_US/cworld/public/markets-products/pages/life_protection.jsp

“Stryker Combat Vehicle ,” March 25, 2010.www-qa.dyneema.com/en_US/public/dyneema/page/

KKKKKoninklijkoninklijkoninklijkoninklijkoninklijkeeeeeDSM N.VDSM N.VDSM N.VDSM N.VDSM N.V.....

Royal DSM is a diversifiedDutch firm with assets of$14.5 billion (2010). Making

everything from food, drugs and medi-cal devices, to auto parts, electronicsand alternative energy technology,DSM also brags about making “life pro-tection” equipment. This turns out torefer to armour that protects weapons-wielding soldiers and combat vehicles.

The armour in question isDSM’s “Dyneema.” This polyethyleneproduct, “15 times stronger than qual-ity steel,” is “the world’s strongestfiber.” It is used in military “vests, in-serts, helmets, shields and vehiclearmor” including “Stryker” combatvehicles. Made in London, Ontario, byGeneral Dynamics Land Systems-Canada, “Strykers” are “the workhorse...in the fight against terrorism,” par-ticularly the Iraq and Afghan wars.

The Israel Defense Force (IDF)has several “Strykers” for evaluationand, in 2004, the Jerusalem Post saidit would buy hundreds more. Althoughthis plan was later “put on hold,” it wasresurrected in 2007. An image on theMilitaryphotos.net website shows a“Stryker in service with the IDFparatroop brigade in the [Occupied]Territories (early 2006).”

The use of DSM armour in otherIsraeli army vehicles was reported bythe Dutch Campaign Against the ArmsTrade in 2009 which said: “DSM ex-ports armour that ends up in armouredpersonnel carriers and vehicles for the

newsitems/Stryker_combat_vehicle.htm

“Arms transfers to Israel fuel conflict,” PressRelease, Campagne tegen Wapenhandel andVredesactie, January 14, 2009.www.actionpourlapaix.be/print.php?page=586,0,0,0,0,0,0,0

Email correspondence (October 6, 2011) be-tween Wendela de Vries, coordinator, Campagnetegen Wapenhandel, and Richard Sanders, Co-ordinator, Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade.

Internet Archive: DSM “Military vehicles” pageweb.archive.org/web/20090228122620/http://www.dsm.com/en_US/html/hpf/military_vehicles.htm

“Dyneema is“Dyneema is“Dyneema is“Dyneema is“Dyneema is...used in the...used in the...used in the...used in the...used in the

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DSM Dyneemawww.dsm.com/en_US/cworld/public/about/pages/dsm_dyneema.jsp

Life Protectionwww.dyneema.com/en_US/public/dyneema/page/seg-ment/LifeProtection.jsp

Arieh O’Sullivan, “IDF plans to buy StrykerAPC,” Jerusalem Post, February 3, 2004.www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-90557174.html

Arieh O’Sullivan, “Stryker APC deal tabled fortwo years,” Jerusalem Post, July 19, 2004.web.archive.org/web/20040722212207/http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1090208251924

Yaakov Katz, “IDF chief presents budget andprocurement plan,” September 3, 2007.www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=74096

“IDF Stryker ???”, March 1, 2007.www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?106301-IDF-Stryker

DSM Dyneema introduces Dyneema® BT10www.dyneema.com/en_US/public/dyneema/page/newsitems/DSM_Dyneema_introduces_Dyneema_ BT10.htm

Bandvagn 206en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandvagn_206