"Even though the Army considers the armor plates in question to be safe, based on DOT&E's evaluation of the testing, they nonetheless are being collected to ensure continued confidence in the Army's commitment to the safety of our Soldiers."
And just how does BG Fuller say this with confidence? Because he knows exactly what I know and that is that the PEO won't be pulling plates any time soon. The ILSC in Natick, NJ will issue a GPM from their equipment specialts telling the troops that a replacment is coming. This replacement isn't even identified yet. There will be a FAT on whatever is selected and this takes time.
Soldiers won't be without plates and BG Fuller is confident in the existing plates to obtain a complete logistics solution to a replacement.