War IN BRIEF : CALIFORNIA : Defect in Bradley Vehicle Is Conceded

FMC Corp. acknowledged that some of its Bradley Fighting Vehicles in Saudi Arabia have defective transmissions that could slow them down on the battlefield, but it said the problems are being fixed. An FMC spokesman in San Jose, Calif., said the company estimates that 300 of the 2,000 Bradley armored personnel carriers in the Persian Gulf could develop a problem that reduces top speed to 12 miles per hour. The vehicle normally can reach 40 m.p.h. But Highlander said a faulty lever can keep the transmission locked in low gear. Lt. Gen. John Yeosock, the U.S. Army commander in the Gulf, said earlier on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that the problem was minor.