Washington ? A brand of body armor banned by the Army also failed Air Force tests and some of the vests were recalled, Army officials said Friday in defending their decision to require that soldiers wear only protective gear issued by the military.

Army Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Sorenson, who manages the buying of body armor, dismissed claims by California-based Pinnacle Armor and other companies that their gear can match Army-issue armor.

“They have not been tested,” Sorenson said. “They have not passed the rigor that we put into standards determining whether something is safe, effective and suitable.”

Under a new Army directive, soldiers can no longer wear any commercially bought body armor. The Army said it cannot guarantee the quality of the commercial armor, and any soldier wearing it will have to turn it in.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said Friday there were no plans to enforce such a policy across all the military services.

Sorenson also referred briefly to the recall of Pinnacle vests by “another service,” but didn’t name the Air Force. He added that any soldiers who defy the order and wear commercial armor could be disciplined.

“If soldiers are doing this, they’re doing it at their own risk,” said Sorenson. “And quite frankly, it’s probably not advisable because we have not found that protection provided by these other particular systems is anywhere near what the soldiers have today.”

Josh Holly, a spokesman for the House Armed Services Committee, said its members grew concerned about Pinnacle gear after learning that the company’s latest version of Dragon Skin armor failed Air Force ballistic tests in February.

Holly said committee staff recently met with Pinnacle officials to encourage the company to pursue more Army testing, even volunteering to serve as independent witnesses to the tests.

The Army said Thursday that the order banning commercial armor was prompted by concerns that soldiers or their families were buying inadequate or untested gear from private companies.