US Army tests female body armor in Afghanistan

Sometime in July earlier this year, we ran a story on how the US Army was working on a new body armor that was specially developed to fit the female body, which is definitely a good idea since the male and female physiological make-up are different in their own unique ways. Having said that, female soldiers from Fort Campbell who are deploying to Afghanistan will have the honor of field testing the first Army body armor which was specially tailored to fit women’s physiques, being shorter in nature.

The latest generation of female-centric Army tactical vests is shorter in length so that it can accommodate smaller torsos, while being tailored to fit closer to women’s chests. It will also do away with the gaps between the material and the body, where it can be fitted with smaller side ballistic inserts for small waist sizes. Not only that, it feels lighter since it will not rest on the female soldier’s shoulders, unlike the male counterpart. In fact, one is able to perform a cartwheel in this without having the body armor fall right off, which is something that could happen if a female were to wear the old armor.

Edwin Kee
Categories: Military
Tags: army