Lightening Body Armor: Arroyo Support to the Army Response to Section 125 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011

摘要

The body armor that U.S. forces wear in Afghanistan is effective against ballistic threats: There have not been any known penetrations of the body armor or fatalities when the currently issued body armor was struck by projectiles it was designed to stop. However, the combat loads that dismounted soldiers and marines carry on patrol are very heavy, and a large portion of this load is due to body armor. Congress asked the question, How can body armor weight be reduced. Congress s perception is that the Department of Defense has been slow in developing and deploying lighterweight body armor. In Section 125 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011, Congress requested that a federally funded research and development center conduct a study of lightening body armor. RAND Arroyo Center was selected to perform this study and was sponsored by Dr. Scott Fish, Army Chief Scientist, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology. This document should interest those involved with lightening body armor and the combat loads of dismounted soldiers and marines. The research was conducted in RAND Arroyo Center s Force Development and Technology Program. RAND Arroyo Center, part of the RAND Corporation, is a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the United States Army.