Lightening Body Armor
Arroyo Support to the Army Response to Section 125 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011
Download
Download eBook for Free
Full Document
| Format | File Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PDF file | 0.8 MB | Use Adobe Acrobat Reader version 10 or higher for the best experience. |
Summary Only
| Format | File Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PDF file | 0.2 MB | Use Adobe Acrobat Reader version 10 or higher for the best experience. |
Purchase
Purchase Print Copy
| Format | List Price | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Add to Cart | Paperback64 pages | $24.50 | $19.60 20% Web Discount |
The body armor that U.S. forces wear in Afghanistan is effective against ballistic threats: There have been no reported penetrations of the body armor or fatalities when the currently issued body armor was struck by projectiles it was designed to stop. However, current body armor is heavy in weight and makes up a large portion of the load that soldiers and marines carry on patrol and into combat. This report summarizes a congressionally directed study of how body armor weight can be reduced. The research examined four approaches to lightening body armor: refining requirements, using modular configurations, improving testing, and improving materials. The study found that a 10 percent reduction in weight appears to be about the most that is realistic in the short term if overall protection is to remain constant; nonmateriel approaches can result in a greater than 20 percent weight reduction, but such approaches pose difficult choices about the amount of protection provided to soldiers. The report concludes with a comparison of the four approaches, general conclusions and recommendations, and responses to each of the eight congressionally raised issues.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Introduction
Chapter Two
Background
Chapter Three
Four Approaches to Lightening Body Armor
Chapter Four
Conclusions
Chapter Five
Recommendations
Appendix
Army, Marine Corps, and SOCOM Processes for Procuring Body Armor
Research conducted by
The research described in this report was sponsored by the United States Army and conducted by the RAND Arroyo Center.
This report is part of the RAND Corporation Technical report series. RAND technical reports may include research findings on a specific topic that is limited in scope or intended for a narrow audience; present discussions of the methodology employed in research; provide literature reviews, survey instruments, modeling exercises, guidelines for practitioners and research professionals, and supporting documentation; or deliver preliminary findings. All RAND reports undergo rigorous peer review to ensure that they meet high standards for research quality and objectivity.
Permission is given to duplicate this electronic document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Copies may not be duplicated for commercial purposes. Unauthorized posting of RAND PDFs to a non-RAND Web site is prohibited. RAND PDFs are protected under copyright law. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit the RAND Permissions page.
The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.