Update Appended: Nov. 2, 2012
Women are not small men. Finally realizing this, the U.S. military is testing body armor designed expressly for a woman’s body. Current designs are too loose and too long, leaving gaps that might make some women more vulnerable to bullets and shrapnel. Even a men’s extra-small is too big for 85% of female troops. The 101st Airborne Division’s 1st Brigade will test the new armor during an upcoming deployment to Afghanistan.
The original version of the article has been updated to reflect the fact that the current designs of the armor provide protection for men and women against gunfire fragments; the new version provides a better fit.