Leatherneck, July 1999

Better Gear, Safer Marines New Technology, Progressive Armor Head to the Fleet

By Jamie Walker and Ingrid Sbacchi Bairstow

Over the past several years, a lot of equipment has been purchased that has made the Marine Corps a safer, more efficient and, in some cases, a more comfortable place to be. Thanks to advances in new technology, today's Marine is better equipped and better trained than ever before.

New and more cost-effective materials, changes in tactics and the ever-present suggestions from grunts in the field have all contributed to the development of new equipment currently being tested and fielded by the Marine Corps.

New family of body armor

A lighter form of body armor is becoming standard issue to all Marines.

The Interceptor Outer Tactical Vest is part of a new family of body armor developed by Marine Corps Systems Command at Quantico, Va., and Natick Labs in Natick, Mass. The new body armor system consists of an inconspicuous vest known as the Deceptor, an outer tactical vest called the Interceptor and a small arms protective insert (SAPI).

The Deceptor weighs about 3 pounds, is designed to be worn under a garment and can stop rounds as large as 9mm but not shell fragments. "It is extremely light. You can wear it around the office if you want," said Major Dave McCord, project officer at MarCorSysCom. The Deceptor is primarily designated for military police and security forces. Approximately 4,800 systems were fielded between August 1998 and April 1999 to Marine Security Guards, Marine Corps Security Forces and military police.

The 8.4-pound Interceptor is the second component of the body armor and will be issued to the whole fleet. It is capable of stopping rounds up to 9mm and shell fragments.

The Interceptor looks a little different from the old vest. New features include: a removable groin protector with a separate ballistic insert, a neck guard, a yoke strap for easy handling of a wounded Marine, side ventilation and webbing on front and back, as well as a hole for camel back water packs. In addition, the new vest is repairable. If you tear the fabric, the ballistic panels can easily be removed from the vest in order to fix it. A new overlapping flap allows the vest to be worn partly open without exposing a Marine's vital organs.

These features illustrate what the Systems Command program managers point out to be the "modularity" of the Interceptor. "It's not just one system. It can be broken down and taken apart as the situation dictates," said Captain Skip Church of MarCorSysCom. "You can take out panels and insert new ones as technology improves. That way you don't have to buy this whole vest again."

The modularity also includes compatibility with the new MOLLE pack. In 1998, 3d Battalion, 2nd Marines fielded the Interceptor in conjunction with the MOLLE pack during exercises in Bridgeport, Calif. "Compatibility [of the armor] with the new pack was a major issue," Church said, "and it did pretty well."

Over the next couple of years, Marines will receive the vest, neck guard and groin protector as standard issue. "The goal is to purchase 172,000 and then 42,800 for the Reserves," said Church.

"We are pretty excited by this; we think the Marines will really like it," McCord said.

The third component is the SAPI plate. The Interceptor can hold up to two SAPI plates, each weighing 4 lbs. Each SAPI can be easily inserted into or removed from the front as well as the back of the vest.

The new SAPI plate will stop rounds as large as 7.62-mm. However, "it is not bulletproof," Church said. "If you shoot a big enough bullet, it is going to hurt, but it is a big step toward [being bulletproof]."

The plates will probably be kept in supply or in the armory - they will not be standard issue gear that is to be kept in a wall locker. "It will be kept under lock and key," Church said. It is important that Marines train with them, "but they are not for everyday use. You want to use those when you go into a hot spot," he said.

The new gear will leave a surplus of old flak jackets. "We are trying to come up with a plan where we can sell the old jackets either via FMS [foreign military sales] or maybe with some sort of trade made with the contractor," McCord said.

The old jackets were designed in the 1970's, and the Marine Corps implemented them in 1981. "I think this is the first time we [Marine Corps] actually went to a commercial industry to get body armor for a force like this," Church said. "This is good stuff....You can't beat this technology. Nobody in the world has this except for us."