THE IMPACT OF HEAVY BODY ARMOR ON SOLDIERS

The body armor was designed to serve as a protective piece of clothing that would ensure soldiers are protected from any form of physical attack. Some examples of body armor that have been used by the army are Improved Outer Tactical Vest (IOTV), plate carrier, Modular Scalable Vest II, etc. The reason for the replacements is to ensure they are not necessarily heavy because heavy body armor always harm soldiers. Below are the impacts of heavy body armor on soldiers

• Reduced Efficiency of the Soldier: Soldiers do a whole lot in ensuring the success of any mission they embark on. However, such assignments’ success cannot be guaranteed without protective aids that will ensure the soldier isn’t harmed. Another impediment to such missions’ success is a heavy body armor that reduces the soldier’s efficiency. This is because they can hinder the balance of the soldier or movement quality.
• Bodily Injury: Soldiers engage in a series of physical activities to stay fit, and these exercises are done with protective equipment. Having to do such with heavy body armor directly affects physical performance, can lead to fatigue, and increases the person’s vulnerability to bodily injury. The consequence of such impact on the soldier is a reduced physical performance that spells doom for any task that is being engaged in.
• Health Cost: It is not advisable for a person suffering from any bodily injury to work, and having to treat such will incur health costs.

The above are the impacts of heavy body armor on soldiers, and it is advisable that body armors are designed in a way that they weigh less to avoid soldiers having to suffer and the army having to have lesser hands to complete its tasks. It is necessary to note that the recent body armor, MSV II, used by the military, weighs 25 pounds in total. This is commendable because it weighs way less thanformer versions like IOTV and plate carriers.

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