Twenty Dot Three | Body Armor for Women
The AFWERX Open Topic SBIR cycle for 20.3 has begun! We believe we can increase military readiness and effectiveness on the battlefield by improving body armor for women. Listen in to hear how we're approaching the 20.3 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) cycle to make the necessary leaps in research and development our female warfighters need.
SHOWNOTES
In this first episode of innovator >< operator Season 2, returning guest Katheryn Basso joins us to talk about several tactical gear issues warfighter women face. She also shares what is currently in the works--if anything--to address these gear issues.
TACTICAL GEAR FOR WOMEN
Helmets
Helmets are sized to protect the head from concussions, percussion blasts, and traumatic brain injuries. Female grooming standards and regulations require women to secure their long hair above the collar, typically in a bun or braid fashion. This causes challenges for women because this means the overall size of the head changes and women have helmets a size bigger than they need (in order to fit their hair inside). With the tight helmet and bobby pins to keep hair within regulations, this can cause migraines, receding hairlines, and hair loss. While hairlines and hair loss do not impact military readiness, migraines can and properly fitting helmets that incorporate regulations are important to prevent injuries.
Military Packs
The military packs used by female warfighters are built and designed for men with large builds and broad shoulders. A lot of women in the military typically don’t have equivalent proportions as the men. These packs are made of metal and plastic frames, and their shoulder widths are too wide for women. This cause a lot of neck and shoulder problems which affect their performance in the battlefield.
Plate Carriers
The plate carriers used by women have very thick shoulder straps that coincide with the width of male proportions. This tends to cover the entire shoulder width of the women which makes it difficult for them to perform efficiently on battlefield (for example: less accuracy in shooting). It also causes problems with the shoulders and neck because of the poor fitting. Technology has advanced to the point that plate carriers are now lighter than they used to be and much more effective, but unfortunately, they’re still flat. It completely disregards the female form which causes discomfort for women that can actually impact their ability to be effective in the battlefield.
CORRECTING INADEQUATE AND ILL-FITTING EQUIPMENT
There’s a lot of improvement to be done in terms of addressing the tactical gear issues of female warfighters. The biggest impact is to start with body armor for women. If this problem is solved, it will increase military readiness and effectiveness on the battlefield.
Senator Ernst & Senator Duckworth put forward a bipartisan bill to correct issues of inadequate and ill-fitting gears and equipment of female military service members. The bill was signed into law and the topic of female-specific gear is getting more interest.
One of the issues that is hindering the industry for R&D is the numbers game. It would take a lot of R&D funds in order to figure out what works for the female body armor in terms of accounting for curves. Hopefully, if the SBIR funding is granted, government can fund the R&D and come up with a viable solution that will properly fit military gear, uniforms, and apparel for the military in general (not only to women but also with small-statured men).
More women are joining the special operations community and combat arms groups. They need to have the right gear so they can succeed, excel, and be more efficient on the battlefield.
If you want to learn more about KADRI Clothing, Katheryn’s designs, and her company, head over to their website at https://www.kadriclothing.com.
