Finally the tide seems to be turning and the conventional wisdom of armoring service members like tanks seems to be coming to an end. At the Soldier Systems APBI in May MARCORSYSCOM officials stated the they were “willing to accept risk for the sake of mobility” and the term “Survivability through mobility” has become PM-ICE’s mantra in their quest for a replacement for the Modular Tactical Vest program. The effects of this push can already be seen with the fielding of the new plate carrier to Marines in Afghanistan. PM-ICE representatives also stated that they were looking to reduce the area of coverage on the MTV replacement and reduce cumbersomeness in order to increase lethality.
