The U.S. Army is making a significant addition to the protective gear worn by soldiers in combat zones – a small neck pad designed to safeguard the back of the neck from shrapnel. Debi Dawson, a spokesperson for the Army Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier in Alexandria, Virginia, which oversaw the development of these pads, stated that the Army plans to distribute 430,000 of these nape pads immediately to troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Weighing just 2.9 ounces, these pads are constructed using a combination of nylon, cotton fabric, and a material that offers ballistic resistance. They are equipped with hook-and-loop fasteners for secure attachment to the rear strap of the helmet.
The Marine Corps intends to award a contract for 75,000 nape pads in the near future and will subsequently begin supplying them to deployed Marines without delay, according to Capt. Jeff Landis, a spokesperson for Marine Corps System Command. Further details about the timeline for delivery to the theater were not available at the time of reporting.
Crye Precision LLC, a company based in Brooklyn, New York, first proposed these pads to the Army during an industry day organized by PEO Soldier in 2006, as revealed by Dawson. The company marketed the pads as an additional protective measure against “ballistic fragmentation” or shrapnel that could potentially penetrate the gap between the top of the bulletproof vest and the bottom of a soldier’s Kevlar Advanced Combat Helmet.
Following this proposal, the Army conducted tests at an independent ballistics laboratory certified by the National Institute of Justice. The pads successfully passed these tests, leading to the Army’s decision to adopt them as the “eighth improvement in body armor in the last three years,” as stated by Brig. Gen. Mark Brown, Commanding General at PEO Soldier’s Natick Soldier Systems Center in Natick, Massachusetts, in a news release on February 28.
The back of the neck is a critical area housing the eight cervical vertebrae, which protect the spinal cord. Damage to the cervical vertebrae, located at the top of the spine, can have severe consequences, often resulting in quadriplegia, or paralysis of all four limbs. The new nape pads are expected to further minimize injuries and contribute to saving soldiers’ lives.
Recent advancements in the Army’s personal soldier protection have included an advanced combat helmet with an improved harness, upgraded ballistic eyewear, improved ceramic small arms protection inserts (SAPI) for bulletproof vests, and side arm or deltoid protectors that attach to the vests. These continual enhancements are aimed at bolstering the safety and well-being of military personnel in the field.
