PASGT: Kevlar Comes of Age
By the mid-1970s, it became clear to the Army and Marines that a new system for ground troops to protect them against fragmentation, better than the older flak vests used in Vietnam, was needed. During the Vietnam War, 70% of casualties with penetrating chest wounds and 33% of casualties with penetrating abdominal wounds died. The M1 helmet and old M69 had failed to provide adequate protection for soldiers, only being able to stop small projectiles. It also was bulky, limiting the wearer’s movement and tended to trap heat and sweat. A new and promising material, Kevlar, was chosen for the next generation of body armor. Developed at Natick Labs in the mid to late 1970s, the Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops (PASGT) vest began to be fielded in the early 1980s, first seeing use in the 1983 Marine deployment to Lebanon and the invasion of Grenada. At nine pounds, it weighed slightly more than M69, but was more flexible and offered better protection from fragmentation - both small a...