Navy Plans Better Fitting, More Functional Uniforms for Women Sailors

As the number of female service members has increased over the years, the military branches have invested money in research and development to better tailor uniforms and body armor to fit women properly, said Katherine Kuzminski, director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program at the Center for a New American Security think tank in Washington, D.C.

But, there is a long way to go, Kuzminski told Task & Purpose.

“I think that we’re just at the beginning stages of seeing body armor and MOLLE kits, plates and all of that being tailored to women’s bodies,” Kuzminski said.

Making tactical gear that better fit female service members has long been a challenge for the military branches. Army veteran Kayla Williams previously told Task & Purpose that when she deployed to Iraq, she would get calluses on her collarbone from the ill-fitting ballistic plates in the body armor that she wore.

In January 2021, Congress required the military branches to develop personal protective equipment that better fits all service members. Around that time, the first female airmen in security forces units – the Air Force’s equivalent of military police – began receiving body armor that was specifically designed for women.

Better-fitting tactical gear in particular could help reduce musko-skeletal injuries for female service members, Kuzminksi said.

“Women are not just small men; we have different builds,” Kuzminksi said. “Chest plates that are just sized down from men’s equipment for women can sometimes leave gaps which increases the likelihood that a stray bullet could go between the body armor and a woman’s body. But even more commonplace are the ways that the shape of body armor when you’re rucking over a long period of time sits on women’s hips improperly, which can lead to hip, knee, and ankle problems and can lead to longer term wear tear that affects the service itself and the long tail of the VA [Department of Veterans Affairs.]”

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