Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff’s bipartisan push to upgrade female servicemember body armor passed Congress and will soon become law.
Sens. Ossoff, Tom Cotton (R-AR), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) successfully secured their bipartisan provision in this year’s national defense bill to help ensure that women in the military have quality and proper-fitting gear.
After hearing directly from servicemembers at Ft. Stewart about the potential risks and injuries posed by ill-fitting body armor earlier this year, Sen. Ossoff brought Democratic and Republican colleagues together to sound the alarm on the need for upgraded female and small stature body armor.
“It is an outrage that female soldiers can be at greater risk of injury or death because they don’t have proper-fitting personal protective equipment,” Sen. Ossoff said. “I brought lawmakers on both sides of the aisle together to get our servicemembers the equipment and protection they need.”
Although women now make up a high percentage of the military, many female servicemembers struggle to find equipment that accounts for their size or frame, leaving them susceptible to harm or injury during combat and training.
The provision passed as part of this year’s National Defense Authorization Act, which is expected to be signed into law later this week.
