The Marine Corps recognizes the operational requirement to move away from the one-size-fits-all approach in dealing with ballistic protection.

Levels

The following levels are established. They apply to all Marine Corps-issued body armor sets, including, but not limited to MTV, OTV, PC and FSBE.

• Level 0: No Body Armor
• Level 1: Vest or Plate Carrier w/ Soft Armor Only
• Level 2: Vest or Plate Carrier w/ Front & Back Hard Armor Plates
• Level 3: Vest or Plate Carrier w/ Front, Back & Side Hard Armor Plates

References

• http://www.marines.mil/news/messages/Pages/MARADMIN0415-09.aspx