Letter to Mr. Kendall, Under Secretary of Defense - Ayotte Fights to Ensure Female Service Members Have Top Quality Body Armor That Fits Properly

Letter

Dear Secretary Kendall,

When we send our service members into harm's way, we must ensure they have quality, well-designed equipment that fits properly. That goes for all of our service members-male and female. I know you share this goal, and I applaud your efforts to ensure that the services provide female service members properly designed and fitted combat equipment and clothing. Unfortunately, women serving in the military often deploy with body armor, equipment, and clothing not designed for them and that does not fit well. As Chair of the Readiness and Management Support Subcommittee, which oversees contracting and acquisition policy, I am eager to continue to work with you to rectify this problem without delay. With that goal in mind, I write to request an interim update on the Department of Defense's (DoD) efforts in this area, as well as to remind DoD of the report due on February 1, 2017.

As you know, the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), in its Report on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2017 (Report 114-255), addressed the issue of "Development and procurement of combat personal protective equipment for different body types". This language I worked to include noted the expanding role of women in combat positions and emphasized that DoD must address "the unique needs of both male and female service members through a comprehensive acquisition strategy that seeks to improve [organizational clothing, and individual equipment] and [personal protective equipment] through an integrated combat ensemble designed to meet validated operational requirements."

I would welcome an update on the anthropometric studies being conducted by the services to best equip their respective service members. As you prepare an interim update for me, as well as the report due on February 1, 2017, I want to emphasize-particularly with respect to body armor and ballistic helmets-that any service solutions that do not address the unique needs of women service members would not be well-received in Congress.

Thank you for your distinguished service to our country. I look forward to receiving your interim update.

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