The Department’s priority is to ensure all Service personnel receive appropriate and equitable levels of protection.

While there is currently no evidence demonstrating a causal link between the in-service body armour system and an increased incidence of injury among female personnel, we will continue the procurement of Tactical Ballistic Plates, which will replace the in-service OSPREY and Enhanced Combat Body Armour plates. These will be available in four sizes to provide an improved fit for a wider range of personnel and reduced weight for most users. Additionally, we have initiated a Complex Geometry Body Armour project with potential delivery from 2029, subject to trials and validation. This is likely to include the development of an appropriate testing regime and Human Factors Integration work to ensure this capability delivers improved fit and operational effectiveness for Servicewomen.

The Department’s priority is to ensure all service personnel receive appropriate and equitable levels of protection. We have initiated a Complex Geometry Body Armour project, which will include the development of an appropriate testing regime and Human Factors Integration work to ensure this capability delivers improved fit and operational effectiveness for servicewomen.

In parallel, we will continue the procurement of Tactical Ballistic Plates, which will replace the in-service OSPREY and Enhanced Combat Body Armour plates. These will be available in four sizes to provide an improved fit for a wider range of personnel and reduced weight for most users.

The Army has conducted a study of the Multi Terrain Pattern (MTP) 23 trouser following its introduction, comparing the current size regime to Defence anthropometric data which has been collected since the introduction of MTP23. There has been extensive feedback from female service personnel which has been formally collated and analysed to inform the design of the next iteration of combat clothing. This clothing will be available in a dual-sizing regime of ‘straight’ and ‘contoured’ fit garments to better meet the needs of all service personnel.

The Department’s priority is to ensure all service personnel receive appropriate and equitable levels of protection. We have initiated a Complex Geometry Body Armour project, which will include the development of an appropriate testing regime and Human Factors Integration work to ensure this capability delivers improved fit and operational effectiveness for servicewomen.

In parallel, we will continue the procurement of Tactical Ballistic Plates, which will replace the in-service OSPREY and Enhanced Combat Body Armour plates. These will be available in four sizes to provide an improved fit for a wider range of personnel and reduced weight for most users.

The Army has conducted a study of the Multi Terrain Pattern (MTP) 23 trouser following its introduction, comparing the current size regime to Defence anthropometric data which has been collected since the introduction of MTP23. There has been extensive feedback from female service personnel which has been formally collated and analysed to inform the design of the next iteration of combat clothing. This clothing will be available in a dual-sizing regime of ‘straight’ and ‘contoured’ fit garments to better meet the needs of all service personnel.

The Department’s priority is to ensure all service personnel receive appropriate and equitable levels of protection. We are initiating a capability change project for Complex Geometry Body Armour, which will include the development of a suitable testing regime and Human Factors Integration work to ensure this capability delivers improved fit and operational effectiveness for servicewomen.

In parallel, we will continue the procurement of Tactical Ballistic Plates, which will replace the in-service single-sized OSPREY plates. These will be available in four sizes to provide an improved fit for a wider range of personnel and reduced weight for most users, with initial deliveries expected from 2028.

The Ministry of Defence remains firmly committed to ensuring that all service personnel are equipped with appropriate and effective protective equipment. As part of this commitment, we are delivering an update to body armour for UK personnel through the Tactical Ballistic Plates project.

Procurement experts within the National Armaments Director group work closely with the Ministry of Defence's Op INTERFLEX Handling and Processing team, which collates feedback from Armed Forces of Ukraine personnel. This includes lessons from operational experience and female user feedback, which help to inform UK capability development.

The UK Special Representative for Sudan continues to engage with both warring parties, pressing for unimpeded humanitarian access, a ceasefire and civilian-led transition, and to urge adherence to international law.

The Foreign Secretary has consistently condemned the violations of international law being committed across Sudan and used the UK's Presidency of the UN Security Council in February to call for international action - including international criminal investigations - into the mounting evidence of atrocities, including findings of mistreatment of detainees.

On 26 February, the UK also launched the Coalition on Atrocity Prevention and Justice in Sudan to empower local peacebuilding and protection initiatives on the ground, lay the foundations for justice, and work to ensure that those who perpetuate atrocities are held to account.

Medical records do not attribute injuries to specific items of equipment, and therefore the Ministry of Defence is unable to provide the information requested.

The Ministry of Defence remains firmly committed to ensuring that our service personnel are equipped with appropriate and sufficient protective equipment.

Defence’s transition to a skills‑based organisation is driven by the Pan‑Defence Skills Framework (PDSF). PDSF provides a single, governed set of skills that enables objective capability assessment and establishes a common language for identifying, defining, and managing skills. All personnel, both Service and civilian, will be required to record their PDSF Skills Profile, the utilisation of which will reduce gender bias, improve transparency, and create clearer, fairer pathways for progression.

Career progression and workforce decisions will rely on objective assessment of skills and demonstration of leadership behaviours. This ensures that women can compete on a level platform at every career stage, provides a strong mechanism for their retention and increases the number of women progressing into senior leadership roles. It also reinforces gender-focused initiatives, such as mentoring, and targeted leadership development to broaden competition for roles.

Building on the PDSF, the Defence Skills Passport will support more flexible movement between roles across Defence, enabling women to continue progressing without leaving the organisation. Future workforce insights tools will help Defence better identify and address gender disparities, strengthening the pipeline of women into senior leadership roles. Together, these measures strengthen the environment in which servicewomen can thrive, remain in Defence for longer, and progress into senior posts.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16 December 2025 to Question 98153 to the hon. Member for Lewes (James MacCleary).

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-12-08/98153

The current Tactical Ballistic Plate (TBP) project, which is currently in its assessment phase, will deliver hard armour plates in a range of different sizes, thus ensuring greater comfort and integration for all users across Defence. Multiple Human Factors Integration (HFI) trials have been completed with female representation. Further information regarding the timelines for the roll out of TBP will be available as the project progresses.

The Army will continue to investigate options to procure complex geometry plates, working alongside both industry and Dstl. However, the technology is new, and the market does not currently offer complex geometry plates which meet current requirements.

With regards to feedback mechanisms, there are opportunities for users to provide feedback however they will become more established with time.

I pay tribute to my hon. Friend, who has been leading the charge for female body armour. NP Aerospace is doing a superb job on this, and I know she will be bringing female body armour to Parliament so we can all see that this can be delivered. We have a strong commitment to investigate—and to support our female serving personnel through—better body armour, and I look forward to working with her to deliver that.

Our servicewomen are currently not as well protected by in-service body armour, which is designed around male body types, providing inadequate ballistic protection. With testing of female body armour now under way, will the Minister commend the work of NP Aerospace in improving women’s safety, and commit the MOD to continuing to cultivate vital UK sovereign capabilities such as this?

The attached table shows the Intake and Outflow of Female UK Service personnel (Regulars and Future Reserves 2020), for financial years 2020-21 to 2024-25.