How the right covert bullet resistant vest can affect your very own security?
Your hopefully exceptional ability to collect and analyse all available and relevant information will make you be, or become one of the very best in your field… because you will be able not just to do an outstanding job in improving the personal security of your principal or dignitary, but also look after your own safety, as good intelligence will help you plan a few steps ahead and allow you to put effective ‘safety nets’ or contingency plans in place.

However, the matter of fact is that sometimes things don’t go to plan. That’s exactly when you really have to think and act quickly, make crucial decisions, and rely on your operational experience and training and the gear you have invested in, prior to your assignment.

A high performance covert bullet resistant vest must be part of this gear, and my comments here will hopefully provide you with sufficient information, allowing you to invest in the RIGHT and BEST POSSIBLE body armour for you, based on your most realistic operational duties, risks and threats.

Please be aware, as far as equipment is concerned, and beside your weapon… your bullet resistant vest will be the only piece of equipment that really can make all the difference between your life and death… between coming home safely or not at all. This should really answer the question “Do I really need a body armour?”

Ballistic Protection Standards

Covert bullet resistant vests are always designed as, and also called ‘soft body armour’. Very rarely do they feature front and rear pockets for additional hard trauma plates… that’s something you will only find in overtly worn body armour, primarily in use in conflict or hostile environments e.g. war zones, politically unrest countries as well as maritime security. Basically in environments where the realistic ballistic threat is greater than that of any handgun e.g. assault rifles, precision rifles, machine guns or modern personal defence weapon.

Subject to their stated protection level, covert bullet resistant vests can offer excellent protection from even the most powerful handguns and ammunition. Tested and certified protection can be offered from .38 Special and 9mm Parabellum, to .44 Magnum and .45 Magnum rounds, as well as one of my personal favourite weapons, the Israel’s rather famous Uzi sub-machine gun with a pretty reliable 32 round magazine.

Many countries around the world have their own ballistic protection standard. However, the best known and most respected one is known as National Institute of Justice (NIJ) standard. The current NIJ 0101.06 standard is recognised and respected all over the world, in comparison to the British, German or other standards, which in most cases are more dominant or relevant within homeland security services in their own country or region.

Personally I wish there would be a single International Ballistic Protection Standard all body armour manufacturers have to comply with, allowing them to manufacture larger volume and offer them to government and homeland security agencies at a much better price, but I guess that’s a little too political for this blog.

The fact of the matter remains… a single International Ballistic Protection Standard would make it MUCH easier for everyone to understand what exact protection level is the ‘right’ one for them.

Looking at this most recognised ballistic standard NIJ, what would be the best possible protection level you should be looking for? Well, the answer is dead simple. I strongly suggest you go with the highest possible protection level for ‘soft’ concealable bullet resistant vests, which is the NIJ IIIA ballistic protection standard/level (NIJ Ballistic Resistance of Body Armour). I will get to weight and thickness issues in a few moments… but be assured they don’t need to be as thick and heavy anymore as they used to be.

A NIJ Level IIIA tested and certified covert bullet resistant vest will guarantee you officially certified protection against very specific rounds from close range and handgun threats a body armour tested and certified to NIJ Level IIA and II will offer.

Only a very few covert bullet resistant vests manufacturers have recently taken ‘safety’ even to a further advanced level and offer body armour with additional protection from an Eastern European sidearm, such as Tokarev Ball 7.62 x 25mm and Makarov 9 x 18mm, which is of great benefits to Personal Security Details operating in Eastern European countries or the Russian Federation, or those facing realistic threats origination from this region.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5BL5oJ05xk