[holding answer 4 March 2008]: A range of personal protective equipment is available to troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and commanders on the ground are able to choose the correct equipment appropriate for any particular set of operational circumstances. Enhanced combat body armour is provided as standard to all personnel in both theatres. Osprey body armour provides additional protection but at the expense of reduced mobility and increased heat retention. Osprey is not therefore issued as standard to all deploying forces but it is made available wherever and whenever commanders on the ground believe it to be the most appropriate protective equipment.
We do not hold records centrally of which individuals have and have not been issued with Osprey body armour at any particular time. But sufficient sets of Osprey body armour are available in both Iraq and Afghanistan for all those personnel who require it.