Protection includes soft armor coupled with hard ballistic inserts.
Cargo retention capabilities include various pouches and pockets attached via standard PALS webbing.
A fully loaded vest with armor plates can prove quite heavy, and is typically used only in high-risk direct action (DA) missions.
Prior to this, the FSBE series replaced the older Close Quarters Battle Equipment Assault Vest (CQBE AV) that had been used by Force Recon since 1996.
Several members of 5th Platoon, 1st Force Reconnaissance Company drowned [1] because they could not eject their heavy armor in time to swim away.