02/02/2026
The MOLLE Shift 🇬🇧
In 2006, British troops were still relying on the in-service CBA for protection, with armour plates barely the size of an A5 sheet of paper. As frontline units found themselves in daily, intense fighting in areas such as Garmsir, Sangin DC, Now Zad and Kajaki, many soldiers took matters into their own hands, purchasing their own protective equipment in the form of the MOLLE plate carrier and other chest rigs.
It was a quiet revolution in tactical equipment.
Twenty years on, the MOLLE system has been refined, adapted, and improved by industry, but its core concept has stood the test of time.
3 Commando Brigade, The Parachute Regiment, and infantry battalions across HM Armed Forces inspired a generation, one that went on to conduct repeated, kinetic tours throughout the Afghan campaigns.
Operation Herrick, helped shape the UK military, defining it through adaptability, professionalism and gallantry.
#2006
