This is coolbert: New style body armor for the riot type military operation is now worn by police and military throughout the world. Helmet with a birdcage and plastic visor in the front. Both are required. The birdcage to protect against missiles launched from wrist sling shot type devices. The plastic visor to protect against pepper spray or acids being thrown in the face by the "demonstrators" [a friend of mine has a brother who was a MP and was blinded in such a manner during an anti-war "peace" demonstration]. The more sophisticated versions of helmet will have some sort of protection for the back of the neck. Shin guards with knee protection and protection extending for the top of the foot [protect against a foot stomp to the top of the foot]. Gloves with a gauntlet. Some of those gloves contain lead shot for punching effectiveness. And a chest protector that resembles something a Roman soldier would have worn. Protects against penetrating weapons, bullets, arrows, knives, lawn darts, etc. Matter of fact, not much difference between what the moderns wear and what the Roman soldier would have worn. Shields can also be carried by the armored troops. Some shields have a built in stun capability [especially useful for use in prisons]. Uniform is worn underneath the armor that has fire resistant cloth. Prevent burning from molotov cocktails being thrown by the demonstrators. Gas masks are also available for instances, quite frequent it seems, when riot agents are used. Those uniforms also protect against irritant type riot agents for the wearer as well. This is mostly a response to the modern, sophisticated rioter, who acts in concert to create much mayhem, all the while posing an armed threat to the responders, a threat based upon archaic but still deadly weaponry such as knives, arrows, spears, steel ball bearings, clubs, fire, etc. The armored troop/cop can carry a large club that sometimes has a specially weighted end for added force when clubbing the rioter!

I wonder if with regard to the carrying of shields, the troops/cops have been taught the Roman technique of "fish scales". So named by the Chinese when they encountered Roman mercenaries. Technique used by only [?] the Romans to ward off missiles being flung at them. Troops would interlock their shields in such a manner so as to block all incoming missiles from having a path to strike the protected troops. In the movie "Cleopatra", with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, the Roman troops in the movie did a maneuver with their shields they called "turtle". Something similar.

The Soviet Spetsnaz soldier had the physical training requirement of being able to do sixteen pullups while wearing a eight kilogram [20 lb.] weight hung around his neck. This was the weight of the Soviet armored vest, worn by the Spetsnaz troops.

coolbert.