Servicewomen still face ill-fitting kit, five years after key report

The Ministry of Defence has added women-specific body armour, 25 shirt sizes and service-issue sports bras, yet servicewomen are still reporting kit that does not fit properly. Five years after a House of Commons Defence Committee report warned that women in the armed forces could be at “greater risk of harm” from ill-fitting kit and equipment, the problem remains a live operational issue rather than a finished fix.

The 2021 report, Protecting Those Who Protect Us: Women in the Armed Forces from Recruitment to Civilian Life, put the risks in plain terms. It said poor fit could expose women in uniform to greater harm, and that warning has not been overtaken by experience on the ground. BBC reporting has since found women troops raising breast-fit concerns about military kit, while another BBC report said ill-fitting female soldiers’ uniforms at Army Training Centre Pirbright in Surrey made recruits look less smart than their male colleagues.

Those complaints matter well beyond comfort or appearance. Servicewomen have said kit that does not fit properly can hinder movement and increase the risk of harm, a direct readiness problem in training and on operations. When body armour rides up, a tactical vest does not sit correctly or a uniform is cut for a male frame, the result is not only discomfort but a practical constraint on performance, confidence and safety.

The MoD has said it has made improvements for women in the UK Armed Forces, including new body armour changes and more women-specific kit. The department has also moved on a wider women’s health agenda, launching a first-ever training guide for servicewomen in 2026 after more than a decade of research, with guidance aimed at training, nutrition, recovery and kit. That shows the institution has recognised the issue; the continuing complaints show how far implementation still lags behind policy.

The gap has consequences for recruitment and retention as well as daily effectiveness. If recruits arrive at Army Training Centre Pirbright or other units and find uniforms and equipment still poorly suited to their bodies, the message is that female service is being accommodated rather than properly planned for. Five years on from the Defence Committee’s warning, the armed forces are still trying to close a gap that should already have been shut.