[Icelander]

I seem to recall seeing CBA vests in a 3e supplement, probably GURPS Modern Firepower.

The Internet assures me that the US military issues Concealable Body Armor (CBA) to MPs, criminal investigators and military personnel guarding detainees. According to the Internet, this is a multi-threat armour, incorporating stab-protection as well as being proof against 9mm NATO rounds, at least. At least one source refers to it interchangably as CBA and Concealable Stab-Protective Body Armor (CSPBA).

Can anyone confirm the existence of such armour in US service?

Does anyone know which services would have it and when it was first issued?

Who makes it?

The guards at Manhanock Asylum for the Criminally Insane would have received standard to high-quality mil-spec body armour for correctional work sometime between 1995-2000. At that time, they were expected to be equipped to repel an outside attack by armed hostiles in a boat, maybe someone attacking the research lab or trying to rescue an inmate, but that wasn't ever more than a theoretical worst-case threat. Mostly, they eould have feared a violent pstient getting his hands on an improvised stabbing or cutting weapon. At worst, a riot of inmates, some of whom may have shivs or obtain sharp implements.

The guard force might have bought new stab-protective vests after becoming civilian contractors, at least if the old vests wore out. With modern vests that offer both adequate pistol protection and stab-protection being so cheap and light that even low-threat police in Iceland bought simple multi-threat vests for everyone as less expensive than buying some specialised anti-stab vests and some ballistics vests without any stab protection, I rather expect a new purchase would have similar performance as the CBA, if perhaps slightly lower DR against piercing attacks (i.e. NIJ Level IIa or II rather than Level IIIa).

What DR should the different levels of stab-protection give, anyway?

What mechanism would forumites recommend to simulate the fact that real-world armour which protects from stabs with sharp objects, GURPS damage type imp, will be much less effective against spikes, GURPS damage type imp?

Or that soft body armour in general may give good protection against bullets (pi- to pi++) and fragments (cut), but be much less useful against extremely narrow spikes (pi- to pi) or sword cuts or axe blows (cut)?