National Defense Magazine reports that “the joint office in charge of protecting U.S. armed forces against chemical and biological attacks has established a challenge prize to help it incorporate advanced technologies into its new protective gear.”

“The protective suit soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines wear today has not undergone a major upgrade since the late 1990s. The goal is to begin fielding a new protective ensemble by 2020 or 2021. The Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense is working to complete an analysis of alternatives for the uniform integrated protection ensemble increment 2 (UIPEI2), which will replace the joint service lightweight integrated suit technology (JSLIST).

“The office established the ‘Proof: The ChemBio Suit Design Challenge’ with awards amounting to $150,000 in order to reach out to research communities in which it does not normally do business, said Army Capt. Stephen Gerry, assist product manager for the UIPEI2.”