The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has published the revised NIJ Standard 0101.07, Ballistic Resistant Body Armor and the new NIJ Standard 0123.00, Specification for NIJ Ballistic Protection Levels and Associated Test Threats [see the associated Federal Register Notice here]. The revised NIJ Standard 0101.07 includes improved test methods for armor designed for women, additional test requirements for both soft and hard body armor, and several standardized procedures and test methods published by ASTM International. For more information on NIJ Standard 0101.07, please refer to this page on NIJ.gov. The new NIJ Standard 0123.00 specifies the NIJ ballistic protection levels and associated test threats identified by U.S. law enforcement as representative of current prevalent threats in the United States. This standard should be used in conjunction with other standards to test and evaluate specific ballistic-resistant equipment, such as ballistic-resistant body armor, against contemporary ballistic threats that pose a life-threatening safety hazard to U.S. law enforcement officers. The NIJ CTP will use this standard for testing, evaluation, and certification of ballistic-resistant body armor using NIJ Standard 0101.07 and other types of ballistic-resistant equipment that may be added to the scope of the NIJ CTP’s conformity assessment activities in the future. For more information on NIJ Standard 0123.00, please refer to this page on NIJ.gov.
The publication of NIJ Standards 0101.07 and 0123.00 begins a transition period for the NIJ Compliance Testing Program (NIJ CTP), where the current 0101.06 Ballistic-Resistant Armor CTP will begin to phase out and move to the new 0101.07 Ballistic-Resistant Armor CTP.
Workshop on NIJ Standard 0101.07 and 0123.00
NIJ held an in-person workshop on Thursday, February 15, 2024, for body armor manufacturers and NIJ-approved laboratories to discuss implementation of NIJ Standard 0101.07 and NIJ Standard 0123.00 through the NIJ CTP. The presentations from the workshop are available at the links below:
Phase-Out of NIJ Standard 0101.06 CTP
The NIJ Standard 0101.06 CTP will be phased out starting approximately 30 days after publication of the new standard. Key dates to note are as follows:
- The NIJ CTP will stop accepting applications for new body armor models for testing for compliance to NIJ Standard 0101.06 on January 5, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time. Any application received after the deadline will not be processed by the NIJ CTP.
- The last day the Compliance Testing Program (CTP) will accept new or additional listee submissions for armor models currently listed as active on the Compliant Product List (CPL) for NIJ Standard 0101.06 will be January 12, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time. After this date, listee submissions will not be accepted. If your armor model is currently in the submission, testing, or the CTP review process please ensure all listee information is up to date. Changes or updates to Listee information will not be accepted once the model is approved. If you have questions regarding this process please email the CTP through at askctp@nijctp.org.
- All official compliance testing to NIJ Standard 0101.06 should be completed with test reports and test items received by the NIJ CTP no later than June 28, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. NIJ CTP participants and NIJ-approved laboratories are encouraged to complete all remaining .06 compliance testing as promptly as possible.
0101.06 Compliant Products List (CPL)
Currently, there are over 400 models of ballistic-resistant body armor listed on NIJ’s CPL for armor compliant with NIJ Standard 0101.06 (“.06 CPL”). New body armor models submitted to the NIJ CTP by the 5 pm Friday, January 5, 2024, deadline that meet program requirements will be added to the .06 CPL; however, no new models of armor will be added to the .06 CPL after these last models submitted are adjudicated through the NIJ CTP process. However, the .06 CPL will remain publicly available online on both the NIJ and CJTEC websites for several years, as all armor models actively listed on the .06 CPL will be subject to Follow-up Inspection Testing (FIT) for as long as the .06 CPL is published.
The NIJ CTP encourages all NIJ CTP Participants with actively listed models to review their listing of models on the .06 CPL, and request to move any models no longer in production to an “Inactive” status. Models listed on the CPL in an “Inactive” status indicates to the end user that the model complied with the requirements of the .06 standard but is no longer in active production; it also removes the model from the Follow-up Inspection and Testing (FIT) program and listing as an eligible model for BVP funding.
Any armor models listed as “Active” that are moved to “Inactive” status on the .06 CPL will not be reinstated to “Active” status, effective immediately.
Implementation of the 0101.07 Compliance Testing Program (Updated April 17, 2024)
The NIJ Compliance Testing Program (CTP) will introduce a new version of the Testing Information Management System (TIMS). The new TIMS will provide a new experience for all NIJ CTP stakeholders, with many updated and enhanced features, including an improved user interface.
The NIJ CTP presented a webinar introducing stakeholders to this new system on Tuesday, April 2, 2024. Click here to access the recording of the webinar. The webinar included a live Q&A session with NIJ CTP representatives.
The NIJ CTP anticipates the new TIMS rollout to occur in late April 2024. The new TIMS will require participants to execute a new NIJ CTP Participant Agreement. Once NIJ CTP Participants have established accounts in the new TIMS, completed the new NIJ CTP Participant Agreement, and established authorized users and roles for their organization, they will be able to begin filling out 07 model applications. However, these applications will not be accepted for submission to the NIJ CTP until the opening date for the 07 CTP is announced. The NIJ CTP anticipates this date to be June 17, 2024, dependent upon laboratory approvals and onboarding. Please monitor this page for updates.
The NIJ CTP anticipates that it will take several months for the first wave of body armor models to be certified to the 07 requirements, with a new Compliant Products List (CPL) for NIJ Standard 0101.07 (“07 CPL”) compliant armor models subsequently published. To ensure that the 07 CPL provides the criminal justice community with a sufficient list of products to select from, the issuance of compliance letters and publication of the 07 CPL will be held until an adequate quantity and selection of compliant models are ready to be listed. Currently, the NIJ CTP anticipates publication of the 07 CPL late in CY2024 or in early CY2025. Once the 07 CPL is published, models listed on that CPL will be subject to the 07 Follow-up Inspection and Testing (FIT) program, in accordance with the terms of the NIJ CTP Participant Agreement.
The NIJ CTP will continue to communicate program updates as they become available during this transition.