[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 229 (Thursday, November 30, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 83579-83580]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-26327]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

National Institute of Justice

[OJP (NIJ) Docket No. 1819]


Publication of NIJ Standard 0101.07, Ballistic Resistance of Body 
Armor, and NIJ Standard 0123.00, Specification for NIJ Ballistic 
Protection Levels and Associated Test Threats, and Information About 
the NIJ Compliance Testing Program

AGENCY: National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. 
Department of Justice.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) announces publication 
of NIJ Standard 0101.07, Ballistic Resistance of Body Armor and NIJ 
Standard 0123.00, Specification for NIJ Ballistic Protection Levels and 
Associated Test Threats. The NIJ Compliance Testing Program (CTP) will 
be transitioning program operations to focus on implementing NIJ 
Standard 0101.07 as described below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Greene, Office Director, Office 
of Technology and Standards, National Institute of Justice, 810 7th 
Street NW, Washington, DC 20531, by telephone at (202) 598-9481 [Note: 
this is not a toll-free telephone number], or by email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) 
announces publication of NIJ Standard 0101.07, Ballistic Resistance of 
Body Armor. The document can be found here: https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/307346.pdf. It specifies minimum performance requirements 
and test methods for the ballistic resistance of body armor used by 
U.S. law enforcement that is intended to protect the torso against 
handgun and rifle ammunition. This revised standard supersedes NIJ 
Standard 0101.06, Ballistic Resistance of Body Armor, effective 
immediately. The primary purpose of this standard will be for use by 
the NIJ Compliance Testing Program (CTP) for testing, evaluation, and 
certification of ballistic-resistant body armor. It will also be used 
by NIJ-approved ballistic testing laboratories and body armor suppliers 
participating in the NIJ CTP. More information on this standard can be 
found here: https://nij.ojp.gov/standard-0101-07.
    NIJ also announces publication of NIJ Standard 0123.00, 
Specification for NIJ Ballistic Protection Levels and Associated Test 
Threats. The document can be found here: https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/307347.pdf. It 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

[[Page 83580]]

scope of the NIJ CTP's conformity assessment activities in the future. 
More information on this standard can be found here: https://nij.ojp.gov/standard-0123-00.
    The NIJ CTP is a body armor certification program that provides 
personnel working in U.S. law enforcement and correctional agencies 
confidence that the body armor they purchase and use performs according 
to minimum performance requirements to protect against common handgun 
and rifle threats as well as stab threats. The NIJ CTP produces a 
Compliant Products List (CPL) of armor models that meet program 
requirements, which includes compliance with NIJ Standard 0101.06. 
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). The CPL for ballistic-resistant body armor can be found 
here: https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/equipment-and-technology/body-armor/ballistic-resistant-armor.
    With the publication of NIJ Standard 0101.07, the NIJ CTP will 
begin an orderly transition from testing new body armor models for 
compliance with NIJ Standard 0101.06 to testing for compliance with NIJ 
Standard 0101.07. Given the large number of fielded ballistic-resistant 
armor models currently worn by law enforcement officers, the NIJ CTP 
anticipates maintaining the ``06'' CPL through at least the end of 
calendar year 2027. The NIJ CTP may opt to continue support of the 
``06'' CPL for longer should the need arise.
    The NIJ CTP will stop accepting applications for new body armor 
models for testing for compliance with NIJ Standard 0101.06 on January 
5, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time. New body armor models submitted on 
or before this date 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 the last models submitted are adjudicated through the NIJ CTP 
process. Furthermore, any actively listed armor models that are removed 
or withdrawn from the ``06'' CPL will not be reinstated to active 
status, effective immediately. All armor models 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 will begin accepting applications for new body armor 
models for testing for compliance with NIJ Standard 0101.07 in 2024. 
Commercial entities interested in participating in the NIJ CTP must 
first register in the Testing Information Management System (TIMS) and 
complete an Applicant Agreement. TIMS can be accessed through the 
following web page: https://cjtec.org/compliance-testing-program/testing-information-management-system/.
    The NIJ CTP will host an informational online webinar that will 
offer a guided tour of TIMS prior to opening the system for 
registration. The date and time of the webinar, as well as instructions 
on how to attend, will be published on the TIMS web page above. 
Commercial entities interested in participating in the NIJ CTP are 
strongly encouraged to attend the webinar. NIJ anticipates that 
commercial entities may begin registering in TIMS after the webinar is 
held. The exact date that commercial entities can register in TIMS, as 
well as instructions on how to use TIMS, will be displayed on the TIMS 
web page above.
    The NIJ CTP anticipates allowing commercial entities that have 
registered in TIMS and completed an Applicant Agreement to submit new 
body armor models for testing for compliance with NIJ Standard 0101.07 
in the middle of April 2024. The exact date that new armor models can 
be submitted will be displayed on the TIMS homepage on April 1, 2024. 
The NIJ CTP anticipates that it will take several months for the first 
wave of body armor models to be certified to the new program 
requirements, with a new CPL for armor models compliant with NIJ 
Standard 0101.07 (``07'' CPL) subsequently published.
    Ballistics laboratories interested in participating in the NIJ CTP 
to test armor in accordance with NIJ Standard 0101.07 must communicate 
their interest by email to the contact listed above as soon as possible 
so that appropriate program requirements can be met in a timely manner. 
Information on program requirements for laboratory participation in the 
NIJ CTP can be found here: https://cjtec.org/compliance-testing-program/nij-approved-test-laboratories/. NIJ encourages ballistics 
laboratories to check the above web page regularly for updates.
    NIJ plans to hold an in-person workshop for body armor 
manufacturers to discuss implementation of NIJ Standard 0101.07 and NIJ 
Standard 0123.00 through the NIJ CTP. Information about this workshop 
will be published separately in the Federal Register.
    More information about standards and conformity assessment at NIJ 
can be found here: https://nij.ojp.gov/equipment-standards-and-conformity-assessment. More information on the NIJ CTP can be found 
here: https://cjtec.org/compliance-testing-program/.
    NIJ publishes this notice pursuant to its authority at 34 U.S.C. 
10122(c) and 6 U.S.C. 161-165.

Nancy La Vigne,
Director, National Institute of Justice.
[FR Doc. 2023-26327 Filed 11-29-23; 8:45 am]
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