Via Oxblog.
160,000 sets of Interceptor Body Armor on the way to Iraq

Analysis: Outstanding -- it's great to see the system work. Of course, it took a lot longer than it should have, and it should've never taken this kind of political and media attention to get soldiers such a mission-critical item. But the soldiers now have the IBAs they need, and that's what counts. I wrote back in September 2003 that the Pentagon should have procured this item for every man and woman in uniform; maybe now they will.

This is kind of like waiting until after the Titanic sinks before you require every ship to have enough lifeboats for all the passengers.

From the Stars & Stripes article.

Interceptor vests are the Army’s best body armor. The $1,585 items are composed of layered sheets of Kevlar, with pockets in front and back for ceramic plates that protect vital organs. The vests are highly effective against ammunition and shrapnel. Soldiers wearing the vests in Iraq have been shot at point-blank range with AK-47s and lived to tell about it.