The Load Bearing Vest (LBV) in desert tan color was issued to US. Army Special Forces and Delta Force.  The LBV at the time was considered as high speed, and was issued exclusively to US. Special Operation Forces, and very few conventional units had the luxury. Those LBVs were only available in woodland camouflage pattern. In early 1980’s US. Military started to get more involved with the Middle East, as a result they needed LBVs in desert tan to match the environment, so limited number of tan LBVs were made by the manufacturer, American Body Armor. It was first seen used by US. Army Special Forces and Delta Force during Operation Desert Shield/ Operation Desert Storm (The 1991 Gulf War). The ABA LBVs eventually saw some action in Afghanistan after September 11, 2001 (Operation Enduring Freedom) with the 5th Special Forces Group. Few men from the ODA 595 (Well-known as “Horse Soldiers” or “12 strong” from book and film) were seen wearing them, based on actual photos.

This is a unique case where Desert Storm display is included on this page due to the long history of this piece of gear.