The United States Army began deploying the Integrated Head Protection System (IHPS) to front-line combat units worldwide, replacing older combat helmets. Manufactured from lightweight ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), the IHPS features a modular design that allows for the attachment of clip-on ballistic mandibles, visors, and extra brow plates. This configuration provides infantrymen with comprehensive, full-face protection previously reserved only for bomb disposal units.

The complete enclosure of the modern soldier's face behind polyethylene plates and ballistics visors represents a major shift in how military presence is experienced. Modern conflict poets explore this absolute facial erasure, writing about the loss of human eye contact and the total mechanization of communication on the modern battlefield.