U.S. Special Operations forces are moving to a new system for protecting the face, eyes and breathing after the Pentagon and Avon Protection announced a contract on Oct. 9. The selected equipment combines the MITR half-mask with goggles for operators facing hazardous environments.

The system is designed to protect wearers from dangerous chemicals and toxic substances in the atmosphere. The threats identified include lead powder from gunfire, ballistics and poisonous substances such as fentanyl.

Casey Galligan, Avon’s senior director for the U.S. Homeland Security and the Department of War, told Defense News that operators now confront a broad collection of hazards. Fentanyl and chemicals found in drug labs have joined biological weapons and other breathing dangers on that list.

“Precursor drug chemicals now are a huge issue that are just as dangerous as a chemical hazard,” Galligan said. “As an operator, every day you’re doing something quasi-dangerous, particularly those at the frontline doing maneuver. This is not meant to replace a full-face respirator. A split system gives you options.”

The MITR occupies the space between an N-95 disposable mask and a heavier full-face respirator. Its goggles and half-mask can be connected and worn together, or separated when an operator needs a different level of protection.

That modular design gives operators a lightweight option for protecting their eyes and breathing without requiring them to carry heavy full-face respirator masks. The setup can be adjusted according to the protection needed for a particular environment.

The goggles use a positive pressure seal to prevent hazardous chemicals from entering around the edges. Sweat drainage outlets are built inside, while cool air blows into the goggles from both sides to prevent the lenses from fogging.

Galligan, a former U.S. Army Green Beret, said the system protects against toxic materials while making it easier for the person wearing it to breathe. He also pointed to the equipment’s lighter weight and mounting choices.

“If you don’t always want to be wearing a full-face respirator, and you’re worried about different levels of threats, this is a half-pound and easy to put on. You can wear it with a head harness or with helmet attachments,” he explained.

Half-mask systems already exist, but Galligan said the MITR has gone through continual development to incorporate newer technology. Those iterations produced the capabilities included in the system now being purchased.

“We’ve been going through iterations and continuing to improve it,” said Galligan. He added that the United States is joining Canada and another FVEY nation in buying the system.

Some elite warfare units within U.S. Special Operations are already using the MITR half-mask and goggles in the field. Other systems were still on their way to units, according to Galligan.

“We’ve fielded it to units already. Some are en route right now, being delivered,” Galligan said. “The feedback I get talking with end users is pretty amazing.”

The War Department’s move to provide SOCOM operators with improved breathing equipment follows the November 2025 SOF Cancer Study. That report found SOF operators face an 18% higher cancer risk than non-SOF personnel because of constant exposure to hazardous materials in their operating environments.

Adopting a half-mask system could also affect how other military service members view facial protection. Galligan suggested that acceptance could grow as personnel see elite units using the equipment.

“When you see the tip of the spear using it, it’s going to make it a lot more acceptable,” Galligan said. For now, the system is already reaching operators confronting chemical, biological and breathing hazards in the field.