MOLLE
| MOLLE and MOLLE II | |
|---|---|
A US Army soldier wearing MOLLE II gear in Universal Camouflage Pattern | |
| Type | Load-carrying equipment |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2001–present |
| Used by | US Army (2001–present) US Marines (2001–2009) US Navy US Air Force |
| Wars | |
| Production history | |
| Designer | US Army Soldier Systems Center |
| Manufacturer | Specialty Defense Systems |
| Variants | MOLLE (aka MOLLE I) MOLLE II |
Modular lightweight load-carrying equipment, or MOLLE (pronounced /ˈmɒl.liː/ MOL-lee), is the current generation of load-bearing equipment used by the United States Army.
MOLLE equipment uses Pouch Attachment Ladder System (PALS)-type webbing – rows of heavy-duty nylon stitched onto the gear – to attach pouches. This method has found use on civilian gear, and as a result, the term 'MOLLE' is used outside the military for any equipment generally using PALS-type webbing. The system's modularity results from the PALS allowing for the attachment of various compatible pouches and accessories. This method of attachment has become a de facto standard for modular tactical gear, replacing the all-purpose lightweight individual carrying equipment (ALICE) clips and webbing used in the earliest modular vest systems.
The MOLLE system replaced the aging ALICE equipment, adopted in 1973, and the Individual Integrated Fighting System (IIFS) used since 1988 in US Army and Marine Corps service.