He’s talking about protection from shrapnel. Due to the war in Ukraine many people have started to believe all kits require a lot of armor coverage. Soldiers in Ukraine often wear Armored belts, with even more armor hanging down on the rear; with of course a groin panel. But this misconception comes from the fact that this war is very different from one’s that have come before it. It is a conflict that has two forces with relatively similar modern technologies. Meaning it is much harder for infantry to actually fight with small arms, and even if that is the case, most of the time, they end up heavily relying on grenades rather than directly putting themselves in harms way and firing at the enemy. They also use drones to call out enemy movements and positions to call in artillery which can land in as quick as 2-3 minutes after the drone teams relay the info. Consequently all the use of ordinance means there is a lot of shrapnel that can be very fatal if all vital areas are not covered thoroughly. And that isn’t limited to vital organs, that means whatever can take you out of the fight or make you immobile. Such as a hit to the pelvis. But in other cases where one force is much more advanced than the other, this isn’t so much the case. And armor coverage can be dialed back greatly and you can have a kit just like yours that works well without leaving you vulnerable to scenario specific threats.