▁under ▁the ▁S PE AR ▁program , ▁which ▁eventually ▁produced ▁the ▁M IC H ▁in ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 9 9 0 s ▁and ▁offered ▁in ▁three ▁cut s ▁to ▁allow ▁operator ▁choice ▁in ▁bal ancing ▁protection ▁and ▁weight ▁to ▁suit ▁their ▁prefer ences ▁and ▁mission ▁profile . ▁While ▁it ▁did ▁not ▁entirely ▁replace ▁the ▁pl astic ▁b ump ▁hel m ets , ▁it ▁replaced ▁them ▁almost ▁completely ▁in ▁direct ▁action ▁miss ions ▁where ▁operators ▁are ▁most ▁likely ▁to ▁suffer ▁head ▁injury ▁from ▁fragments , ▁conc uss ive ▁force , ▁or ▁bul lets . ▁Initial ly , ▁it ▁was ▁used ▁almost ▁exclus ively ▁by ▁SO COM ▁and ▁some ▁units ▁with ▁close ▁t ies ▁to ▁them ; ▁however , ▁the ▁U . S . ▁Army ▁later ▁determined ▁that ▁the ▁improvements ▁presented ▁by ▁the ▁l ighter , ▁higher - cut , ▁and ▁br im - less ▁M IC H ▁over ▁the ▁P AS GT ▁hel met ▁war r anted ▁organization - wide ▁distribution , ▁and ▁began ▁to ▁release ▁examples ▁to ▁the ▁Army ▁at ▁large ▁as ▁a ▁more ▁cost - effect ive ▁solution ▁to ▁re equ ipping ▁the ▁entire ▁Army . ▁ ▁To ▁date , ▁the ▁M IC H ▁and ▁its ▁derivatives , ▁the ▁Advanced ▁Com bat ▁Hel met ▁and ▁En hanced ▁Com bat ▁Hel met ▁have ▁fully ▁replaced ▁the ▁P AS GT ▁in ▁active ▁U . S . ▁Army ▁service ▁and ▁is ▁in ▁use ▁with ▁all ▁branches ▁of ▁the ▁U . S . ▁military ▁in ▁at ▁least ▁some ▁capacity . ▁ ▁The ▁U . S