Exposure to blast and ballistic threats occurs in both defence and civilian environments and is, unfortunately, still common today. Ballistic injury refers to the interaction of a projectile and the human body leading to penetrating or blunt trauma, while blast injury refers to detonation of an explosive and the subsequent complex interaction of the blast, fragments and debris with the human body. Some common body regions injured by blast exposure include the lower extremity, thorax and head, although all body regions may be exposed to blast loading. Similarly, all body regions are susceptible to ballistic injury where protection is often first focused on life-sustaining organs (heart, lungs and brain). Active areas of research include head injury in blast, repeated sub-concussive exposures, vehicle and vehicle occupant blast protection, fragmentation protection, and ballistic protection of the head, face and thorax, including behind armour blunt trauma (BABT).