CommunityEditor
09-08-2008, 12:27 PM
The Air Force is putting the new service dress coat on ice for a year so it can focus on fixing problems with uniforms airmen already wear.
At a major meeting of service leadership Aug. 17, Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz decided the uniforms branch should fix physical training gear, the airman battle uniform and the all-purpose environmental clothing system jacket before moving on to anything new.
“First things first,” echoed Lt. Gen. Richard Newton, deputy chief of staff for manpower and personnel. “Let’s get those improvements in the field now because our airmen ... are the ones getting the mission done day in, day out.”
Wear-testing of the new heritage service dress coat wraps up Oct. 31. But rather than make a decision immediately after the wear-test on how to proceed, Newton said, the project will be tabled until next summer.
Redesigned PT gear
Fixing the PT gear is the uniform branch’s top priority right now, said Ruth Ewalt, chief of Air Force uniform programs and policy.
“We’ve put a priority on the PT gear because everybody is wearing that,” she said.
The constant “swishing” sound of the PT uniform fabric has been a source of irritation to many airmen, and the uniform branch has heard their pleas.
“It’s noisy,” Ewalt said. “It’s stiff. You couldn’t sneak up on someone, that’s for sure.”
But soon, PT shorts and sweat suits will be made with a better fabric, similar to what is offered on workout gear on the commercial market.
The PT shorts also will be a little longer, resolving a long-standing complaint of fashion-conscious airmen.
Larger sizes will be lengthened by 1 inch, Ewalt said, and smaller sizes will be lengthened by a half-inch.
The shorts also will have a more comfortable lining, she said, and normal side pockets will replace the small — some would say useless — pockets on the current shorts.
These improved PT gear items are currently being tested and could be fielded early next summer. But it will take a couple of years until they are in full production and available everywhere, Ewalt said.
Coming right away is a new long-sleeved T-shirt, which will be added to the PT pile of gear and available in Army and Air Force Exchange Service stores beginning in October.
The shirt will look the same as the short-sleeved T-shirt, except for the sleeves.
Airman battle uniform
Fielded in spring 2007, the ABU has been well-received, but there are some kinks to work out.
The most common complaint is that the blouse is too heavy and too hot.
The service is changing to a lighter-weight fabric for the blouse. The pants will remain the same weight because the heavier ones are more durable, Ewalt said.
About 200 to 300 lighter-weight blouses will be wear-tested in the war zones beginning early next year. They will be available in AAFES stores around June 2010.
The limited number of vendors means it will take a while to get the blouses into full production.
“We’re also competing [for manufacturer capability] with the other services, and they’re all in the same [situation] we are,” she said.
Ewalt said another complaint — inconsistent colors in the fabric — already has been solved.
The first ABU initiative to hit the field will be a new combat version that will be available starting in January. Only airmen deploying to the war zones can get one, and they can’t wear it anywhere else.
The fabric will be fire-retardant, Ewalt said, and the pockets will be different, reflecting suggestions from airmen in theater. Shoulder pockets similar to those on the Army uniform have been added, and the leg pockets have been moved for easier access.
“It just adds options for stowage of their gear that they didn’t have before,” Ewalt said. “It has all the buttons, whistles and horns the theater needed.”
The combat ABUs are likely to be distributed in theater, she said, although the logistics have not been finalized.
Changes also are on the way for the green suede boots, which many airmen have complained become dirty and scuffed too easily.
A stain-resistant material for the boots is in the works, and a few different materials are being tested. But it will likely be two years before stain-resistant boots can be fielded.
There also is a proposal to allow airmen in industrial work environments — flightline maintainers, for example — to wear black boots, which would be less likely to show grease and dirt, but Ewalt said no decision has been made.
Jacket is hard to get
Ewalt said there are no problems with the APECS jacket, except that it’s hard to get.
About 12,000 have been sent to the theater, and the manufacturer is producing 11,250 jackets per month. But that production rate is not enough to keep up with demand, Ewalt said.
“Limited production has kept us hostage on our outerwear,” she said.
The limited supply of jackets remaining after theater needs are met is being sent to selected AAFES stores in cold-weather locations, she said.
In January, Newton decided to allow airmen to wear woodland-pattern jackets with ABUs if the APECS jacket was not yet available. That order expired in June, but an Air Force official said they will consider whether to reissue the order this winter, based on the availability of the APECS jacket.
Further uniform tweaks are likely as new issues and problems come to light. Many of the current changes came at the suggestion of airmen, and Newton said he encourages airmen to use a new online tool that allows them to make uniform suggestions.
“The test that’s most important to me is how this thing is working out there,” he said. “Is the uniform functional? Is it compatible with their mission?”
Airmen can make their own suggestions at https://ipds.csd.disa.mil/IPDS/landing_page.
The page also can be accessed by going to the Air Force Portal online and typing “uniforms” in the search box at the upper right-hand corner. That will take airmen to the uniforms Web site, from which they can click a link to the uniform suggestions page.
But Ewalt said the site is not for customer service complaints.
“It is for suggestions and ideas for improvement,” she said.
Article: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/09/airforce_uniforms_090808w/
At a major meeting of service leadership Aug. 17, Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz decided the uniforms branch should fix physical training gear, the airman battle uniform and the all-purpose environmental clothing system jacket before moving on to anything new.
“First things first,” echoed Lt. Gen. Richard Newton, deputy chief of staff for manpower and personnel. “Let’s get those improvements in the field now because our airmen ... are the ones getting the mission done day in, day out.”
Wear-testing of the new heritage service dress coat wraps up Oct. 31. But rather than make a decision immediately after the wear-test on how to proceed, Newton said, the project will be tabled until next summer.
Redesigned PT gear
Fixing the PT gear is the uniform branch’s top priority right now, said Ruth Ewalt, chief of Air Force uniform programs and policy.
“We’ve put a priority on the PT gear because everybody is wearing that,” she said.
The constant “swishing” sound of the PT uniform fabric has been a source of irritation to many airmen, and the uniform branch has heard their pleas.
“It’s noisy,” Ewalt said. “It’s stiff. You couldn’t sneak up on someone, that’s for sure.”
But soon, PT shorts and sweat suits will be made with a better fabric, similar to what is offered on workout gear on the commercial market.
The PT shorts also will be a little longer, resolving a long-standing complaint of fashion-conscious airmen.
Larger sizes will be lengthened by 1 inch, Ewalt said, and smaller sizes will be lengthened by a half-inch.
The shorts also will have a more comfortable lining, she said, and normal side pockets will replace the small — some would say useless — pockets on the current shorts.
These improved PT gear items are currently being tested and could be fielded early next summer. But it will take a couple of years until they are in full production and available everywhere, Ewalt said.
Coming right away is a new long-sleeved T-shirt, which will be added to the PT pile of gear and available in Army and Air Force Exchange Service stores beginning in October.
The shirt will look the same as the short-sleeved T-shirt, except for the sleeves.
Airman battle uniform
Fielded in spring 2007, the ABU has been well-received, but there are some kinks to work out.
The most common complaint is that the blouse is too heavy and too hot.
The service is changing to a lighter-weight fabric for the blouse. The pants will remain the same weight because the heavier ones are more durable, Ewalt said.
About 200 to 300 lighter-weight blouses will be wear-tested in the war zones beginning early next year. They will be available in AAFES stores around June 2010.
The limited number of vendors means it will take a while to get the blouses into full production.
“We’re also competing [for manufacturer capability] with the other services, and they’re all in the same [situation] we are,” she said.
Ewalt said another complaint — inconsistent colors in the fabric — already has been solved.
The first ABU initiative to hit the field will be a new combat version that will be available starting in January. Only airmen deploying to the war zones can get one, and they can’t wear it anywhere else.
The fabric will be fire-retardant, Ewalt said, and the pockets will be different, reflecting suggestions from airmen in theater. Shoulder pockets similar to those on the Army uniform have been added, and the leg pockets have been moved for easier access.
“It just adds options for stowage of their gear that they didn’t have before,” Ewalt said. “It has all the buttons, whistles and horns the theater needed.”
The combat ABUs are likely to be distributed in theater, she said, although the logistics have not been finalized.
Changes also are on the way for the green suede boots, which many airmen have complained become dirty and scuffed too easily.
A stain-resistant material for the boots is in the works, and a few different materials are being tested. But it will likely be two years before stain-resistant boots can be fielded.
There also is a proposal to allow airmen in industrial work environments — flightline maintainers, for example — to wear black boots, which would be less likely to show grease and dirt, but Ewalt said no decision has been made.
Jacket is hard to get
Ewalt said there are no problems with the APECS jacket, except that it’s hard to get.
About 12,000 have been sent to the theater, and the manufacturer is producing 11,250 jackets per month. But that production rate is not enough to keep up with demand, Ewalt said.
“Limited production has kept us hostage on our outerwear,” she said.
The limited supply of jackets remaining after theater needs are met is being sent to selected AAFES stores in cold-weather locations, she said.
In January, Newton decided to allow airmen to wear woodland-pattern jackets with ABUs if the APECS jacket was not yet available. That order expired in June, but an Air Force official said they will consider whether to reissue the order this winter, based on the availability of the APECS jacket.
Further uniform tweaks are likely as new issues and problems come to light. Many of the current changes came at the suggestion of airmen, and Newton said he encourages airmen to use a new online tool that allows them to make uniform suggestions.
“The test that’s most important to me is how this thing is working out there,” he said. “Is the uniform functional? Is it compatible with their mission?”
Airmen can make their own suggestions at https://ipds.csd.disa.mil/IPDS/landing_page.
The page also can be accessed by going to the Air Force Portal online and typing “uniforms” in the search box at the upper right-hand corner. That will take airmen to the uniforms Web site, from which they can click a link to the uniform suggestions page.
But Ewalt said the site is not for customer service complaints.
“It is for suggestions and ideas for improvement,” she said.
Article: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/09/airforce_uniforms_090808w/