ARLINGTON, Va. — The Air Force is rolling out a snazzy prototype of a new uniform at two stateside bases.
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio and Langley Air Force Base in Virginia got the new uniforms this week.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper decided last year that airmen need something “distinctive” to meet the needs of his service.
Testers at the remaining bases — Ramstein in Germany, Hurlburt Field in Florida, Luke in Arizona, Elemendorf in Alaska, McChord in Washington, Robbins in Georgia, and Vandenburg in California — will get their uniforms in the next several weeks, Air Force spokeswoman Jennifer Stephens said in a Thursday telephone interview.
Meanwhile, Air Force officials are sending one uniform to the Clothing Sales store at every Air Force base worldwide for display.
The Air Force is giving the prototype uniform — which comes in a wide range of sizes for both men and women — to between 50 and 100 airmen at each of seven bases to wear and test for the next six months.
To register the comments, the service plans to open a Web site in April where airmen can provide feedback on the garb.
Air Force officials will decide next week whether or not to accept comments on the uniform from the general public, as well as Air Force members, although the public will have access to the Web site, Sr. Master Sgt. Jacqueline Dean, head of the Air Force’s Uniform Board, said in a telephone interview on Friday.
“We want as many people as possible to get a look at this and let us know what they think,” Stephens said.
Jumper expects to make a decision whether or not to adopt the uniform in the late fall, Stephens said.
If the uniform is approved, it could be available 18-24 months after the full report, with full phase-in taking five to six years, Stephens said.
The prototype is designed to replace the olive drab or desert-tan battle dress uniform the Air Force shares with the Army (except for flight crews and pilots, who wear green jumpsuits).
But instead of the Corps’ computer-generated “digital camouflage” pattern, Jumper chose a mottled design that is a direct nod to the tiger-stripe jungle uniforms worn by U.S. troops in Vietnam — except for the colors, which include blue, green and tan.
The pattern includes a repeated “U.S. Air Force” motif in tiny letters.
While this combination may have tactical experts scratching their heads, “it’s important to emphasize that camouflage was not an issue” in choosing the fabric, Stephens said.
“Ninety-seven percent of the Air Force does not require a camouflage uniform,” Stephens said. “We’re not the Marines — most of us aren’t sneaking around areas where we need to blend in.”
If the Air Force adopts the new fatigues, the three percent of the force that does require camouflage — mainly special operators — “will be assigned uniforms appropriate for the environments they work in,” Stephens said.
