We're poised to post a story for tomorrow's Military.com headlines about field tests of the new female-fit Army Combat Uniform.
We posted here at Kit Up! last summer the Army's initial announcement of this effort and one of our intrepid correspondents put foot to pavement and talked to some of the female Soldiers who're testing them at Benning.
By all accounts, the chicks dig 'em...
“People keep asking me: ‘Did you do something different. Did you do something to your hair. Did you loose some weight?’ ” she said. “I haven’t lost any weight. I lost a bit of material off my uniform.”“Before I was feeling kind of frumpy in my uniform, whereas now I feel like I look like a professional,” she added.
The new ACUs are less boxy and take into account the many shapes and sizes female Soldiers come in.
The most obvious difference between the current Army Combat Uniform and the new version is a snugger fitting shoulder area on the jacket. Other enhancements include repositioned knee and elbow pads; an elastic waistband replacing the draw string; slightly moved rank and name tapes; shortened crotch length; resized pen holes on the jacket arm and trouser and jacket sizes tailored to chest, waist, hips, inseam and sweep.
The Army says the tests of 500 Soldiers at four bases will go on for 90 days. The uniforms aren't scheduled to hit the field until 2014.
Be sure to read the entire story at Military.com news.
