FORT SILL, Okla. –
A new Army Combat Uniform with special consideration to the female form is now at Fort Sill, Okla., and it is being issued to new Soldiers going through Basic Combat Training.
The new uniform, several years in the making, was initially considered as being the first female-only uniform, but is now approved for both sexes and is being called Army Combat Uniform-Alternate (ACU-A).
"We started issuing them slowly in April, and we've since been issuing them more frequently as our fitters get more comfortable placing Soldiers in them," said Trevor Whitworth, Central Initial Issue Point project manager, where new Soldiers are first issued their uniforms at Fort Sill.
While ACU-As are not yet available at Fort Sill's Military Clothing Sales Store, they are available for all Soldiers at Fort Eustis, Va.; Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Lee, Va.; and Fort Belvoir, Va.
"They were initially designed for female Soldiers, but we were told if we [found] male Soldiers [who were better fitted in these] than the ACUs, then we can issue it to them as well," Whitworth said. "It's more about the fit and the body type."
The new uniform trousers feature wider areas at the hips, waist and backside; elastic around the waistband instead of a pull string; adjusted pockets and knee-pad inserts; and a shortened crotch length.
In the jackets, changes include adjusted rank and nametape positioning; adjusted pockets and elbow-pad inserts; slimmer shoulders; a thinner and more fitted waist; and a longer and wider ACU coat bottom. Also, buttons are replacing the Velcro pockets.
"If it makes you more comfortable in wearing that, then I think it's well worth it," Whitworth said. "When you're low crawling or doing a lot of physical training it's nice to have a pair of trousers that have a little give-and-take in them. Having made uniforms for a female body type will make a big difference for female Soldiers."
Compared to the original ACUs, which were designed principally by males for males, the new ACU-As were created to fit a wider range of body types. There are sizes to choose from; as 13 sizes are available in both the jacket and trouser.
"The old uniform was meant to be one size fits five sizes; these are more tailored," Whitworth said.
Program Executive Office Soldier, the program that develops and improves military uniforms and equipment, developed the new uniforms by letting male and female Soldiers wear the uniform and provide feedback. This came about after a 2008 focus group of female Soldiers showed PEO Soldier that ACUs have a non-female friendly fit.
Many females in the focus group reported that the knee-pad inserts fell on their shins, that they didn't have as much mobility because of the poor fit and that they felt they had an overall unprofessional appearance.
Maj. Sequana Robinson, one of the many that tested the new uniform, said in a PEO Soldier press release that she was very skeptical when first hearing of the uniforms; she didn't think women needed a uniform more fitted to their bodies. After trying it on the first time, she was very pleased with the fit.
PEO Soldier is also in the process of developing female body armor and female flight suits, which are still in development stages.
New black and yellow PT uniforms are also in the development stages, and an improved duffle bag, which includes a zipper, has just been released and is being issued to basic training Soldiers.