New Greens Uniform Coming Soon to Soldiers
New Greens Uniform Coming Soon to Soldiers
Distribution of the new Army Greens Service Uniform is underway at training installations, and the uniform is on track to be available to soldiers across the Army by spring 2021.
“The Army’s in the final stages of the program that consists of production and distribution,” Col. Stephen Thomas, project manager for soldier survivability in Program Executive Office Soldier, said during an Aug. 11 phone call.
Fort Knox, Kentucky, received the first shipment of the Army Greens in July, outfitting a group of 70 soldiers in the Army's Recruiting and Retention College.
According to the Army, the uniforms issued to the group consisted of a service coat, two pairs of pants, a long-sleeve and short-sleeve shirt each, a pair of shoes, socks, tie, belt, gloves and cap.
Four more installations—Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Fort Jackson, South Carolina, Fort Benning, Georgia, and Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri—will receive the uniforms in August, said Daniel Koglin, a divisional merchandise manager for the Army and Air Force Exchange Service.
Drill sergeants will receive the uniform next, followed by new recruits in the fall, Thomas said.
In 2018, Army leaders announced the service was adopting the World War II-inspired Army Greens as its new service uniform, saying the uniform will inspire America’s next generation of soldiers and enhance esprit de corps.
“The current configuration of the uniform is really very close to what we would’ve seen during the World War II era,” said Annette LaFleur, a team leader for design, pattern and prototype in the Soldier Protection and Survivability Directorate within the Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center.
“It really speaks back to that heritage, and we haven’t changed all that much in terms of the aesthetics of the uniform,” LaFleur said. The biggest change that’s been made, she said, is a “more modern fit for everyday wear.”
With a goal to improve the uniform for women in the ranks, the Army created an all-female board to provide feedback on the fit and feel of the design, LaFleur said.
The board, Thomas said, requested trousers as the “primary uniform” in place of a skirt. Female soldiers will have the option of wearing pants or skirts while in Army Greens, and they will have a choice of corresponding footwear.
“The everyday professional look of the AGSU will complement soldiers of today and in the future,” Thomas said.
On Oct. 1, 2027—the required “wear date” for the Army Greens—the current blue Army Service Uniform will be for formal wear only.
In the meantime, soldiers will be able to buy the new Army Greens uniform with their clothing replacement allowance, which is designed to “offset the cost over time,” Thomas said.
While the price list was not available, the average cost of the uniform—depending on the combination of clothing—is about $500 for the “standard components,” Koglin said. That includes a coat, shirt, tie, socks, trousers, belt and garrison cap.
While initial sales are being handled by AAFES, responsibility is expected to transfer to the Defense Logistics Agency in October 2021, Koglin said.
As Army training installations begin to issue the Army Greens this summer, Thomas said he’s received “constant positive feedback” about the uniform’s appearance.
“The Army is ready for this uniform,” Thomas said. “I think it’s going to be a very positive introduction.”