With just two days remaining of the ABU’s authorized wear-date, the I.G. Brown Training and Education Center group held an ABU throwback day where they all wore it for duty. They met midday to talk about the uniform change and took a group photograph. They also took selfies of their last wear. Afterward, they collected the uniforms to give to a local high school junior ROTC.
“We’ve come a long way in this uniform, here and deployed,” said U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Steven Durrance, the enlisted professional military education center commandant. “It’s important to capture this moment and take time for our heritage, who we are, and where we come from.”
The ABU came into service about a dozen years ago as the U.S. Air Force’s utility uniform. It replaced the battle dress uniform. The operational camouflage pattern uniform is now mandatory to wear, beginning April 1.
TEC is a detachment of the Air National Guard Readiness Center and is located outside Knoxville. It conducts an average of 16 Enlisted Professional Military Education courses and 40 Professional Continuing Education sessions throughout the year.
Airmen and Guardians will now have more dress and appearance options with upcoming uniform changes to Air Force Instruction 36-2903, Dress and Appearance.
“These options came directly from feedback from the field through the virtual uniform board and feedback from commands in the field,” said Lt. Gen. Brian Kelly, Air Force deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel, and services. “We appreciated the feedback we received from Airmen and the opportunity to hear their concerns and ideas. Not all of the ideas fit within our standards or culture, but many do and provided us an opportunity to provide options for our Airmen.”
The following changes will be effective March 15, upon publication of an interim change to Air Force Instruction 36-2903.
Commanders of Airmen in the 2-Series Air Force specialty codes may authorize wear of dark navy blue shorts in lieu of the Airman Battle Uniform, or ABU, or Operational Camouflage Pattern, or OCP, trousers in authorized maintenance areas when high temperatures are forecasted to meet or exceed 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Authorized areas will include the flight line, hangars and dock areas outside of climate-controlled areas. If commanders authorize the wear of the shorts, they will meet specified requirements that will be incorporated in the upcoming change to AFI 36-2903 for standardization and be worn with the coyote brown T-shirt and uniform green or coyote brown socks with uniform boots.
Additionally, Airmen and Guardians in all specialties will be authorized to wear their functional community’s approved duty identifier patches. The identifier will be a maximum of five letters and maintain a standard spice brown color scheme.
Airmen and Guardians will also have more options for sock colors, glasses frames and bags carried in uniform. Service members will be able to wear conservative, solid black, white, navy blue, gray, desert sand, tan, Defense Logistics Agency‐issued green or coyote brown socks with their physical training gear. The socks may have small trademark logos. New guidance for eyeglasses and sunglasses will allow more color options for frames to include black, brown, white, navy blue, gray or transparent material, or gold or silver wire. Finally, additional options for bags and bag colors will be authorized. Messenger and lunch bags will be permitted, and the following colors will be approved for all bags to be carried in uniform: black, brown, gray and navy blue. All authorized bags must be without design, unless ABU or OCP pattern.
Also approved through the Air Force Virtual uniform board recommendations are increased accessory options. Members will be authorized to wear cold weather accessories without wearing authorized outer garments. For example, the fleece cap and/or gloves may be worn without an outer garment. Headphones or Bluetooth devices may be authorized in more environments. Wear or use of an earpiece, any Bluetooth wireless technology or headphones while in uniform, indoors or outdoors, is authorized for official duties or may be authorized as determined by the installation commander, delegable no lower than the squadron commander level.
Finally, tactical caps will be authorized for wear with the OCP uniform once the acquisition process is complete for the new uniform item, which is expected to take approximately a year.
In addition to these approved suggestions, numerous other ideas from the 101st Air Force Virtual uniform board are still under consideration. Information on these items will be released at a later date.
Story by Master Sgt. Mike Smith
I.G. Brown Training and Education Center