The Air Force is reviewing uniform policies to clarify and update changes the service implemented earlier this year.

The Air Force in January published "Incorporating Through Change 3" part of AFI 36-2903 which approved wearing unit morale T-shirts on Fridays and wearing morale patches on their flight suits or during special events.The guidance also authorized wearingcertain Air Force and other services' qualification badges, eliminated athletic shoe color restrictions, authorized black socks with athletic shoes and removed the requirement for reflective belts with the PT uniform (pending commander approval).

The service is working on "Incorporating Through Change 4" — anticipated before the end of the calendar year — aimed at clarifying the new rules, said Ruth Ewalt, chief of Air Force uniform programs.

The update will explain how badges and command insignia can be worn on ABUs and flight suits, and clear up confusion over when morale T-shirts can be worn, Ewalt said in an interview with Air Force Times Sept. 8.

Pending wing commander approval, airmen can wear specially designed unit T-shirts under their Airman Battle Uniform or flight suits. Airmen in the reserve components expressed that the Air Force "kind of missed the boat on the morale T-shirts for Friday only," Ewalt said. The Guard and Reserve cannot apply the "Friday only" rule because they usually do their unit training on weekends, so the Air Force is revising the rule to include everyone under the uniform Air Force Instruction, she said.

Other items the Air Force wants to clarify for airmen: cold weather gear. With the Air Force partnering with the Army on the new Operation Camouflage Pattern, Air Force units deploying with the Army have asked if the color of the Gen III-Level 7 parka will change to match the Army's OCP colors, Ewalt said.

"It will stay the heather gray color, that won't change, [but] it is something I think certain units might be concerned about because the Gen III-Level 7 is a pretty expensive item," Ewalt said.

The level 7 parka runs from $170 to $250 online, but can be found for cheaper prices on sites like eBay. It can only be worn outdoors, but with all uniform combinations.

Ewalt said the new modifications should not affect the parka, nor should they affect the fleece colors in the cold weather gear.

"When the Army does convert to the OCP, their green fleece might transfer over to a tan or brown fleece, but [the Air Force] plans to keep our green fleece," Ewalt said.

Ewalt said the All-Purpose Environmental Clothing System, or APECS, cold weather tiger-stripe outdoor jacket and pants combination will also remain unchanged.

Happening now

The improved physical training uniform became standard issue across the service Oct. 1, and is the last major update to the PT uniform the Air Force "has on the books for right now," Ewalt said.

"We have to be open minded ... within the confines of our budget, but we have a team at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, [Ohio], that's constantly looking at every item in our uniform, cash, and looking for ways to improve it," she said.

The Air Force is clearing out the legacy PT uniform — produced through 2012 — from Army and Air Force Exchange Service locations, after ramping up production of the IPTU in April. The standard issue IPTU jacket and pants combo now costs $99.61.

Feedback from airmen has been "absolutely vital" to updating the uniform, Ewalt said, and has allowed the service to work with the Defense Logistics Agency in improving the less-comfortable fabric of the legacy PT uniform.

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