The Air Force will not require airmen to update certain elements of their Operational Camouflage Uniform until September, in an effort to reduce stress on troops during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
In a release posted Wednesday, the service said updates to the uniform, as well as modifications to the Two-Piece Flight Duty Uniform (2PFDU), originally scheduled for June 1 have been delayed to Sept. 1.
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The OCP changes now scheduled for September include:
- Most officer rank insignia will be spice brown; however, first lieutenant and lieutenant colonel rank insignia will be black.
- A cloth U.S. flag patch will be mandatory. The only authorized color is spice brown, to be worn both while in garrison and deployed. Infrared U.S. flags are not allowed.
- The only authorized T-shirt color will be coyote brown.
- Only Defense Logistics Agency-issued green or coyote brown socks are authorized.
- Airmen must wear coyote brown boots. Exceptions to this policy include those "with a medical condition as determined by medical authorities at a civilian or military treatment facility and approved by the commander, and those who must wear black combat boots in industrial areas," according to the service.
Changes to the two-piece flight duty uniform required for the same date include the cloth spice brown U.S. flag, DLA-issued green or coyote brown socks, coyote brown boots, and coyote brown thermal undergarments, according to the release.
The updates can be found in Air Force Instruction 36-2903, "Dress and Appearance of Air Force Personnel."
The OCP was approved to be worn full time beginning Oct. 1, 2018.
The service has been phasing out the Airman Battle Uniform, known as the ABU, for the OCP over the last few years, with the expectation that all airmen would make the changeover by April 1, 2021.
The latest adjustment is part of "an effort to reduce unnecessary stress on airmen and space professionals during COVID-19 restrictions," officials said.
-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.
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