United States Air Force uniform - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The United States Air Force uniform is the standardized military attire

Military uniform

Military uniforms comprises standardised dress worn by members of the armed forces and paramilitaries of various nations. Military dress and military styles have gone through great changes over the centuries from colourful and elaborate to extremely utilitarian...

worn by Airmen of the United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

. Specific Air Force Instructions address standardized wear that is identical for both members of the Active Component (i.e., the Regular Air Force), and that of the service's two reserve components that comprise the Air Reserve Component, that being the Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard

Air National Guard

The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...

. Provisions are also included for authorized wear on certain occasions by honorably retired career members of the Air Force, to also include retirees of both the Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard.

Wear of modified versions of the Air Force uniform is also authorized for the service's civilian auxiliary, the Civil Air Patrol

Civil Air Patrol

Civil Air Patrol is a Congressionally chartered, federally supported, non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force . CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded membership that includes people from all backgrounds, lifestyles, and...

, provided its members adhere to military grooming and modified weight standards.

Proper wear of the U.S. Air Force uniform is outlined in Air Force Instruction 36-2903 (AFI 36-2903), Dress and Personal Appearance of Air Force Personnel.

Service dress

When the U.S. Army Air Corps first became separated from the U.S. Army, the first proposals for a service uniform featured minimal ornamentation, at the request of top commanders. However, many lower-ranked officers requested more specific badges and insignia. This debate continued through the service's transition to the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1941, to an independent U.S. Air Force in 1947, and into the 1980s, at which point the viewpoints in favor of greater badges and insignia had generally prevailed, and badges were issued for almost all occupational areas. The first Air Force dress uniform, in 1947, was dubbed and patented "Uxbridge Blue" after "Uxbridge

Uxbridge, Massachusetts

Uxbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It was first settled in 1662, incorporated in 1727 at Suffolk County, and named for the Earl of Uxbridge. Uxbridge is south-southeast of Worcester, north-northwest of Providence, and southwest of Boston. It is part of...

1683 Blue", developed at the former Bachman-Uxbridge Worsted Company
Bernat Mill
The Bernat Mill, also known as Capron Mill, and later "Bachman Uxbridge Worsted Company", was a yarn mill in Uxbridge, Massachusetts, USA, that was destroyed by fire on July 21, 2007....

. Tan service dress uniforms and tan long sleeve shirts known as Shade 1505 (and nicknamed "silver-tans" for the sheen of the particular shade) continued into use into the early 1960s. Shade 1505 short sleeve cotton shirts and trousers for males also continued in use until the mid-1970s, while females wore light blue combinations. In the early-1970s, a light blue Shade 1550 short sleeve shirt or blouse and Shade 1549 dark blue trousers replaced these earlier duty uniform variants and the blue service dress uniform became the single form of service dress.

Prior to 1993, all Air Force personnel wore blue service uniforms (Shade 1549 coats and trousers and Shade 1550 shirts) very similar in appearance to the green Service Dress "A" and "B" uniforms of the U.S. Army. The current U.S. Air Force Service Dress Uniform, which was adopted in 1993, standardized in 1995, and made mandatory in 2000, consists of a three-button coat, similar to that of a men's "sport jacket" (with silver mirror-finish "U.S." pins on the lapels), matching trousers, and either a service cap or flight cap, all in Shade 1620, "Air Force Blue". This is worn with a light blue shirt (Shade 1550) and a herringbone

Herringbone (cloth)

Herringbone describes a distinctive V-shaped weaving pattern usually found in twill fabric. It is distinguished from a plain chevron by the break at reversal, which makes it resemble a broken zigzag. The pattern is called herringbone because it resembles the skeleton of a herring fish...

patterned necktie (Shade 1620).

Enlisted airmen wear cloth rank insignia on both sleeves of the jacket and shirt, while officers wear metal rank insignia pinned onto the epaulets of the coat, and Air Force Blue slide-on loops ("soft rank" shoulder insignia) on the epaulets of the shirt. Officers will also wear a band of dark blue cloth sleeve braid loops 3 inches from the cuffs of the sleeves of the coat. Braid is worn in a 1/2 inch width for officers in the rank of colonel and below and in a 1 inch width for general officers.

Prospective commissioned officers in a pre-commissioning status, i.e., USAFA cadets, college and university AFROTC cadets, and OTS officer trainees wear slide-on cadet or officer trainee "soft rank" insignia on their shirts and hard "shoulder boards" (similar to commissioned officer mess dress shoulder epaulette insignia) on their service dress coats, again with cadet or officer trainee rank insignia appropriate to their specific commissioning program. The typical headgear for all is a soft peaked "flight cap," with blue cloth piping for enlisted personnel, medium density silver metallic thread piping for cadets/officer trainees, company grade and field grade officers, and heavy density silver metallic thread piping for general officers.

Air Force personnel assigned to base honor guard duties wear, for certain occasions, a modified version of the standard service dress uniform, with silver trim on the sleeves and trousers, a ceremonial belt (if necessary), wheel cap with silver trim and Hap Arnold cap device, and a silver aiguillete placed on the left shoulder seam.

The service dress uniform currently worn is a modification of the original version envisioned by former Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General

General

A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....

Merrill McPeak, which featured no epaulets for any rank, and silver sleeve braid loops on the lower sleeves denoting officer rank (see also: United States Air Force officer rank insignia). This style of rank insignia for officers, while used by British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

officers and air force officers of other British commonwealth and former commonwealth nations, is also the style of the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard service dress blue uniforms, as well as those of navies of nearly all other nations. The insignia was unpopular and many senior Air Force generals commented that the uniforms of the Air Force now looked identical to those of commercial airline

Airline

An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...

pilots. The McPeak Uniform was abolished in 1999 and remains the shortest issued military insignia series in the history of the United States armed forces

United States armed forces

The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...

Epaulets were put back on the coat for metal officer rank insignia and a single 1/2 inch wide stripe of dark blue cloth sleeve braid for company and field grade officers and a single 1 inch wide strip for general officers returned to the bottom of the sleeves. But the compromise uniform continued to be unpopular, primarily from its civilian-style cut. Several additional changes were made to make the jacket seem more military

Military

A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...

in appearance.
The current USAF service dress uniform continues to include the three button blue coat. However, as a matter of practicality for daily duty, particularly in warm weather climates, USAF personnel will typically wear the short-sleeve or long-sleeve Shade 1550 light blue shirt (for men) or short-sleeve or long-sleeve light blue blouse (for women) as an outergarment, with or without ties and with or without tie tab, with applicable rank insignia, speciality badge(s) and a blue plastic nametag (ribbons are optional). A variety of alternate outergarmets are also authorized for this uniform combination such as blue pullover sweater, blue cardigan sweater, lightweight blue jacket, or brown leather A-2 flight jacket

A-2 jacket

The Type A-2 leather flight jacket is a military flight jacket closely associated with World War II U.S. Army Air Forces pilots, navigators and bombardiers, who often decorated their jackets with squadron patches and elaborate artwork painted on the back...

(A-2 flight jacket wear is limited to aeronautically rated officers, enlisted aircrew, and officer and enlisted space and missile operations personnel only).

On May 18, 2006, the Department of the Air Force unveiled two prototypes of new service dress uniforms, one resembling the stand-collar uniform worn by U.S. Army Air Corps officers prior to 1935, called the "Billy Mitchell heritage coat," and another, resembling the U.S. Army Air Forces' Uniform of World War II and named the "Hap Arnold heritage coat". If the stand-collar coat was selected, it would be the first stand-collar "everyday" uniform to be issued since the 1930s (the U.S. Navy's and U.S. Coast Guard's male service dress white and full dress white and the U.S. Marine Corps' male service dress blue and full dress blue uniform stand-collar coats are worn for formal occasions only). In 2007, Air Force officials announced they had settled on the "Hap Arnold" look, with a belted suit coat, but with narrower lapels than the original prototype.
However, in 2009, General

General

Norton Schwartz, the new Chief of Staff of the Air Force, directed that "no further effort be made on the [Hap Arnold] Heritage Coat" so that the focus would remain on near-term uniform needs. While the evaluation results of the heritage coat would be made available to the Air Force's leaders should they decide to implement the uniform change, the uniform overhaul is currently on hold indefinitely.

Mess Dress

The Mess Dress

Mess dress

Mess dress is the military term for the formal evening dress worn in the mess or at other formal occasions. It is also known as mess uniform and mess kit...

Uniform is worn to formal or semi-formal occasions such as Dinings-in

Dining in

Dining in is a formal military ceremony for members of a company or other unit, which includes a dinner, drinking, and other events to foster camaraderie and esprit de corps....

, Dinings-out, the annual Air Force Ball, weddings and other formal functions where civilian "black tie

Black tie

Black tie is a dress code for evening events and social functions. For a man, the main component is a usually black jacket, known as a dinner jacket or tuxedo...

" would be prescribed. The uniform consists of a dark blue mess jacket and mess dress trousers. The jacket features ornate silver buttons, and is worn with the service member's awarded medals in miniature size, wings in miniature size, or other specialty insignia over the left breast, command insignia over the right breast for colonels and below (if applicable), satin air force blue bow-tie and a satin air force blue cummerbund. Cufflinks are to be either shined or flat round silver, or have the air force star and wing emblem, black suspenders may also be worn, but remain hidden while the jacket is on. Commissioned officers, USAFA and AFROTC cadets, and OTS officer trainees wear hard shoulder epaulets (i.e., shoulder boards) similar to those worn by commissioned officers of the U.S Navy. Cadets and officer trainees wear insignia on their shoulder boards as applicable to their rank position in their respective commissioning programs. Commissioned officer shoulder boards feature an officer's rank insignia in raised metallic thread, bordered by two silver vertical metallic stipes similar to sleeve braid. General officers wear shoulder boards covered nearly the entire length and width in silver metallic braid, with silver stars in raised metallic thread in number appropriate to their rank. Enlisted personnel wear the same large rank insignia that they would wear on their service dress coats. Officers also wear a single silver metallic sleeve braid on the lower sleeves of the Mess Dress coat, with sleeve braid coming in two widths, in a 1/2 inch width for colonel and below, and in a 1 inch width for Brigadier General and above. Enlisted personnel wear no sleeve braid. No hat or nametag is worn with the Air Force Mess Dress Uniform.

Utility uniform

For work duty, ground personnel wear the Airman Battle Uniform

Airman Battle Uniform

The Airman Battle Uniform is a service-distinctive camouflage battledress uniform for the United States Air Force. It is currently in full production and replaced the Battle Dress Uniform November 1st, 2011 after a four year phase-in period...

(ABU). The ABU replaces the Battle Dress Uniform

Battle Dress Uniform

The Battle Dress Uniform were the fatigues that the armed forces of the United States used as their standard uniform for combat situations from September 1981 to April 2005. Since then, it has been replaced in every branch of the U.S. military. Only the U.S. Navy currently authorizes wear of the...

(BDU), the latter having been discontinued after 31 October 2011. The ABU is also authorized as an optional item for flight crew and missile personnel when not directly engaged in flight crew or missile launch duties that would typically require a Nomex flight suit.

The ABU was issued to Airmen deploying as part of Air Expeditionary Force 7 and Air Expeditionary Force 8 (AEF 7 / AEF 8) in Spring 2007. In October 2007, ABUs were issued to enlisted Basic Trainees at the Basic Military Training School (BMTS) at Lackland AFB, Texas, and became available for purchase at AAFES outlets by the rest of the Air Force in June 2008.

Due to its lack of flame resistance, the ABU is no longer considered an appropriate uniform for combat duty. Air Force personnel deploying in support of OEF are also being issued Airman Battle System-Ground (ABS-G) uniforms. Beginning in August 2010, the Air Force began planning to issue Operation Enduring Freedom Camouflage Pattern uniforms for Air Force personnel deploying in support of that operation.

Pilots, navigators/combat systems officers, air crews and missile crews will continue to wear olive green or desert tan one-piece flight suit

Flight suit

A flight suit is a full body garment, worn while flying aircraft such as military airplanes, gliders and helicopters. These suits are generally made to keep the wearer warm, as well as being practical , and durable . Its appearance is usually similar to a jumpsuit. A military flight suit may also...

s made of Nomex

Nomex

Nomex is a registered trademark for flame resistant meta-aramid material developed in the early 1960s by DuPont and first marketed in 1967.- Properties:...

for fire protection when performing, or when in direct support of, flying or missile duties, or when otherwise prescribed. The black leather boots previously worn by flight crew and missile personnel with green flight suits were discontinued on November 2011 and all personnel now wear the same green suede boot with green flight suits as directed for the ABU. The exception to this rule is the desert tan flight suit, where tan suede boots remain the prescribed footwear.

Women's uniforms

Women's service dress uniforms are similar in color and style to the men's service dress uniforms, but can also include additional articles including a skirt, stockings, and women's style flight cap.

Currently, women wear the same utility uniforms as men; either the BDU, ABU, or the flight suit. While the BDU comes in unisex sizes, the ABU is availible specifically in a women's cut.

Physical Training Uniform

The Air Force designed new Physical Training Uniform that became mandatory for wear on October 1, 2006. The gear consists of shorts, t-shirt, jacket and pants. The shorts are AF blue with silver reflective stripes on the leg, a key pocket attached to the inner liner and an ID pocket on the outside of the lower right leg. The t-shirt is a moisture-wicking fabric with reflective Air Force logos on the upper left portion of the chest and across the back. The jacket is blue with silver reflective piping and a reflective inverted chevron on the back. The pants are blue with silver piping and reflective stripes. The jacket and pants have since been redesigned with a lighter, quieter material. A line of commercially manufactured running shorts is also authorized for wear.

Safety equipment

Reflective belts are required to be worn during times from sunset to sunrise in many deployed locations by Air Force and Army personnel. They are required to be worn in every uniform, often including the already-reflective PT gear. Great priority is placed on wearing the reflective belt and disciplinary actions have been taken against military members not wearing the appropriate reflective belt.

Civil Air Patrol

Personnel of the Civil Air Patrol

Civil Air Patrol

, the all volunteer civilian auxiliary

Auxiliaries

An auxiliary force is a group affiliated with, but not part of, a military or police organization. In some cases, auxiliaries are armed forces operating in the same manner as regular soldiers...

of the United States Air Force, are permitted to wear certain Air Force uniforms with distinctive CAP markings and insignia. Senior Members (age 18 and older) may only wear Air Force style uniforms if they meet military grooming and slightly modified military weight standards. Cadets (age 12-21) must only meet military grooming standards until their 18th birthday, at which time they must meet both military grooming and military weight standards. Members who don't meet Air Force standards may wear alternate CAP-specific uniforms.

Air Force uniforms authorized for wear by Civil Air Patrol members include Service Dress, Mess Dress (for Senior Members only), the woodland camoflauge Battle Dress Uniform (BDU), the green Nomex

Nomex

Nomex is a registered trademark for flame resistant meta-aramid material developed in the early 1960s by DuPont and first marketed in 1967.- Properties:...

flight suit, and the CWU-45P green Nomex

Nomex

Nomex is a registered trademark for flame resistant meta-aramid material developed in the early 1960s by DuPont and first marketed in 1967.- Properties:...

flight jacket, the latter two items being restricted to aircrew only. CAP distinctive markings include gray grade epaulets on the duty uniform, as opposed to blue grade epaulets of Air Force officers, as well as gray grade epaulets on the Service Dress coat where Air Force officers wear pin-on metal rank insignia. Mess Dress is also distinctive in that the parallel braid stripes on shoulder boards for CAP Senior Member officers in the ranks of Major General and below worn on Mess Dress uniforms, and the sleeve braid for all CAP Senior Member officer ranks, will be dark blue cloth versus the silver metallic cloth worn by Air Force officers.

Cadet enlisted uniforms also differ in rank placement, with collar pins instead of the sewn sleeve chevrons traditionally worn by enlisted Air Force members. Cadet officers wear epaulets similar to CAP senior members on duty uniform shirts, but wear distinctive hard shoulder board insignia on the Service Dress coat in a manner similar to OTS

OTS

OTS may refer to:* Anacortes Airport in Anacortes, Washington by IATA airport code* Oakley Training School, a juvenile correctional facility in Hinds County, Mississippi...

officer trainees and AFROTC and USAFA cadets.

Currently, CAP senior members and cadets also wear the BDU with blue and white name tapes and ultramarine blue and white/yellow rank insignia, similar to what was worn by United States Air Force personnel on the since-discontinued solid green Air Force fatigue uniforms of the 1960s and 1970s. These changes are made to reduce confusion in identifying the military members of the Regular Air Force, the Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard with the civilian members of CAP as the Air Force Auxiliary. With the October 2011 phaseout of the BDU by all Air Force personnel, the Air Force is in the process of determining the distinctive insignia provisions that will permit CAP to also integrate into the ABU.

External links

Air Force Dress and Appearance web page

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Service dress

Mess Dress

Utility uniform

Women's uniforms

Physical Training Uniform

Safety equipment

Civil Air Patrol

See also

External links