Unraveling the confusion over buying ABUs

[unhappycamper]

Avoid getting burned when buying a battle uniform.


Unraveling the confusion over buying ABUs
By Erik Holmes - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Oct 23, 2007 18:53:07 EDT

A staff sergeant at a missile base out west recently found himself down to only two presentable battle dress uniforms, so he decided it was time to buy some new threads. But it wasn’t so easy to do that.

The Air Force is phasing out the BDU in favor of the new airman battle uniform, so the sergeant, who asked not to be identified, figured he might as well upgrade to the latest and greatest.

As at most bases, the military clothing sales store didn’t have any ABUs in stock and didn’t know when they would get any. So the sergeant did what we all do these days and turned to the Internet.

After receiving assurances from a manufacturer selling ABUs online that its commercial version of the uniform is identical to those sold through Army and Air Force Exchange Services stores, the airman dropped $130 and had his new ABU a few days later.

“When I got it, I compared it to a set a buddy of mine bought through AAFES, and they’re identical,” the staff sergeant said. “I couldn’t tell anything different.”

In fact, the Air Force says, the uniforms, both legally manufactured by Propper International, are identical.

But the one sold through AAFES is manufactured in the U.S. The one sold commercially on Propper’s Web site is made in the Dominican Republic.


Rest of article at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2007/10/airforce_abu_questions_071023w/



uhc comment: Ya learn something every day. The above article talks about "the Berry amendment."


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berry_Amendment sez

Berry Amendment
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The Berry Amendment (USC, Title 10, Section 2533a), requires the Department of Defense to give preference in procurement to domestically produced, manufactured, or home grown products, most notably food, clothing, fabrics, and specialty metals. Congress originally passed domestic source restrictions as part of the 1941 Fifth Supplemental DOD Appropriations Act in order to protect the domestic industrial base in the time of war. The Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) was amended to include exceptions for the acquisition of food, speciality metals, and hand or measuring tools when needed to support contingency operations or when the use of other-than-competitive procedures is based on an unusual and compelling urgency. The specialty metals provision was added in 1973. This provision requires that specialty metals incorporated in products delivered under DOD contracts to be smelted in the United States or a “qualifying country”. Specialty metals include certain steel, titanium, zirconium and other metal alloys that are important to the DOD.

On 4/10/07 the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics determined that most compliant fasteners could not be obtained in sufficient quantity without unreasonably delaying production, and excepted most fasteners from the requirement <1>.



The Berry Amendment: Requiring Defense Procurement To Come From Domestic Sources sez

~snip~

Legislative Actions in the 108th, 107th, and 106th Congresses A number of domestic source provisions governing the Berry Amendment were proposed and/or enacted into law during the 108th, 107th, and 106th sessions of Congress. A common theme among the bills was the broadening of the authority of the Secretary of Defense to waive the exceptions to the Berry Amendment when the Secretary of Defense believes that there is a compelling reason to procure items from foreign sources.



Your tax dollars at work.

[NYVet]

1. I'm still trying to figure out 1 thing.

Why can't the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard have the same uniform for combat? Why can't the Army use the Digital pattern the Marines use, or vice versa?