The United States Air Force is now geared up with its own unique distinctive camouflage battle dress uniform, the Airman Battle Uniform (ABU).  It is currently in full production with various contracts in excess of $20 million annually.  But the complaints about it are piling up.

As with any important acquisition, like the F-22 and the controversial refueling aircraft, years of evaluation and tests starting as early as 2003 led the Air Force to perform a combined initial fit and wear test for their new utility uniform in 2004.  After months of "wear testing" through 2005, a new uniform suited for the United State Air Force was selected.

In a nod to the tradition of the Air Force's involvement in Vietnam, it adopted the Vietnam-era blue and grey tiger stripe pattern - though some say this is a misplaced nod since it was the Army Special Forces that was best known for wearing tiger stripe fatigues during that time.

Much more important than aesthetics is functionality and some experts contend that its fractal camouflage pattern works best under indoor office lighting and tends to wash out somewhat in full sunlight.  This might be good for pencil pushing Airmen hiding out from their commanding officers, but it's probably not what the designers had in mind.

According to the Air Force, Airmen feedback was considered throughout the process, but OhMyGov! identified only a few of the functional recommendations made by Airmen in the field that were implemented into the uniform.  In fact, this new uniform has been a subject of many complaints from Airmen returning from duty in Iraq and Afghanistan who had been wearing the U.S. Army-issued Army Combat Uniform (ACU) as a temporary issue uniform.

Specifically, they complain that the thickness of material of the ABU and the larger interior pockets makes it much too warm in desert conditions. To avoid overheating, Airmen have been cutting the pockets out of the inside of the blouse and have been authorized to roll up their sleeves.  Additionally, many complain of a lack of storage space and a low ease of use with government issued body armor.

"The uniform appears to be great if the US was to invade Siberia, but it's especially unfortunate that people have to wear the damn things in the 120-plus degree heat imminent over here," said one Airman in the field.

"[The ABU is] a great uniform to wear in a home station, air-conditioned office, but not outdoors, in the Middle East, in combat," said another Airman. "It doesn't breathe or let air circulate anywhere near as well [as the summer battle dress uniforms]."

Due to the complaints, the Air Force has gone back to the drawing board again, developing a lightweight and more comfortable ABU to wear in their support of missions in the Middle East.

The ABU was authorized for wear by all Air Force personnel as of November 2006 to replace both the temperate and hot weather Battle Dress Uniform (BDU) and Desert Camouflage Uniform (DCU) and is standard issue for new Airmen at Basic Military Training. 

It remains to be seen whether there will be a lightweight version of the ABU available by 2011, the phase out date of the Air Force's current BDU, said Maj. Brad Head, branch chief of the Air Force Uniform and Recognition Branch.

Perhaps by then we will have concluded our operations in the Middle East and moved on to the Arctic Circle.  If so, Airmen will go in comfort.