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thedrifter
02-01-08, 04:47 AM
Army tests uniforms built for Afghanistan's rugged terrain

By Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Soldiers will slide down rock-strewn hillsides in Hawaii to test the seats of new prototype uniform pants to replace those that have come apart at the crotch during fighting in the rugged terrain of Afghanistan, Army officials say.

"These guys are actually sliding down the mountainsides on their butts," said Fred Coppola, an Army official working on the problem. "In a lot of cases, it was too mountainous, too rugged, too steep to try to walk down."

The new uniforms could reach soldiers in Afghanistan as early as this spring, traditionally the time when Taliban insurgents have mounted offensives. Defense Secretary Robert Gates recently announced the Pentagon is sending 3,200 Marines to Afghanistan this spring. They will join about 26,000 soldiers already there.

Finding the proper solution to the uniform problem has been difficult. In one case, researchers sprayed the pants with the same type of rubbery material used to protect the beds of pickups. That effort failed because the material was flammable, Coppola said. "It went up like a torch."

A flame-resistant substitute was found, and it now bolsters the bottom of one uniform to be tested.

Another contender is a patch of tough fabric sewn onto the seat and inseam. Finding the right balance between strength and comfort isn't easy, Coppola said.

"I could put steel plates in the butts, but that's not going to be very comfortable," he said.

Hundreds of the uniforms will be shipped this month to soldiers in 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii. The soldiers will "scooch around on their butts" to test them out, Coppola said.

"They have the lava rocks, and the lava formations in certain parts of Hawaii that we can use to replicate the same severity of the Afghan theater," he said.

If a uniform stands up to the abuse, it could be fielded in as little as three months, Coppola said.

Brig. Gen. Mark Brown, who commands the Army's Program Executive Office Soldier, which fields gear for soldiers, learned of the problem with the pants during a visit to Afghanistan in August.

The demands of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan have resulted in other changes to Army uniforms.

•Flame-resistant uniforms. Improvised explosive devices have burned soldiers severely in Afghanistan and Iraq. Since late 2006, the military raced to issue flame-resistant uniforms to troops.

For the first time in January, all four of the uniforms issued to soldiers headed to Iraq and Afghanistan will be flame-resistant. They cost $145 per set, about double the price of the regular uniform. The uniforms resist burning and give soldiers several seconds to escape a burning vehicle.

"As soon as you have the blast, you have fire," Coppola said. "If the blast doesn't kill you, the burns and the fire can."

•Combat boots. Like the standard-issue uniform, the regular boot gets battered in Afghanistan. They get torn up by rocks, and the sole isn't sturdy enough in the mountains, Coppola said. Troops requested 2,500 pairs of mountaineering boots.

•Cold-weather gear. In August, the Army began sending troops to Iraq with seven separate garments, from underwear to parkas, to deal with harsh winters. The Army sped up the program by six months, Coppola said.

"We are constantly moving to upgrade equipment and to ensure that our soldiers always have the best, most technologically advanced gear available," Brown said.

Ellie