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Space Command
Officials To Eliminate Airmen Flight Suit And The Leather Jacket By Eddy Metcalf |
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April 17, 2012 - Air Force Space Command officials
announced that Airmen assigned to the command will cease
wearing flight suits, the green flight jacket and the
A-2 Leather Jacket by the end of the fiscal year. This
policy only affects Airmen assigned to AFSPC. Directed by Gen. William L. Shelton, the AFSPC commander, the move is designed to standardize uniform wear across Space Command in a resource-constrained environment. AFSPC officials stopped purchasing Flight Duty Uniforms, Desert Flight Duty Uniforms, A-2 Leather Jackets and associated patches for space operators March 14.
"We want to create synergy among all personnel across
the command," Shelton said. "When personnel wear the
same uniform, it has a unifying effect toward mission
accomplishment. Standardization among the entire command
prevents the perception of a 'haves' and 'have nots'
situation; the very meaning of the word 'uniform' should
drive us toward standardization." |
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This
policy change was presented to AFSPC leadership from personnel
within the command during an effort to identify command-wide
efficiency opportunities. The policy affects approximately 1,800
Airmen in the Space Systems Operations and Space and Missile
Operations career fields. It will save an estimated $670,000 per
year during a time of fiscal constraint throughout the Air
Force.
An AFSPC
policy letter issued April 10 states that starting Oct. 1,
military personnel in any Air Force Specialty Code assigned to
an AFSPC unit will no longer be authorized to wear the flight
suit and green flight jacket, unless they are engaged in flying
operations, nor are they authorized to wear the A-2 Leather
Jacket. "Between the expense of purchasing these items and the
fact that our operations don't involve flying, this
recommendation was good common sense," Shelton said.
Air Force
Space Command (AFSPC) is a major command of the United States
Air Force, with its headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base,
Colorado. AFSPC supports U.S. military operations worldwide
through the use of many different types of satellite, launch and
cyber operations. Operationally, AFSPC is under the Combatant
Commander of the U.S. Strategic Command. |