WASHINGTON — The current Army Combat Uniform top weighs in at about 650 grams, or about 1.4 pounds. It’s got a lot of pockets and multiple layers of fabric. When it gets wet, it tends to stay wet. And when it’s hot out, it tends to keep Soldiers hot.
The Army has a solution for that: the Improved Hot Weather Army Combat Uniform that has a whole lot fewer pockets, layers of fabric and Velcro, as well as a new fabric that is actually lighter than the current ACU.
“You can hold that uniform up with one finger,” said Brig. Gen. Brian P. Cummings, who serves as Program Executive Officer Soldier, out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The organization is responsible for managing those Army programs that provide most of the things Soldiers carry or wear. That includes, among other things, individual and crew-served weapons, protective gear, weapons sights and sensors, and uniform items.
