Uniform Disasters; Back to the Future

Thirteen years ago, I first began writing about the stupidity that was the change to the Navy's working, ie, shipboard uniforms. I bemoaned the adoption of Aquaflage then, then the stupidity of its replacement, namely, camoflague uniforms on board a ship.

In most of the posts, I bemoaned the stupidity of the decisions of the Navy's Uniform Board and called to go back to what had worked for decades: Dungarees and blue chambray shirts for junior enlisted, wash khakis for chiefs and officers. Not that anyone pays attention.

But the Navy was listening to someone. For the third time in thirteen years, the Navy is changing its working uniform to something called "2POC", which isn't a second privately-owned car (or a rapper), but an outfit comprised of trousers and an untucked tunic. They'll be... wait for it.... blue for junior enlisted and khaki for chiefs and officers.

In its benevolence, the Navy is going to give two, count 'em, two free uniforms to the sailors. And when they deploy, they'll get a third.

Good luck with that, guys. Working uniforms can get trashed pretty easily, but on the other hand, from how a lot of Navy ships look these days, they're not out chipping paint and preserving the ship. Still, two or three working uniforms aren't going to go very far.

But it's a start. Maybe, in six years or so, the Navy will get a fucking clue and go back to what worked for so long.