The Navy wants to update service dress uniforms for both enlisted and officer female sailors.
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus signed off on a proposal to improve the jumper and the Dixie cup hat for enlisted sailors. The Navy also plans to redesign the female officer combination cover.
Changes to both are expected to occur by this May, a Navy release stated.
Military.com reporter Bryant Jordan wrote more about the proposed uniform changes. You can read that here. Here's a pull out.
The new E-1 to E-6 service dress uniform change includes a jumper and "Dixie cup" cap that is tailored for the female body and functionality and will match the recently redesigned male jumper.The new jumper for male sailors, approved but not yet issued, resembles that worn by "The Lone Sailor," the bronze sculpture that stands at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, DC, and other Navy facilities across the country.
After a fit evaluation is completed on the female jumper-style uniform and Dixie cup, both the male and female uniforms will be issued throughout the fleet, the Navy said.
The female combination cover for E-7s and above also will be redesigned to resemble the male version, but fitted for a woman's head size and proportion. The Navy found from recent testing that simply issuing a male cover to female sailors fell short of the mark of a satisfactory fit and appearance.
The actual timeline and costs for the redesigned uniform items will be determined after the wear test.
