The Army says its new Uniform Quality Control Program for Army Combat Boot will go a long way to protect soldiers' feet – and their wallets.
Through UQCP, Program Executive Office Soldier plans to spend a good share of this year meticulously determining what boots meet regulations so that commanding officers won't have to.
The Army Uniform Board initiative will test manufacturer-submitted boots to ensure they meet Army standards for materials, appearance and quality. PEO Soldier, which will manage the program, intends to release a list of regulation-compliant models by the end of September, if not sooner.
Maj. Kevin Hutcheson, an assistant program manager at PEO Soldier, told Army Times he understands that not every soldier loves the Army-issue boot. The former enlisted infantryman and infantry commander noted that all feet are different, and that a lot of great boots are available commercially.
"We want to make sure when a soldier goes out and pays $150 for a pair of boots, he's not going to be told to take them back the next day," Hutcheson told Army Times. "Also, that they're safe, that they're going to hold up in combat or the rigors of the field environment that he finds himself in, and that they're going to be durable."
A PowerPoint released by PEO Soldier on Thursday on FedBizOpps stressed that the UQCP will not produce an "authorized boots list" – unless your commander says it is one. Army Regulation 670-1 and Department of the Army Pamphlet 670-1, along with commander discretion, will still determine what solders can wear, as they do now.
But though commanders remain judge and jury, they will have more reliable information in determining what boots to allow, according to Hutcheson. While he declined to hypothesize why a commander might quash boots that would pass UQCP scrutiny, he said he couldn't think of a time as a commander himself where he would have.
"As a commander I don't want to worry about this. This is not at the top of my priority list," said Hutcheson, who commanded a unit in Afghanistan. "This takes something out of a commander's rucksack."
Boot-makers have until May 1 to submit boots for evaluation, Hutcheson said. If approved, a boot will be certified for three years, and periodically soldier surveys and random inspections will ensure they measure up to standards. The Army intends to offer evaluations roughly twice a year for new boots to be submitted. That first list could come out earlier than September; it depends on how many submissions are made, Hutcheson said.
Last October, then-Sergeant Major of the Army Raymond Chandler told Army Times that some boots being used by soldiers don't meet military specifications and quality. Hutcheson agreed, and cited as an example synthetic leather boots.
"There is some synthetic leather out there right now that looks very much like the real thing. If someone submits that through the certification process, it's going to be rejected," Hutcheson said. "We know the reason we (require) cattle hide leather is its strength and durability, and its flame-resistant capabilities."
Any of the eight- to 10-inch-tall, Coyote brown boots submitted must pass material strength, traction and temperature tests among a battery of other controls, according to UQCP guidelines posted on FedBizOpps. The current standard-issue tan boots being phased out with the out-going Universal Camouflage Pattern will not be tested, Hutcheson said.
The darker Coyote boots will initially roll out this summer along with the Operational Camouflage Pattern that is replacing UCP.
