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irmen asked for a little bit of service history in the Air Force’s latest uniform, and the leadership has responded with a rendition of the uniform worn by the man recognized as the father of the Air Force—Gen. H.H. “Hap” Arnold. The new coat’s moniker is the “Heritage Coat.” Air Education and Training Command is leading the field tests, which begin this fall with the selection of 1,000 airmen to find the right variety of body types, reports SSgt. J.G. Buzanowski. AETC will pare those thousand airmen down to about 400 that will actually begin wearing the Heritage Coat next spring for a 90-day wear test. Once the Heritage Coat passes field muster, the Air Force plans to offer airmen the option to purchase a “higher quality fabric” coat, under a contract with Brooks Brothers, similar to an arrangement the Navy has.
Three of four congressional committees with influence over defense policy have voted to change the official name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War—but final approval of the Pentagon rebrand is months away and not yet assured.