Many airmen are resorting to “authorized online sources” to purchase the Air Force’s new Airman Battle Uniform, reports Holly Birchfield. The service doesn’t expect all airmen to have or wear the new ABU before November 2011, but some are anxious to get them, in some cases because their current Battle Dress Uniforms are wearing out. The new ABU is wash and wear, making it a hot item around the force. Maj. Brian Schooley, program manager for Air Force Military Clothing at the Army-Air Force Exchange Service, told SSgt. Monique Randolph earlier this summer when USAF issued a precautionary note to warn airmen against buying from unauthorized sources that those sources may offer ABUs without the an “inherent non-infrared quality that makes them undetectable by night-vision equipment.”
Pentagon Releases Cost of Living, BAH Rates for 2026
Dec. 30, 2025
The Pentagon will pay cost of living allowances to 127,000 service members in the continental U.S. in 2026, an increase of 66,000 members in 2025. Airmen and Guardians across the U.S. will also receive an average increase of 4.2 percent for their Basic Housing Allowance, compared to the 5.4 percent…
