The Rip-stop Airman Battle Uniform will be available at select stateside bases and through the Army and Air Force Exchange Service online beginning in June, announced Air Force officials May 22. The lighter, cooler RABU has material made of a nylon-cotton blend and is treated with a wrinkle-resistant finish, said SMSgt. Kecia Uyeno, Air Force uniform programs and policies superintendent. It’s the same material as used with the old summer-weight Battle Dress Uniform, she added. “All industrial resources are now producing only the lightweight ABUs with no plans to go back and produce the heavyweight ABUs,” said Uyeno. The Air Force has given in-store priority to stateside bases in warmer climates, such as in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and South Carolina, said service officials. (Washington, D.C., report by TSgt. Jess Harvey)
When Space Force leaders started talking about expanding the service early this year, the idea was simple: double the size of the force in the next five years. At AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber conference this week, officials detailed just how they’re planning to grow so much so quickly.
