NWU III, It’s not just for Bees and Brownwater anymore…(U.S. Navy photo illustration by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Julia A. Casper/Released)
I personally think Ray Mabus (who used to be my governor before Clinton tapped him for ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Obama for SECNAV) hates the Navy.
I’m not getting into the whole “Naming convention? What naming convention?” argument, or the sillier parts of the Great Green Fleet, or the cultural evisceration of longstanding naval traditions– which are all low hanging fruit, but there are many other reasons to compare him to the Great Josephus “cup of joe” Daniels that are beyond the scope of this post.
However, the decision to eliminate Navy Working Uniform (NWU) Type I and replace it with NWU III (effective Oct. 1, 2019), is just great. The best thing about the aquaflauge is the NWU Type I black fleece liner (buffalo skins) which will be kept moving forward (I have one and love it).
I often wondered why it was a good idea to be camouflaged to look like water?
Also announced in NAVADMIN 174/16:
* The Navy will transition to the black Cold Weather Parka (CWP) starting Oct. 1, 2018, as outerwear with the Service and Service Dress Uniform. Navy All Weather Coat, Pea Coat and Reefer coat will become optional items. Mandatory wear date for the parka is Oct. 1, 2020.
* Women, E7 and above, are now authorized to wear men’s uniform khaki pants without the belt and buckle with the khaki over blouse. Gig-line issues prevent wear of the male slacks with the tuck-in shirt.
* The rollout date of the male Service Dress Blue uniform at Recruit Training Command has been moved to Oct. 1, 2017, due to manufacturing delays. This change also aligns the uniform release with the introduction of the new E1-E6 Service Dress Whites.
* Navy sweat shirt and pants logo has been replaced with silver reflective lettering “NAVY,” which is similar to the logo on the Navy Physical Training Uniform shirt and shorts. The sweatshirt and pants are now available for purchase at Navy Exchange uniform centers.
* Commands may now authorize the wear of a “Don’t Tread on Me” and Reverse U.S. Flag patches on NWU Type II and Type III.
* Approval for the replacement of the Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewman (SWCC) insignia. Going forward, there will be three separate insignias to denote a Sailor’s specific qualification level, which are SWCC basic, SWCC senior and SWCC master. The implementation date is Aug. 19, 2016, with a mandatory wear date of Oct. 1, 2016.
