A decade in the making, the Navy's new fitness suit will be be available for purchase starting in July.
Initially it will be available only in fleet concentration-area Navy Exchange uniform stores. The rest of the service should see them in their exchanges no later than October, according to NavAdmin 125/17 released today by Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Adm. Robert Burke.
All the other military services have had fitness suits for years. Issuing a Navy version is a milestone sailors have long wanted. The Navy approved the official fitness uniform in 2007 and officials started development multiple times, only to scrap the efforts and start over.
This time, officials say, they've got it right.
A recruit tries on his new fitness suit jacket during uniform issue at at Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Ill. on April 24. Navy officials have announced the uniforms will be available in fleet concentration areas in July, while the rest of the Navy will see them on exchange shelves by October.
Photo Credit: U.S. Navy
"We've worked hard to develop and deliver a fitness suit that meets our sailors' needs," said Lt. Cmdr. Nathan Christensen, spokesman for the chief of naval personnel. " We believe that it will both be functional and something they enjoy wearing."
In the message, officials described the uniforms, and also laid out the official details of the uniform and rules for having it and wearing. It's a required item that everyone must have in their seabags by Sept. 30, 2021.
The duds will cost about $98 — $42.47 for the pants and another $55.51 for the jacket.
The Navy began issuing the new suits to new recruits in April. That same month, sailors already in the fleet started getting paid to purchase the uniforms, but that money won't come in a lump sum, officials warn.
Instead, sailors will get a prorated portion of the nearly $100 cost each year — roughly $25 — included in their clothing maintenance allowance for each of the next four years. The money is included in sailors' individual paychecks at the end of their anniversary month of entering boot camp.
But, as is the custom, officers don't get clothing maintenance allowances and will have to take the cost out of pocket.
The Details
The suit has a unisex design and is primarily navy blue, with silver reflective piping. Both parts have and gold color heat transfer "NAVY" logos in the same type style as the Navy's physical training uniform.
Both the jacket and pants are mesh-lined, and made of water-repellent nylon fabric that offers moisture wicking and is treated to be anti-microbial and odor resistant, the message says.
The jacket has a zipper up the front, sports back and underarm air vents and a drawstring at the waist. There are two side pockets with zippers and a hidden pocket with a zipper fastener on the right chest interior. The sleeves have partial elastic at the wrist. An adjustable interior waist draw-cord with barrel locks in the jacket pockets provides for waist adjustment.
The pants have an elastic waist as well as a draw-cord for adjustment and two side pockets. The legs are a straight-leg cut and have a side zipper at the bottom.
Recruits are fitted with their fitness suits during uniform issue at at Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Ill. on April 24. Navy officials have announced the uniforms will be available in fleet concentration areas in July, while the rest of the Navy will see them on exchange shelves by October.
Photo Credit: U.S. Navy
The Rules
As with any Navy uniform, there are rules on how to wear the suit and when and where you can wear it.
According to the NavAdmin, the suit's intended purpose is to be worn over the Navy's PT shorts and shirt during group or unity physical training as well as during the semi-annual physical readiness test, the message said.
When it's worn as an official uniform for fitness, the message states, the jacket should be zipped at least three quarters up the chest and the sleeve cuffs will extend beyond the wrist but not beyond the lower knuckle of the thumb. The pants will be worn "fully on the waist" and the legs must fall over the shoes being worn, but can't touch the ground.
Optionally, it's OK to wear either command ball caps or Navy watch caps as head gear, depending on the weather.
As a liberty uniform, the uniform can be worn as a unit or the as separate components. However, local commanding officers or regional commanders could set other rules for their wear, too, if they want.
Where it can't be worn is while in a duty status in place of the normal uniform of the day. In addition, it's not authorized when on base for anything other than for physical fitness or liberty. This means it can not be worn to medical appointments or while conducting business with personnel support detachments or while on any other official Navy business.
The Care
The suit sizing was designed to compensate for shrinkage that is expected to happen during the first five washings. The suit is expected to last 48 months before it should be replaced.
"To ensure longevity of the Fitness Suit, Sailors should always use the low temperature settings on self-service home style washing/drying machines," the message says. "Laundering in industrial, ship-board or bulk laundry facilities is not recommended and could damage the Fitness Suit."
Navy officials first announced plans to develop an official Navy warm-up suit in 2007 as part of the total Navy physical training uniform package authorized by then Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Mike Mullen.
But multiple development efforts were attempted and scrapped along the way. The current design came from a mixture of style and functional features of both the Marine Corp's warmup suit and those issued to midshipmen at the Naval Academy.
Originally slated to be available for purchase in January, officials slipped the rollout to July to allow the manufacturer to correct problems that arose during production.
Mark D. Faram is a former reporter for Navy Times. He was a senior writer covering personnel, cultural and historical issues. A nine-year active duty Navy veteran, Faram served from 1978 to 1987 as a Navy Diver and photographer.
