Navy Working Uniform Type IIIs are now available for sale in all Navy Exchanges, nearly two-years earlier than originally planned.
The Navy Exchange announced Jan. 9 they were scrapping the previously announced two-year phased rollout of the new green camouflage uniforms, which evidently have been produced quickly enough to stock the shelves of every store.
The Type IIIs will also be available for purchase online at mynavyexchange.com by the end of January.
What hasn’t changed, though, is the date the Navy will make wearing the uniform mandatory. On Oct. 1, 2019, every sailor will be expected to have at least two sets of the new uniforms in their seabag. Until then, both the greens and the Type 1 “blueberries” can be worn.
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But due to the rapid production of the greens filling the Navy’s uniform stores, it will be harder to find the blueberries and accompanying accessories, the release said.
If sailors based in the U.S. want the blue duds but can’t find them, they can call the NEX Uniform Support Call Center at 877-810-9030. Sailors based overseas can call 001-877-432-1736.
“A key part of our mission is to provide the Navy’s newest uniforms to our sailors,” said Retired Rear Adm. Robert J. Bianchi, the Navy Exchange Command’s chief executive officer, in a release. “We’re excited to roll out the Type III uniform earlier than originally planned.”
The service recently implemented a two-year increase in uniform funding for enlisted sailors to allow them to purchase one set of the new uniforms in each of the next two years. Officers will have to pay for the uniforms out of pocket.
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.
