Navy officials say they might consider making a khaki version of the Improved Fire Retardant Variant coveralls if the fleet shows interest.
Fleet Forces Command announced on Friday that the rollout of the blue version of the IFRV coveralls is underway and that sailors will most likely start seeing the new versions at their commands within a couple months.
Also on Friday, the Navy announced the start of wear tests for a proposed two-piece variant of the command-issued fire retardant clothing.
For that two-piece version, officials will test a khaki variant for chiefs and officers, alongside two blue versions for sailors E-6 and below, including a solid blue version and another with a light blue shirt that resembles the color scheme of the old dungaree uniform.
When Navy Times asked if the Navy would consider producing a khaki version of the one-piece coverall, Capt. Mark Runstrom director of Fleet Supply Operations and Services at Fleet Forces Command said he was open to the idea.
“It’s something we could easily do, having a coveralls with the same design features in a khaki color, but so far haven’t gotten any feedback that indicates a khaki coverall is desired,” he said.
“Once we introduce this coverall to the fleet, however, I think I’ll go out to the force master chief community to get their thoughts — and there might be interest -- It would not cost much more to do that,” he said.
