U.S. Army uniform officials will soon begin evaluating and certifying commercial boots in Coyote brown for soldiers to wear instead of current issue boots.
The Army Uniform Board has directed Program Executive Office Soldier to use the existing Army Combat Boot Uniform Quality Control Program, or UQCP, to provide commanders information about boots that meet the service’s safety, performance, and appearance requirements, according to an Army press release.
The timing of initial evaluation is aligned with Army’s transition to “Coyote 498” boots associated with the transition to the new Operational Camouflage Pattern this summer, so the list of optional boots will not include tan boot models, according to the release.
Army senior leaders selected the new OCP to replace the service’s ineffective Universal Camouflage Pattern after an exhaustive, four-year camouflage-improvement effort the service completed in 2013.
The list of optional boots under the UQCP is scheduled to be released in late summer.
Uniform officials stressed that it will be up to commanders to authorize any boots on the lists before soldiers can wear them.
“The UQCP Optional Boots List does not authorize soldiers to use optional boots,” according to Army uniform officials. “The commanders authorize soldiers to use optional boots per DA PAM 670-1 para 20-3(3)."
