ABUs - Airman Battle Uniforms

While the Airman Battle Uniform (ABU) has been in use for several years already, it will officially replace the Desert Combat Uniform (DCU) and Battle Dress Uniform (BDU) as the combat uniform of the United States Air Force on November 1st, 2011. If you’re still wearing BDUs or DCUs, it’s time to get your ABU orders in; there is currently no backorder on ABU components, but that may change very quickly as the due date approaches.

The following are required components of the Airman Battle Uniform:

ABU Coat (Shirt). The ABU Coat must be made of 50% nylon/50% cotton material, with button fastenings and Air Force digitized tiger stripe print. Rank insignia for officers is on the collar on the left side; rank insignia for enlisted personnel is on the sleeves, centered on the outer arm halfway between the elbow and shoulder seam. Name tapes will be worn immediately above the upper ABU pocket on the wearer’s right; the ‘US Air Force’ service tape will be worn on the upper ABU pocket on the wearer’s left.

Up to two relevant chaplain, aeronautical, space, cyberspace, and/or occupational badges are authorized for wear above the US Air Force tape, the first centered 1/2 inch above the tape, the second 1/2 inch above the first. Duty Shields for members of the Office of Special Investigations, Security Forces, or Fire Protection, as well and Missile Badges (where authorized) are centered between the bottom of the pocket flap, bottom of the pocket, and left and right edges on the ABU coat’s left pocket only, and are the only items authorized for placement in this location.

T-Shirt - Desert Sand (Tan). A desert sand T-shirt will be worn under the ABU coat and tucked into the trousers; it may be replaced by a desert sand turtleneck. Installation commanders may prescribe a unit designation and cloth or silkscreen emblem to be worn on the left side of the chest not to exceed 5 inches in diameter. Pockets are not allowed, and gender-appropriate undergarments are required to be worn with all uniform combinations.

ABU Trousers. The ABU trousers must be made of 50% nylon, 50% cotton, with button fastenings and Air Force digitized tiger stripe print. The waistband must rest on the Airman’s waist, and the trouser must present an evenly bloused appearance. If not bloused, the straps must be removed and the trousers must be allowed to hang naturally to ankle length.

Belt - Desert Sand (Tan). The ABU Belt must be a one-piece rigger-style nylon web belt, 1 3/4″ in width, and must be worn with the ABU trousers.

Combat Boots - Sage Green. The Sage Green Combat Boots must be worn with the Airman Battle Uniform; these boots must be lace-up with plain or capped rounded toe with or without a perforated seam. Zippers and elastic inserts may be included, if they do not have a design or logo. These combat boots may include a safety toe at the wearer’s option. Exceptions: Commanders may temporarily authorize the use of black leather boots with ABUs in industrial work environments or work centers where industrial products or processes cause irreparable staining to the sage green suede or tan suede boot, until a stain-resistant green boot becomes available. Theater Commanders may authorize tan combat boots for wear only in theaters of war.

Socks - Sage Green. As part of the Airman Battle Uniform, Airmen are required to wear sage green socks; plain white socks can be worn underneath the sage green socks as long as the white socks are not visible.

ABU Patrol Cap. Headgear is required when outdoors at all times unless in a designated no-hat zone. The typical requirement is the ABU Patrol Cap, made of 50% nylon/50% cotton with Air Force digitized tiger stripe print. Officers wear a subdued metal or cloth rank insignia centered on the front of this cap; enlisted personnel do not wear ranks on their caps. An installation commander may optionally approve usage of a sage green watch cap instead for use with ABU authorized outer garments.

For ABU outerwear, check out our ABU outerwear section.

The original document containing the Air Force Dress Regulations is available at http://www.e-publishing.af.mil/shared/media/epubs/afi36-2903.pdf without restrictions. If you’re looking for a quick outfitting solution for your troops, contact our sales department with the name, rank, shoe size, hat size, trouser size, and shirt size of all soldiers who need a complete uniform solution and the quantity of each item you need and we’ll give you a combined quote based on the quantity of your order.

Attached, Velcro-backed, or loose insignias, badges, name tapes, and service tapes are available to meet your needs upon request. We will happily deliver to military bases, consolidation points, APOs or FPOs with a minimum of fuss. Let us know what we can do for you, your unit, your squadron, or your base today.