Word on the street is that the Army has postponed the Uniform Quality Control Program for boots planned for this Spring. The program has raised numerous questions from industry regarding how it would be implemented which resulted in hesitation in manufacturing Coyote Brown boots for the upcoming transition to the Operational Camouflage Pattern this Summer.
Had it gone on as planned, there would have been few footwear options available along with the new version of the ACU because no one wanted to be stuck with a warehouse full of uncertified boots. While issue boots are being procured through the Defense Logistics Agency, footwear manufacturers were waiting to begin making commercial options until after UQCP had completed its process. As it is, the delays caused by UQCP will most assuredly result in boot shortages during the initial transition as boot builders remain skeptical.
What’s more, it’s “caveat emptor” since there’s no guarantee the Coyote colored boots you purchase will eventually receive UQCP certification, nor that you’ll be allowed to wear them. Even though a boot model might earn UQCP certification, it’s still up to the chain of command whether it can be worn. The best bet is to look for boots that are AR 670-1 compliant and hope that your CoC will allow you to wear them.
The delay is currently estimated to be six to eight months but they plan to take it back up once the transition to OCP is under way.
