PEO Soldier’s Product Manager Soldier Clothing and Individual Equipment (PdM-SCIE) has an ongoing program for an Army Jungle Combat Boot. However, a near-term operational requirement has been identified which needs to filled. Consequently, they’ve issued a Request for Information (RFI) to determine Industry’s capability to manufacture, and deliver, Berry Compliant Jungle Combat Boots (JCB) for this Directed Requirement (DR).
According the the RFI, “the goal of this DR effort is to meet an urgent fielding need for two (2) Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs), beginning with one BCT in March 2017 and the second BCT completed by September 2017. This RFI is intended to identify the capability of Industry to provide JCB in a shortened time frame for use by the combat Soldier operating in hot, wet tropical jungle conditions.”
We highly encourage imdustry to participate in this process because PdM-SCIE is using the data you provide to develop an acquisition strategy. Due to the short fuse on this requirement, they may have to fast track the procurement. The RFI states, “a formal solicitation may not be issued prior to entering into contracts. The information gathered will be used as market research and will be used to determine the Army’s contracting strategy, including the potential use of competitive, limited competition, and/or non-competitive actions, to meet this immediate need to field two BCTs based upon Industry’s capability to meet technical, quality, price, and delivery schedule requirements. Therefore, the information provided should be accurate and thorough enough to clearly demonstrate a company’s capability to execute to the schedules provided. The Government will independently review the information received as part of this RFI to determine a company’s capability to meet this DR JCB effort.”
In total, the US Army plans to field a total of 36,000 pairs. They aim to partially field one BCT by March 2017 with a strategy to issue the maximum amount or pairs of JCB in sizes of 8 ½ -11 (whole and half sizes) in Regular (D) and Wide (EE) width which are the most common sizes In Phase II, they’ll complete fielding of the First BCT as well as the Second BCT no later than September, 2017. The full size run is 3 through 15 (whole and half sizes) and 16 (whole size only) in widths Narrow (B), Regular (D), Wide (EE), and X-Wide (EEEE).
Industry has until 03 NOV 2016 at 12:00 PM EST to respond to this RFI, so sharpen those pencils.
For those of you who might be wearing this Jungle Combat Boot, the Army did give us an idea of what it will look like. It will be Coyote 498 in color with the Vibram Panama II sole along with leather lowers and nylon uppers. They’ve also specified a puncture resistant insole and drain perforations.
This is the Vibram Panama II Sole.
Once again, this effort is is separate from the Jungle Combat Boot Program of Record, which is the Army’s long-term solution and is still currently proceeding through the normal Defense Acquisition Framework. However, there may be additional RFIs issued in pursuit of that program.
Visit www.fbo.gov for full details.
Fuck Coyote.
OD Green and black. If I have to kick some assholes teeth in, they need to know I was wearing something like from Vietnam.
That’s fucking hooah.
If you ain’t hooah you ain’t sh!t!
They should just call wellco/Altama. Oh wait…
Well if they end up being made by inmates they might just end up being made by Altama afterall…..
WELL played.
It seems like the Army is constantly trying to make a wheel when they have stockpiles of perfectly good wheels. A waste of money.
If the Army still has any stockpiles of jungle boots, they are probably black, and therefore not “perfectly good”. Black boots imply maintenance with black boot polish, which is no longer in the system in large quantity. Additionally, application of Polish, Boot, Black, is, like employment of the Claymore Mine, an obsolete skill no longer organic to the force. Issue of any remaining stockpiles of black or green (as if!) jungle boots would create serious second-order friction within both the supply chain and the training pipeline. In fact, an interim contract might have to be issued for a vendor to provide retired personnel with subject matter expertise to conduct OET (Old Equipment Training).
Just an FYI, black boot polish was never an issue item, it was always a private purchase made by the SM, from basic training until they retired black boots in my experience. I’m sure Kiwi still makes a metric shit ton of it yearly, in fact I think Clothing Sales still sells it. That said, I don’t know about how many boots they actually have, that is another story.
Truth.
On the other hand, speaking of prior service SMEs to conduct OET – drop me a line. LOL
Black boots would also cause a major headache for Sergeants Major all across the Army as I’m sure that by now they’re finally getting used to tan/coyote boots, re-introducing black boots and are probably having enough of a headache dealing with the UCP – OCP transition. You would inevitably get the soldier who goes ahead and wears black boots with his UCP ACUs when the unit is trying to move over to OCP and Sergeants Major would likely blow a gasket over that.
When did the employment of claymores become obsolete and not organic to the force? I’ve employed them dozens of times operationally within the last few years.
I was going to say the same thing, we were using the crap out of them two years ago.
@SVGC: About two years ago, word I heard was that “Employ Claymore” had been removed from Basic as well as Infantry AIT…hopefully that info is wrong or no longer current.
It was never part of CTT, or OSUT, only EIB in my recollection, but I’ve eaten a lot of charges and my memory is faded. The K143 DODAC is alive and well within the system.
I went to BCT in 1985 and it was part of CTT and a graduation requirement.
Me too. But that was a LONG time ago
Basic in -15, what’s a Claymore? Scottish sword?
The Jungle School requisitioned all remaining black Jungle boots several years ago, along with the remaining EHWBDUs, to issue to students attending the course. There wasn’t much and they are all long gone.
Like Jon says, the Army didn’t issue Kiwi, you bought it with your own dime.
I saved some dimes. After Desert Storm I saved an entire case of “gratuitous issue” Kiwi from the burn pit, which lasted the rest of my career! 🙂
The Crossfire Peacekeepers I’ve had for a while now looks like they’ll fit the bill. They’re however finished in Vibram Sierras, not the classic Panama sole. Also as far as I am aware, no puncture protection.
So new Sole, new color and that’s it? In the jungle, your boots will get wet,dirty and probably not stay the color they are. Weren’t they going back to BDUs for the jungle anyways? Black or Green.. the Vibram Ripple soles worked great for me in Panama and everywhere else I wore jungle boots..
So lessons just need to be relearned, hopefully not thru blood..
I was also rather underwhelmed when I saw that the upper of that boot is basically a straight-up repeat of the old VN JCBs – especially that webbing across the ankle. That center stitch always used to rub on my ankle bones and annoy the hell out of me. I was seriously hoping they’d come up with a better idea for JCB version 2.0.
I disagree with you about the color though. Even though they probably selected Coyote Brown because its the new standard, it is actually a much better color for matching to the leaf litter on the jungle floor than black or OG would be – especially as it gets dirty… It also compliments the colors of OCP and Woodland very nicely too.
Since I’m no longer in and always dealt with the Kiwi on the boot issue, Those with the non-kiwi look, what happens when they get stained, do SNCOs blow a neck vein or let it slide (garrison life)..
Now that you mention the pain points mine was the last knuckle on the big toe and the little toe. I think I put moleskin in mine to remedy it.. Yeah looking at the Marine Raiders with BDUs and their boots somewhat look out of place, maybe in the jungle they fit in. Maybe they should bring back all those crusty SF NCOs that ran JOTC and have them consult on these things..
Though it is interesting about the push for jungle warfare centric TA-50/Kit.. Maybe time for them to brush back up on jungle warfare and small unit leadership and operations, instead of worrying gender neutral combat arms.. (for another topic)
what does opening combat arms to women have anything to do with boots ?
Basically it’s a reference to DOD spending too much time on social experiments and distractions. Pipe Hitters don’t need be steelie eyed and don’t need distractions.
Really? I love my jungles but the lack of original thought is staggering.
Best Jungle boot would be a cross between a Salomon 3 and the classic boot…retaining the anti-punji sole of course
I think this boot is overdone as it is, just like the latter issue versions of the old jungle boot. That padded collar is a sponge.
I stand corrected. Someone contacted me off-line and said that the line drawing did not adequately reflect the design. Fortunately, the collar is NOT padded.
Yes. This version looks especially clunky if that makes any sense.
The soles are all chunkier than the old Panama tread from Rosearch which was a direct molded sole. Rosearch was owned by Wellco and companies leased the machinery.
I just think the renewed interest in jungle is interesting. Maybe not “new,” but new to me. We’ve been very desert/mountain focused the last 10+ years.
You can call it renewed.
What’s old is new again.
Glad they did away with the padded collar. SSD is right; it was a sponge.
Not too worried about color. After 10 minutes in the jungle they’ll be jungle colored.
If the Big Green Machine needs Jungle SME’s, give me a call . . .