Known for their distinct military appearance, the Marine Corps has been experiencing a shortage in the camouflage uniform, or cammies as they have more commonly been known as since summer 2022.
This is due to inflation and troubles with the labor market. It was back in September of 2023 where the Marine Corps loosened its uniform rules, allowing for the authorization of desert-colored cammies or the flame-resistant organizational gear in place of the standard woodland-colored cammies.
“What we cannot have is a situation where a Marine is wearing unserviceable cammies, because that looks bad for the Corps, and we can’t have a situation where that Marine is being given a hard time about those unserviceable cammies,” Marine Commandant Gen. Eric Smith said.
The shortage has caused Marines to get creative with tailoring or turn towards the booming uniform resale market. The Department of Defense has awarded several uniform contracts to American Apparel Inc. to help with the manufacturing of more serviceable uniforms.
The Marine Corps states that it will be resolved in fall 2024, “a colloquial estimate for when Marines can expect all uniform shortages to be alleviated.”
With rising inflation prices, the possibility of an even bigger shortage is still high, but Marines as for right now can expect things to be resolved very soon.