INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey — The 39th Logistics Readiness Squadron received its first shipment of female specific protective wear, the Aspetto Mach V Female Body Armor System, as part of the U.S. Air Force Materiel Command’s Female Fitment Program, Jan. 12, 2021.
The FF program was created several years ago, by then Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein, to address the equipment performance issues experienced by women serving in roles that had job-specific gear requirements, such as security forces, pilots and air crews, firefighting and explosives ordnance disposal.
“The LRS team are my heroes today,” said Col. Shelly L. Mendieta, 39th Air Base Wing vice commander. “We have hundreds of front-line Airmen here and many thousands across the Air Force, so it’s absolutely essential that they get the gear they need to complete the mission. The logistics and supply chain are critical to accomplishing that and our LRS team fought to get this gear for us so others may be safely equipped and ready to fight.”
Twelve women defenders got to try on the new vests and expressed their praise, citing that the old armor made long shifts, consistent physical movement and carrying extensive amounts of heavy equipment much tougher for them.
“This new vest is much more secure and fits better,” said Airman 1st Class Desi Virginia Moorefield, 39th SFS security response team member. “It doesn’t chafe around the shoulders or neck area; there’s more padding and it holds weight against my chest instead of hanging over my stomach area and sides. If we’re not comfortable, it gets in the way of accomplishing what we must do, so I think this is a positive move in the right direction.”
Women comprise more than 20 percent of all Airmen serving in the U.S. Air Force, yet most clothing and gear previously issued was predominately male-body type centered or unisex.
(*This article includes 7 pictures)
