Air Force uniforms: How materials are selected Published April 1, 2009 By Brad Jessmer Air Force Uniform Office Public Affairs WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFNS) -- Air Force Uniform Office officials have a responsibility to provide Airmen with functional and effective military uniforms, but in doing so are asked the same question over and over: "Why can't you just purchase clothing from a brand company and put the Air Force symbol on it?" The answer to this question may be summed up in two words: Berry Amendment. According to the Berry Amendment, USC, Title 10, Section 2533a, Department of Defense officials are required to give preference in procurement to domestically produced and manufactured products, most notably food, clothing, fabrics and specialty metals. Congress originally passed domestic source restrictions, as part of the 1941 Fifth Supplemental DOD Appropriations Act, to protect the domestic industrial base in the time of war. What this means is a company that makes its product entirely in the U.S. will be given preference over a company that has any aspect of its production from a foreign source. There have been many comments coming from the field asking why AFUO officials don't contract with a major clothing producer, such as Nike or Under Armor for physical fitness uniforms, to provide uniform items upon which the Air Force logo could be placed. "All of the uniform items -- service dress, PT, utility, flight suits -- must be manufactured in the U.S.," said Maj. Michael Perry, Air Force clothing program manager. "The (Berry) amendment holds us to this in order to preserve not only American business, but national security." On the eve of World War II, the Berry Amendment was established to ensure the American military was furnished with uniforms and was fed with food solely produced in the U.S. The amendment was to override exceptions that were added to the Buy American Act of 1933, or BAA, for Department of Defense purchases. The BAA requires that "substantially all" of the costs of foreign components not exceed 50 percent of the cost of all components. Thus, an item can be of 51 percent domestic content and still be in compliance with the BAA. The Berry Amendment, which governs DOD procurement only, requires that items be 100 percent domestic in origin. According to the Congressional Research Service, or CRS, report for Congress on the Berry Amendment requiring defense procurement to come from domestic sources, "Economic, social and political factors come into play when examining the purpose and intent of the Berry Amendment. If the U.S. becomes dependent on purchasing equipment and supplies from foreign sources, what prevents an adversary from cutting off U.S. access to such items or refusing to build militarily critical items in times of crisis or conflict?" A survey taken by Bureau of Industry and Security statisticians on the dependencies of U.S. textile companies on foreign sources found that 27 percent reported they were not dependent upon any foreign sources for manufacturing inputs. That is, 27 percent of these companies believe that adequate supplies of these goods and services exist in the United States, although they purchased them cheaper offshore. The remaining 73 percent of reporting U.S. textile companies indicated that they were dependent upon foreign sources for at least one good or service, with the top two foreign sources being Germany and China. Almost half of these firms acknowledged that domestic firms produce the goods and services currently obtained from foreign sources, but that the foreign source was relied upon because it was cheaper. According to the CRS report, giving preference to small, minority-owned and disadvantaged businesses by DOD to help sustain their viability is cited as an additional reason for maintaining the Berry Amendment restrictions. "We've received suggestions from Airmen Air Force-wide to use major brand name companies to produce uniforms for us, but it's not that simple," explained Yvonne Wilson, AFUO senior clothing designer. "Every aspect of a garment made by a manufacturer needs to be produced in the U.S., or we can't use them by law." For any questions regarding Air Force uniforms, send your correspondence to 648AESS.clothing@wpafb.af.mil.