Although the size of the force has gotten smaller over the past two decades, the size of individual sailors has grown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s no secret the overall size \u2014 end strength \u2014 of the Navy has gotten decreased over the past two decades, the physical size of the sailors is bigger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s the conclusion of a year-and-a-half-long\u00a0Navy “correlation <\/span>study in which several thousand sailors were measured to see if body dimensions had changed since the last studies were done two decades ago. A similar but larger Army study, completed in 2012, found that soldiers were typically larger than in years past” done over the past year and a half, \u00a0seeking to determine if the average sailor has grown over the past few decades as their Army counterparts found out a few years ago<\/span>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Navy uses body measurement data to\u00a0as they <\/span>design everything from cockpits\u00a0to coveralls.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Proper wear and <\/span>fit is critical to the effectiveness of\u00a0is as important in a dress uniform as it is in <\/span>protective gear, such as chemical suits, and<\/span> firefighting harnesses and masks, and even <\/span>helmets. But it is also important in a uniform, both in terms of appearance and comfort.for things<\/span> And the data the Navy uses to set sizes has become obsolete. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n “It\u2019s been more than 20 years since the Navy has measured its personnel, and the men and women of the force have physically changed in that time,” said Capt. Robert Gantt, the <\/span>deputy commander for uniform programs at Navy Exchange Service Command. “U.S. Navy body dimensions were last measured in 1997 for males and 1988 for females.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Navy Exchange,<\/span> uses the size <\/span>data to create the sizes and patterns for all the uniforms in a sailor\u2019s seabag. But with the Navy\u2019s data in some cases was thirty to fourth-years<\/span>\u00a030-40 years out of date, in some cases, Gantt said, <\/span>they needed new data to before they could <\/span>create new patterns, Gantt said.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n But in tight budget times, a<\/span>A comprehensive\u00a0completely new <\/span>study that would provide all new data on sailors’ sizes and shapes would have cost many millions of dollars \u2014 a tough sell in such fiscally constrained times, and wasn’t feasible \u00a0wasn\u2019t really practical and a fiscal last resort in the minds of officials<\/span>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead, Navy officials they <\/span>turned to the Army, which in <\/span>between 2007 and 2012 measured more than\u00a0over <\/span>13,000 male and female\u00a0soldiers, taking 94 different measurements of each subject. That \u00a0which <\/span>created a database of over 2 two-<\/span>million data points, according to Gantt.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n We were hoping that we’d be able to use their data instead of having to do a full-size study of our own,” Gantt said. “But first we needed to correlate their data and conclusions to the people in the Navy.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “To validate the Army’s data, we needed to measure a demographically valid and statistically balanced cross section of the Navy,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Those measurements took place\u00a0Measuring the Navy\u2019s force happened <\/span>between October,<\/span> 2014 and June,<\/span> 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The exchange\u2019s uniform experts, with the help of the Navy Clothing and Textile Research Facility in Natick, Massachusetts, measured a total of <\/span>3,371 sailors \u2014 2,360 menmale<\/span>\u00a0and 1,011 women female sailors <\/span>\u2014 at seven different commands around the Norfolk fleet concentration area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “That was actually way more than we needed for a statistically valid sample,” Gantt he <\/span>said. “We also only took 25 different measurements of each subject; the Army did 94 different dimensions of each.”\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n And t<\/span>The bottom line is that sailors, like\u00a0as well as <\/span>soldiers, on average, <\/span>have typically increased in physical <\/span>size since\u00a0between <\/span>the late ’80s and ’90s1980s and the present<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Army\u2019s final <\/span>study, published in 2012, concluded that soldiers were no taller than before\u00a0service members had generally stayed the same height<\/span>, but were wider and heavier than in 1988, when the Army had last done last did <\/span>a soldier-size study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On average, male soldiers\u00a0men, the study said <\/span>were only .016 inch taller but 15.4 pounds heavier. Chest circumference increased by 2.65 inches, waist circumference by 3.09 inches larger<\/span> and buttock circumference by 1.41 inches. Shoulder\u00a0breadth was \u00a00.73 inches wider.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Female soldiers, on average, are actually\u00a0saw similar changes being today average, <\/span>\u00a0.035 inches shorter now than they were 25 years ago, but and <\/span>12.6 pounds heavier than 25-years before<\/span>. Female chest circumference increased 1.56 inches,\u00a0and the average<\/span> waist circumference by 2.7 inches larger and with <\/span>buttock circumference by increasing <\/span>2.14 inches. Shoulder breadth for women increased by 0.69 inches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A comparative analysis of the Navy and Army’s anthropometric data and the Army data showed\u00a0(which was collected between 2010 and 2012) was conducted and it was determined <\/span>that a correlation does exist between the demographics of the Navy and Army<\/span>\u00a0two populations. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n This means that <\/span>Navy anthropometric data collected in 2014-15 can be used to supplement the more extensive Army database, which in turn can be used to update the sizing of Navy uniforms and off-set the cost and long lead time associated with conducting a full-blown Navy anthropometric study<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On average, men, the study said were only .016 inch taller but 15.4 pounds heavier. Chest circumference increased by 2.65 inches , waist circumference by 3.09 inches larger and buttock circumference by 1.41. Shoulder breadth was \u00a00.73 wider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Women saw similar changes being today average, \u00a0.035 inches shorter and 12.6 pounds heavier than 25-years before. Female chest circumference increased 1.56 inches and the average waist circumference 2.7 inches larger with buttock circumference increasing 2.14 inches. Shoulder breadth for women increased by 0.69 inch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the data shows what Gantt \u00a0has shown Gantt what was <\/span>suspected all along, how the <\/span>Navy uniform dimensions sizes uniforms for everyone <\/span>needs<\/span> to change. That may mean the Navy needs more uniforms in bigger sizes, but more importantly, in any given size, the relationships between waist, hips, buttocks, shoulders and other uniform dimensions will likely need to change.\u00a0First, the Navy will update exactly how they size uniforms to reflect the new body data, Gantt said.\u00a0<\/span>That will it will <\/span>take a few years, before any new resized uniforms start to be stacked on exchange shelves, however<\/span>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, Gantt said, <\/span>all the master patterns for each of the Navy\u2019s uniforms will be updated to reflect the new data, Gantt said,\u00a0as well, <\/span>but that\u2019s expected to happen gradually, not all at once. . \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n “This will eventually lead to updated sizing patterns for uniforms, organizational clothing and personal protective equipment,” he said. “This will improve fit, appearance and comfort for sailors.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n As these are updated, sample uniforms of all the new sizes will be produced, and sailors will again be called for what is called <\/span>a “fit test” to see how these uniforms look and feel on actual sailors. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Whichever uniforms are selected to validate the new master patterns, they will likely be the first uniforms to adopt the improved sizing and patterns \u2014 this will likely take place within the next several years,” Gantt said \u00a0“Other uniforms would likely be modified with the new sizing data and patterns in a methodical and incremental fashion as determined by Navy leadership.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Wider, heavier sailors mean new sizes for uniforms and gear.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":70581,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":65,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[12,65],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3087],"class_list":["post-37187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-your-navy"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"GJQAVYIPOFEFHBJK3YQ6YCZZG4","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-navy\/2016\/02\/06\/navy-uniform-changes-will-accommodate-bigger-bulkier-sailors\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n