Environmental Clothing Systems
GEN III ECWCS Logistics: Kitting & Assembly
ADS created an entire new department to service the GEN III contract, bringing expertise not found in other prime vendors. Experts in materials, manufacturing, and logistics management have been brought in-house. Not only has this benefited the ECWCS program but enhanced awareness of the supply chain has paid dividends in virtually every aspect of their support to the warfighter. They can now anticipate issues with availability of products from a wide variety of causes and help a customer select a solution that meets their delivery schedule. As the Army transitions its forces in Afghanistan to the use of Crye’s MultiCam, these same principles will be applied to new variants of GEN III and Free as well as alternative combat clothing and equipment for a multitude of organizations and warfighters.
Ultimately, all of these systems have been developed based on specific requirements and rely on a tried and true system of levels used in various combinations to provide protection and comfort to the wearer. Granted, some tailoring has occurred in various programs to accommodate niche user groups such as new levels instituted in the PCU program. Additionally, the FREE system eliminates the puffy level 7 insulating level found in PCU and GEN III. But this is the beauty of the system. Each level provides a desired effect and accomplishes a certain mission. New materials and technologies can be inserted into any of the levels as they become available and this does not change the overall system.
If a customer were to approach ADS wishing to purchase an environmental clothing system, the team at ADS would begin by defining the true requirement. Based on this requirement, ADS offers a variety of options to the customer including custom options if there is nothing on the shelf that would fit their needs. They have done this time and time again. In fact, both GEN III and FREE are examples of this methodology.
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Eric Graves is the Editor of Soldier Systems Daily, a web-based publication of the tactical industry. He is a retired Air Force officer who also saw service as a non-commissioned officer in the US Army. Following his military service he worked for a period in the defense technology arena and started Soldier Systems Daily in 2008.
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[...] to be worn in temperatures ranging from 40 deg to -50 deg F, PCU is a 8 level environmental clothing system consisting of a variety of performance clothing items [...]