FORT BENNING, Ga. - For some time, TRADOC Capability Manager-Soldier considered bringing in its own czar of sorts dedicated to gaining the female perspective in clothing and individual equipment across the Army.
Until the arrival of SFC Simone Reed in late April, the Fort Benning organization never had one before.
"Having a senior female NCO in that position is probably something we should've had a while back, but we were finally able to put something together and get a female NCO who could help us specifically with female issues," said Pat Berger, the deputy TCM-Soldier. "Some of us old guys have been in the Army a long time and don't necessarily understand those matters ... We needed to have a female NCO who could go out and talk to female Soldiers from the user perspective about equipment issues - but not to the exclusion of other Soldiers."
Reed isn't new to Fort Benning. Prior to joining TCM-Soldier, she was a platoon sergeant with B Company, 1st Battalion, 11th Infantry Regiment - which teaches Basic Officer Leader Course II - and has been here for more than four years.
She said TCM-Soldier wants to get better user feedback from women about potential changes to uniforms and equipment that can benefit female Soldiers. But as the clothing and individual equipment representative, she's not limiting herself to the concerns of one gender.
"In this office, we deal with anything Soldiers use, consume or wear," she said. "We act as a sounding board for the Soldiers, whether they're male or female, officer or enlisted."
Still, there is added emphasis on women's uniforms and equipment that didn't exist before Reed, unit officials said.
Reed said she acts as a liaison between the Soldiers and product managers at Fort Belvoir, Va. The feedback gathered in the field ultimately reaches the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center in Massachusetts.
"It's a collaborative effort," she said. "We provide information and they make decisions on any changes."
The office addresses all uniform items - everything from physical-training gear and ACUs to dress greens and boots. Surveys cover preferences, dislikes and what Soldiers might alter if given the option.
From the female Soldier's viewpoint, Army body armor and how well it fits has been a longtime concern, Reed said. Deployments in the war on terrorism have magnified the issue, she said, because "you're in it more than 12 hours a day."
In December, Reed will deploy to Afghanistan for three to four months to collect Soldier feedback on the uniform.
TCM-Soldier, engineers and product managers are working on a new ACU uniform for female Soldiers, officials said. The variations remain under development and it's unclear how soon it will be available.
"They'll always look at uniform issues ... for corrections," Berger said. "The camouflage pattern on ACUs may not be appropriate for all. It's something that's being assessed, and certainly (Reed) has some input in that."
Reed's work as a platoon sergeant and squad leader with brigade combat teams in the past made her a strong choice for this position, Berger said.
"We wanted someone who was pretty experienced and articulate," he said, "We wanted someone who has a good military presence and could relate well to Soldiers and be able to ask the right kinds of questions, and be able to draw out their feedback and put that into a form where she could make recommendations on improvements."
The position isn't recognized as a required billet by the Army or TRADOC, but it figures to have a lasting impact on all female Soldiers since TCM-Soldier is the proponent for CIE issues Armywide and cuts across every formation, Berger said.
"I don't know how long it'll take to see the fruits of this, but we're going to try to maintain a senior female NCO within our office as long as we can," he said. "And we'll go out and seek from a unit on post a female NCO to replace (Reed) when it comes time for her to move on."
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