According to Military.com, the U.S. Navy’s new jacket that is exclusively made for the Navy Surface Warfare Officers (SWO) is now available for order.
Active-duty and Reserve SWOs can now place their orders to Naval Surface Forces to get the unisex black leather jacket that was authorized by the Navy earlier this year. The orders must be placed via an order form that has a signed letterhead to be processed.
At the uniform’s announcement, the Navy officials said that the jacket is meant to build esprit de corps, a feeling of pride, among the community, and reflect the warfighter expertise that comes with earning an SWO pin.
The special jacket is similar to a bomber jacket worn by Naval Aviators. “Those who wear the jacket will be easily identified as a part of a long lineage of professional ship drivers and maritime warfighters,” Vice Adm. Richard Brown, commander of Naval Surface Forces, said in January.
The SWO jacket is primarily meant to be worn at sea as an authorized outer garment and as optional wear ashore with service or dress uniforms in few settings. The unisex jacket is available in regular and long jacket lengths.
The Naval Surface Forces have also included a measurement guide on the ordering website to refer for a proper fit.
A Navy administrative jacket message states, “The SWO leather jacket will be worn squarely on the shoulders, zipped three-fourths of the way up, collar down and sleeves fully extended between wrist and the lower thumb knuckle.”
A name tag is also required to be worn to identify the wearer. Other than this, name patches are the only devices that are authorized to be worn on the SWO jacket.
The issue of the SWO jackets was meant to be made available earlier in June, however, got delayed to the ongoing pandemic.