Lighter ABUs and other stories in this week's Air Force Times

A lighter version of the ABU should be in stores in 16 bases in hot climes by mid June and available to everyone online by the end of the month, said Senior Master Sgt. Kecia R. Uyeno.

The new uniforms are made of the same fabric as the Army’s camouflage uniform, so they should be lighter and cooler than the current ABU, said Uyeno, superintendent of Air Force Uniform Programs and Policies.

Industry is only making the lighter uniform, so most sizes of the current ABU should be out of stock by the end of the year, Uyeno said. Airmen are not allowed to combine parts of the old and new uniforms.

Meanwhile, Col. Jeannie Leavitt is set to become the first woman to command an Air Force fighter wing.

In June, Leavitt will take charge of the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C.

Leavitt was the first female mission-qualified fighter pilot and the first woman to graduate from the Air Force Weapons School. She also has more than 2,500 flight hours in the F-15 E Strike Eagle.

And Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., is cracking down on airmen who talk on their cell phones without a hands-free device while driving. The penalty for being caught is losing your base driving privileges for seven days. Get caught for a second time and you will be walking for 30 days.

Considering that talking on your cell phone has been a “primary offense” for years, the move at Tyndall is long overdue, said Thomas Lane, director of Force Health Management at Langley Air Force Base, Va.

“I think it’s about time that this obvious violation is addressed,” he wrote in an email. “I can’t count the number of times I’ve driven on base and seen two or more drivers talking on their cell phones.

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