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No change in clothing allowances for soldiers

Marines, sailors, airmen, and Coast Guardsmen will see relatively robust increases in their annual clothing allowances to pay for wear and tear on their military uniforms in fiscal 2008, but soldiers had no changes to their uniform clothing bag and thus will see no change in their clothing allowances in fiscal 2008.

The new allowances took effect Oct. 1, the beginning of the new fiscal year.

The charts

2008 clothing allowances

2008 clothing bags, men and women

The military provides a complete set of uniforms for enlisted members when they first enter service. They are then paid annual allowances based on how long it takes each item to wear out, dividing the cost by how many years the item is expected to last. For example, a duffel bag might be expected to last 10 years or more, while T-shirts would be expected to be replaced after a few months.

The clothing allowance typically is paid on the anniversary of the day members entered the military. People with fewer than three years of service receive a basic clothing allowance to begin replacing items from their initial issue as they wear out. Also, at the end of the first year of active duty, enlisted troops receive only half of the yearly allowance because it is assumed they do not need to replace any clothing in their first six months.

After enlisted troops complete three years on active duty, they begin receiving the standard clothing allowance, which is higher than the basic allowance.

To replace an entire set of uniform items, an Army enlisted man would pay $1,330.70, which is $6.14 less than last fiscal year. An Army enlisted woman would pay $1,622.36, an increase of $13.06 compared to last year.

The basic clothing bags for both Army men and women remain exactly the same as in fiscal 2007, so soldiers’ standard and basic clothing replacement allowances also remain the same.

For men, the Army’s standard replacement allowance is $529.20 and the basic allowance is $370.80. For women, the standard replacement allowance is $619.20, while the basic allowance is $432.