As more frontline jobs open to women, lawmakers say the Army needs to consider adopting a combat boot specially designed for female soldiers.

The House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness inserted a requirement for a survey of at least 2,000 female soldiers in a markup of the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act.

The markup requested "a survey of no fewer than 2,000 female Aactive Dduty and Reserve Ccomponent soldiers from a variety of relevant military occupational specialties to determine whether or not they are satisfied with the fit, size, and performance of combat footwear issued to them."

Carbullido said the survey, which lawmakers want done by Sept. 1, was a committee initiative, not necessarily one pushed by a particular member.

Coyote Brown Army Combat Boot. Source: Army

The Army Combat Boot is coyote brown.

Photo Credit: Army

On Wednesday, HASC will debate the elements of subcommittee markups as well as the chairman's version (released today) and incorporate some proposed elements into the NDAA.

The committee attempted to insert the survey last year, too, but it failed to make the Senate bill signed into law last November. Language from that year's effort noted that the Defense Department policy toward women in some combat roles had shifted in 2013. That markup praised the Pentagon's Organizational Clothing and Individual Equipment for Female Military Members study, but noted that it did not evaluate combat boots.

"With additional MOS' opening to female soldiers, that the Army has been slow to field equipment adapted to women compounds the issue," said Carbullido.

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