British Soldiers Get Germ-Fighting Undies

Associated Press via Yahoo ^ | August 19, 2005

[NCjim]

LONDON - British troops combating the heat and dust of Iraq and Afghanistan have a new weapon in their armory — germ-fighting underwear. The antimicrobial underpants have been introduced by the Ministry of Defense as part of a new desert uniform for soldiers. They are the first undergarments issued to British troops, who traditionally have had to supply their own.

Military officials said Thursday the unisex trunks were made from artificial fibers for comfort, with silver particles woven into the material to prevent sweating.

"It is coated to prevent bacterial infection, and we have tried to arrange the seams so that they don't chafe," Col. Silas Suchanek, who led the team that procured the new equipment, said Thursday.

The army's new desert kit also includes boots with rubber soles designed to withstand temperatures of up to 572 degrees, wraparound sunglasses, light Kevlar-nylon helmets and "combat sandals" for off-duty wear.

The British Army has faced criticism for allegedly inadequate equipment. A government report on a military exercise in Oman in 2001 found that soldiers complained that standard-issue boots fell apart or melted in the sun and in some instances caused foot rot, while the man-made fibers of standard uniforms resulted in heat-stress illnesses.

The government acknowledged that at least a quarter of troops bought some of their own equipment, with U.S. Army desert boots a particular favorite.

Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram said the new equipment would make Britain's troops "among the best equipped in the world, ready to face environments ranging from desert conditions in Iraq, monsoon conditions in Brunei, to winter in the Balkans."

"Support for the modern serviceman or woman starts from the skin out," Ingram said.

The defense ministry said the new underwear was already being issued to troops. The rest of the equipment will be introduced by March.

[NCjim]

British soldier Sergeant Paul Buckley displays an item of anti-microbial underwear, that will soon be issued to British desert forces, at Wellington Barracks in central London, Thursday Aug. 18, 2005. British soldiers, sailors and airmen and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan are soon to be equipped with a new selection of desert clothing items. The items that will be introduced into service in the near future include new desert combat assault boots, hydration systems, protective eyewear, desert load-carriage vests, the anti-microbial underwear, sweat-wicking vests and improved combat helmets.

[Gunrunner2]

"Military officials said Thursday the unisex trunks"

Unisex?

Ya mean they don't have the fly in front and they have to drop trow to pee?

Or. . .

The have the fly opening in the front and the women troops complain about wearing men's drawers?

[seenenuf]

Umm, when they make discarded skivvies disintigrate into a dust bunny - I'll think about marriage again.

[Casekirchen]

Does that mean that the Royal Commandos will no longer exist?

[kalee]

They look like biker shorts.
I don't see anyone putting these on a prisoner's head, but maybe that's the idea, these are definitely less likely to be used to humiliate terrorists.

[bill1952]

Well gee, with underwear designed for pimple free butts and boots that can walk on lava, they should all be quite ready...

[yarddog]

Well they ought to those filthy buggars. going from seaport to seaport.

[carumba]

They are black, no skid marks, no problem eh?

[glorgau]

When I was in the Army, during field exercises, I used foot powder to ward off crotch rot. Now they are using silver based antimicrobials...