New Balance has officially been given the honorable opportunity of becoming the official footwear of the United States military.
The Department of Defense has awarded New Balance a hefty $17.3 million contract to produce American-made sneakers to recruits arriving at basic training.
According to Sole Collector, New Balance was chosen in conjunction with the Berry Amendment (1941), which “requires the U.S. military to provide its personnel with high-quality American-made equipment” to the greatest extent possible. Members of the congressional delegation of Maine, which is home to three New Balance factories, urged the Pentagon to recognize the law for quite some time now. Previously, the Department of Defense had not issued recruits equipment that was compliant tight the Berry Amendment.
The contract, which contains a base performance period of 18-months with an additional 18-month option contract clause, is also a score for 1,000+ New Balance employees in it’s three Maine factories.
“There are nearly 1,000 New Balance employees in Skowhegan, Norridgewock, and Norway who work hard to manufacture high-quality, American-made athletic footwear,” Senators Collins and King and Representative Poliquin said in a joint statement. “By including our provision in the fiscal year 2017 NDAA and ensuring the Department of Defense applies the Berry Amendment to athletic footwear for recruits, the Pentagon is now rightly prioritizing American workers and supporting American jobs to equip U.S. troops.”
Although it may seem like a good thing that American-made companies are getting military contracts, some believe the military is pigeon-holing soldiers into wearing a products they wouldn’t necessarily prefer. Previously, the Army, Air Force and Navy issued $80 to new recruits to buy a pair of running shoes.
[h/t Sole Collector]