Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Navy: Unlike that stick-in-the-mud Army, we cool with Five Finger shoes

Unlike the Army, as they say. UNCLAS //N01000// NAVADMIN 238/11 MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N1/AUG// SUBJ/MINIMALIST FOOTWEAR// REF/A/DOC/NAVPERS 156651/01JAN03// AMPN/REF A IS NAVY UNIFORM REGULATIONS// RMKS/1. THIS NAVADMIN AUTHORIZES THE WEARING OF MINIMALIST FOOTWEAR WITH THE NAVY PHYSICAL TRAINING UNIFORM (PTU) DURING COMMAND/UNITDIRECTED PHYSICAL TRAINING (PT), INDIVIDUAL PT, AND ACTIVITIES TO INCLUDE THE SEMI-ANNUAL PHYSICAL READINESS TEST ...

By , a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy.
Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedia Commons

Unlike the Army, as they say.

UNCLAS //N01000//
NAVADMIN 238/11
MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N1/AUG//
SUBJ/MINIMALIST FOOTWEAR//
REF/A/DOC/NAVPERS 156651/01JAN03//
AMPN/REF A IS NAVY UNIFORM REGULATIONS//
RMKS/1. THIS NAVADMIN AUTHORIZES THE WEARING OF MINIMALIST FOOTWEAR WITH THE NAVY PHYSICAL TRAINING UNIFORM (PTU) DURING COMMAND/UNITDIRECTED PHYSICAL TRAINING (PT), INDIVIDUAL PT, AND ACTIVITIES TO INCLUDE THE SEMI-ANNUAL PHYSICAL READINESS TEST (PRT).
2. MINIMALIST FOOTWEAR IS DEFINED AS SHOES THAT ALLOW THE FOOT TO FUNCTION NATURALLY WITHOUT PROVIDING ADDITIONAL SUPPORT OR CUSHIONING. ANY SHOE THAT IS MARKETED AS MINIMALIST OR BAREFOOT-LIKE FOOTWEAR (CURRENT TYPES SUCH AS THE – VIBRAM FIVE FINGERS, NIKE FREE SHOES, VIVO BAREFOOT SHOES, INOV-8 SHOE, AND
FEELMAX) ARE AUTHORIZED FOR WEAR WITH THE PTU.

(Tip of the BD hat to J "Jet Fuel" P)

Thomas E. Ricks is a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy. Twitter: @tomricks1

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