military
Armasuisse now knows where there is a problem: soldiers receive new underpants
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The troop attempt with over 200 members of the army was successfully completed. In the future there should be new women’s underwear in the military.
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Army clothing must be adapted to the needs of women.
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The message went around the world in the spring. From the BBC and CNN to Guardian and German Spiegel – everyone suddenly became interested in the Swiss Army. He has rarely experienced such media hype, said the spokesman for Armasuisse, Kaj-Gunnar Sievert, who unexpectedly achieved international fame for military lingerie.
In April, the Swiss Army announced a troop test to test new underpants for women soldiers. The troop attempt has now been “successfully ended”, as Armasuisse reports. “The changes still to be implemented are minimal.” Specifically, this means: “With the shorts, the smallest adjustments have to be made to the cut in the area of the leg openings.” In addition, a cotton insert is incorporated into the gusset, which additionally increases the wearing comfort. In the case of the long underpants, the hip width of the model has to be reduced a little to improve wearing comfort.
200 members of the army took part
The troop trial was large-scale: over 200 members of the army from various branches of the army took part. “When selecting the test subjects, care was taken to ensure that the entire age spectrum and different figure types were represented,” says Armasuisse. This ensured that the underwear would be suitable for women in the entire army. The experiment was not only about the material composition and its construction, but also about the model design and its fit. In all tests carried out, not only the view of the users was taken into account, but also the logistics and the technical implementation.
Women’s underwear consists of underwear for the summer, i.e. a so-called panty, as Armasuisse describes the item of clothing. Close-fitting, olive green, without legs. “With a low cuff,” they say. The underwear for the winter consists of a long-sleeved shirt, long underpants and an under jacket. No further attempts are necessary. “According to the procurement plan, the women’s underwear can be procured with additional items.” The troop attempt cost 13,000 francs.
The world may be amused by this arms business. But the matter is serious. Federal Councilor Viola Amherd would like to increase the percentage of women in the army and this includes appropriate clothing and equipment. The Defense Minister has commissioned an external study on women in the army, which deals with the “specific needs of women in the army”. This also includes the equipment. As spokesman Sievert said: “This is a very serious matter.”
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