The Secretary of the Army announced on 13 June 2011 via Army Directive 2011-11 that “Effective 14 June 2011, the ACU patrol cap is the primary headgear for all Soldiers as the duty uniform headgear.”
The soldiers didn’t like the fact that the beret was hot — it was not something that they wore the majority of the time,” reports SMA Chandler “And they didn’t like the fact it didn’t shade the sun and it took two hands to put on. And they didn’t like to carry two pieces of headgear to do different functions during the day.”
Along with this change, Soldier are now authorized to sew on the US Army tape, name tape, and rank insignia as an option at their own expense. Soldiers may also sew on all authorized skill and identification badges at their own expense as supplies become available.
The shoulder sleeve insignia-current organization (unit patch), shoulder sleeve insignia-former wartime service (combat patch), tabs, and the US flag are NOT authorized to be sewn on.
I would personally advise Soldiers to wait for further guidance from their commands before executing the wear of the patrol cap.
For full details on changes to the Army Combat Uniform (ACU) Items, refer to the attached Army Directive.
Happy 236th Birthday United States Army!!!
