PHILADELPHIA –
The U.S. Space Force’s newest Guardians were the first trainees to wear the new service dress uniform for a basic military training graduation ceremony at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, Dec. 18, thanks to the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support Clothing and Textiles supply chain.
“I feel an incredible sense of pride in our DLA team and in the new Guardians beginning their service today,” said Christopher Gaudio, C&T’s recruit training center and clothing sales stores division chief.
Gaudio represented DLA at the graduation with Angela Maragni, a C&T product specialist.
“To witness the first-ever graduating class wearing these uniforms, which are a direct result of the dedicated partnership between the Space Force, DLA, and our industry partners, is incredibly rewarding,” Gaudio said. “It’s a powerful, visible reminder of our core mission: ensuring our nation’s defenders are equipped for success and respected for their service.”
The C&T team collaborated with its internal contracting, technical and customer teams, the Space Force, the Air Force Uniform Office and domestic fabric and clothing vendors from initial concept and design to production and delivery.
C&T is supporting the Space Force’s fielding of the new dress uniform to approximately 11,000 Guardians and new recruits annually, with nearly 600,000 items in more than 400 sizes, Gaudio said.
The Space Force dress uniform ensemble includes men’s and women’s dark blue dress coats, caps, lightweight jackets, belts, enlisted rank and color insignia, as well as men’s trousers, shirts and ties, and women’s slacks, skirts, cravats and overblouses.
Uraina Gray-Scully, C&T’s product services and technical support chief, described the uniform as modern with unique features, including a semi-fitted coat with an asymmetrical six-button front closure, and a military standup collar with cording.
Considering the Space Force is a smaller and newer military service, C&T was intentional in working with vendors to establish the right support structure for smaller fabric and end-item quantities compared to other services, said Arlett R. Hartie, integrated supply team chief for C&T’s accessories team. Hartie and team lead acquisitions for the Space Force dress uniform accessories and was instrumental in fielding the Space Force’s first physical training uniform’s last year.
“We had a lot of collaboration even prior to award so that we could be ready to hit the ground running with the acquisition,” Hartie said.
Gray-Scully and the dress clothing team ensured vendors met uniform specifications from pre-production to testing and provided on-site support at cloth and garment manufacturers, including shade evaluation for Space Form dress uniform items.
“It really is a collaborative effort when we are at the production facilities,” Gray-Scully said. “The specifications allow for minor adjustments, since all garment manufacturing facilities operate differently.”
For example, while C&T personnel visited a coat manufacturer with customer representatives, slight adjustments were made to the coat’s button placement and collar.
Lisa Vivino, C&T’s contracting division chief for dress clothing, described this as a common challenge with new items being produced for the first time.
“Once the contracts were in place, as with anytime with a brand new item, you think everything is good, the specification, the shade [evaluation], all that stuff, and then as the vendors begin to produce as the experts in the field, they begin to notice things that are challenges and make recommendations of things we might want to consider,” Vivino said.
Vivino led contracting oversight for the high-visibility roll-out, as her team executed acquisitions to meet the Space Force’s roll-out deadlines.
“It was complex, a lot of communications, a lot of collaborations across C&T, industry, and the Space Force,” Vivino said. “We’re proud of [our work] and glad it was successful.”
With about 16 contracts in place since late 2024 and earlier this year, C&T provided initial quantities to Guardians for the service’s Oct. 1 and Dec. 1 initial implementation deadlines, Vivino said.
“All of the items have been in production, and all of the deliveries have been underway for several months now,” Vivino said.
The Space Force started pre-orders for some Guardians including recruiters, training instructors, December ROTC graduates, and senior leaders in November, according to its website. Pre-ordered uniforms are scheduled for delivery by June 2026.
“Going forward, we’ll continue to use the forecast to continue the sustainment support for the Space Force,” David Cortes, C&T’s dress clothing planning chief, said.