Should Soldiers wear the Class B/Tropical uniform for daily duties?

MSG,

Yes and No. Some jobs by all means wear the dress uniform. I can understand hospital staff, staff sections, Military Police but the Soldiers in the motorpools where before intructing I spent most of my time that is unpractical and would damage the uniforms daily. I also understand the jobs in the military like JAG, IG, Eo, SHARP or the pentagon, recruiters, intructors ect.

Much as I would like to say yes to this question, as there are plenty of soldiers at BN and higher that don't do dirty work on a daily basis, I just can't see it as practical for the force as a whole.  Plenty of people have already argued the cost of it, which is accurate and doesn't really need to be touched on again, but as duties change throughout the day, changing in and out of a dress-style uniform is going to do more damage to the uniform than leaving it hanging in the closet until actually needed.  Even if the clothing allowance were to receive a minor boost and the cost of the uniform reduced to make this kind of move feasible (as suggested in a number of responses here), the number of uniforms needed/gone through is just ridiculous.  I personally have no problem forking out the extra cash to maintain enough uniforms that I can have a steady rotation of them in the event I mess one up, but not everyone is so willing or able.  Life is expensive too.

To revise your initial question SGM, I wouldn't necessarily call one uniform more professional than another.  A uniform by it's very nature is professional, it's the jackass in it that brings it discredit, by action or appearance.  If we want to look like a professional force then our daily uniform has to be able to look professional, regardless of role or duty position.  The ACU is horrible to maintain and even with newer guidance that lets us sew on name tapes, rank and badges they still look like garbage after less than a day's wear.  Pretty sure I posted in a thread somewhere else here about the days of BDUs versus ACUs.  I wear A2CUs most of the time, and they are even worse.  By all means, have those that spend the majority of their time indoors or performing light duty wear Bs, I always thought it was silly to sit at a desk in ACUs, even when I was a recruiter.  As for the rest of us, we aren't going to help anything in a utility uniform that nearly always looks like it was just unpacked from a duffel bag.  I keep mine on hangars, but as soon as I put them on and drive in to work it looks like a threw myself on a wrinkle-grenade.  I just wish someone, whose opinion actually counts, would have had sense enough 10 years ago when the ACU was getting fielded to say that it was a bad idea and looked horrible.

I do think the SMA is taking a step in the right direction by both applying sterner guidance regarding appearance and reminding leaders at all levels what the standards are and to enforce them.  The ridiculousness has to stop somewhere and I'm sorry to say, this kind of move may not be a positive change as far as professional appearance goes.

Most Soldiers must be able to do details at the drop of a hat (especially in garrison), so this uniform would not be feasible. If you made it a once day a week thing, then maybe......but if you ruin this uniform, it is much more expensive to replace than ACU's are. Personally, I think they should go back to the BDU's and black shined boots. Looks sharp, and serves a purpose as the combat uniform.

I would not mind the idea, but there would have to be some obvious adjustments made.

First, MSG Quick; I know you keep arguing that we receive a clothing allowance to cover the costs of uniforms. The new ACUs with the permethrin treatment and buttons runs approximately $90 a set. I don't agree that the shelf life on them is 6 months, but they do wear out quickly. I can usually stretch mine a bit over a year before I really start questioning the appearance of them. Sometimes I have to have new velcro sewn on or just relegate a uniform to field use only. Our junior enlisted Soldiers would eat up a big portion of the clothing allowance just replacing a couple of sets of ACUs, maybe a pair of boots that are unservicable, PTs, and other high-wear uniform items. When you add the additional burden of the Class B, plus all seasonal items (sweater, windbreaker, etc), it could quickly topple their budget. In the civilian World, most would not receive any sort of clothing allowance or the benefits which the military provides. However, we are expecting quite a bit more, and paying a bit less. I think that either an adjustment to the supply system to help support DXing uniforms or providing better service to allow for the issuance of a more complete basic set to accomidate the change would be helpful. I also think that MCCS could charge a bit less for the uniform items, which should be negotiated in the increased inventory contracting. I paid almost $90 for a pair of ASU pants a few months back. Laundering? Well, that is one that I have little simpathy for. Figure out how to launder them at home or dry clean them. It's not that expensive.

We would also have to identify who wears them and for what function. For me, most days I would be able to wear the Class B with no problems. I spend a lot of time working behind a desk. Other days, I randomly end up performing other tasks for which the Class B would only be marginally appropriate at best. The common sense answer is to change. However, we have all seen how regulations can completely miss the obvious on occassion. How do we determine what will be "off-limits" to those in ACUs? Are they going to be permitted in the PX or Food Court if we go to Class B for daily wear? Are those Soldiers going to have to deal with just the DFAC on those days? I know this seems like a bit of a situation that is a "duh, it would be this way." However, it is part of the consideration in a topic like this. We have seen regulations completely miss obvious aspects of uniform wear and then a Post or Command CSM will end up making the decision. Some make the "duh, common sense" decision while others decide it is a time to reign in something that is a pet pieve of theirs. Fleece caps, PT belts, boonie caps, and boots are examples of this.

I wouldn't mind too much, but I think the white shirt would need to go. We would see too many dingy or dirty shirts just from random stuff (leaning up against a white board, bumping the car door, etc).

The answer is probably somewhere in between. Maybe a utility uniform that is actually durable and that we can press to present a highly Soldierly appearance. The BDU was great for this. You could look like a professional and still have the function of the utility uniform. Maybe this needs to be considered in the design of our next uniform.