The United States military is constantly working on coming out with new and interesting prototypes.
Today, Air Force, Army and Navy recruits can use a one-time allowance of $80 to purchase foreign-made shoes as an exception to the Berry Amendment, which is a federal law that requires the Department of Defense to buy American-made goods whenever possible.
In the past, however, the Berry Amendment has not applied to athletic shoes, because there were no shoes on the market that were entirely made from American resources.
The idea behind this latest invention was that New Balance wanted to create a shoe that had the highest technical performance, was very light in weight and could withstand varying terrains.
That’s why New Balance, a brand that is known best for its running shoes, invented this new military sneaker prototype. This sneaker is named the 950v2 and is comprised of only U.S. – sourced materials.
New Balance’s latest shoes are made of a variety of materials and can be used by any type of runner with any sort of body type. Basically, this shoe is not one size fits all and has the potential to meet the different needs of runners.
A shoe completely made of United States sourced material as opposed to foreign-made shoes? This new Berry-compliant sneaker prototype has intrigued lawmakers.
The idea of an all-American shoe is a great one; however, the question still remains if this prototype can put its best foot forward in front of the Defense Department.
The Defense Department is currently preparing for a wear-test, in addition to a joint study of footwear to be sure that each recruit’s feet are being efficiently evaluated and matched to the shoe type that is most appropriate for their needs.
A representative at New Balance has said that the sneaker-making industry has gone overseas and the production of their U.S.-crafted shoe is an effort to revitalize the industry and bring jobs back to America.
If all goes well, the New Balance 950v2 prototype could become the standard-issue in boot camp.
Copyright Inventionland 2014
Sources:
https://www.kicksonfire.com/2014/09/02/new-balance-unveils-military-sneaker-prototype/
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