Functional fabrics for uniforms worn by the Australian army will now be sourced from a Chinese textiles enterprise, but will be stitched by an Australian company has raised the heckles of the Australian Defence Association.
Executive Director of the Australian Defence Association raised a storm when he said, “Do we seriously expect our soldiers to fight a war dressed in a uniform made in China and it is also an issue of dignity.”
He added by saying that sourcing fabrics from a third country raised national concerns and security issues, since the uniforms are made to specifications that are monitored closely by defence officials.
The uniforms made from highly functional fabrics will be stitched by a Wangaratta based clothing firm, Bruck Textiles. These uniforms are worn by the elite SAS soldiers who are given two different sets of uniforms.
A legislator from Wangaratta, Ms Mirabella, said she was alarmed that the present government was letting the years of research and development put in to perfecting the uniforms, fall in to foreign hands.
Another legislator said that it was a grave mistake on the part of the Rudd administration that to save a few dollars it was putting at risk security concerns.
Fibre2fashion News Desk - India
marketing@alchempro.com
