37 U.S.C. § 418 — Clothing allowance: enlisted members

(a) The Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Homeland Security for the Coast Guard when it is not part of the Navy, may decide what quantity and kind of clothing to give each year to an enlisted member of the armed forces or National Guard. If clothing is not furnished, they may instead set a cash allowance to pay that member. (b) When deciding the clothing or allowances for National Guard technicians under section 709 of title 32, the Secretary of Defense must consider that those technicians are required to wear a uniform under subsection (b) of that section. (c) A person covered by subsection (b) cannot also get a uniform allowance or uniforms under section 1593 of title 10 or section 5901 of title 5, for any period when they already get clothing or a uniform allowance under this section. (d) (1) When members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Space Force need athletic footwear on first entering the armed forces, the Secretary of Defense must give them the footwear directly instead of paying a cash allowance for them to buy it. (2) In buying that footwear, the Secretary of Defense must (A) buy footwear that meets the requirements of section 4862 of title 10, without regard to any simplified acquisition threshold under chapter 137's legacy provisions or any other law, and (B) for two years after the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 became law, buy extra athletic footwear so new members have enough choices to reduce athletic injuries and other unnecessary risks during initial training. (3) This subsection does not stop the Secretary from giving a member a cash allowance to buy athletic footwear instead, if that footwear is medically required for the member's specific physical needs and no footwear meeting this subsection's requirements can meet those needs. (4) This subsection does not apply to furnishing athletic footwear to new members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Space Force — and does not stop giving them a cash allowance instead — if the Secretary of Defense decides that following paragraph (2) would mean only one certified supplier could provide the footwear, making it a sole-source contract. (5) The Secretary of Defense must make sure every athletic footwear purchase under this subsection uses firm fixed-price contracts.