Malden Mills Industries Inc., Lawrence, Mass., has received contracts worth $21 million to provide
Polartec® garments to the US Armed Forces. The funding, awarded under the 2005 Defense
Appropriations bill, includes $1.5 million for continued research and development of electronic
textiles to be used in the Army’s Combat Casualty Care program. Such textiles will enable remote
monitoring of the vital signs and location of soldiers in combat by medics responsible for their
care.
Polartec programs include the Army Extended Cold Weather Clothing System, the Marine Corps
Mountain Cold Weather Clothing and Equipment Program, and the Navy Air Warfare Centers
Multi-Climate Protection System.
In addition to the programs funded by Congress, a US Army Rapid Fielding Initiative approved
by the US Department of Defense specifies 400,000 sets of silkweight shirts and pants made with
Polartec Power Dry® fabrics for use as a base layer by the Special Operations Forces and the Army.
The quick-drying bicomponent fabric wicks perspiration away from the body, is highly breathable and
has a soft surface on the side worn next to the skin for added comfort.
October 2004
