Marine Corps Meets 2026 Goal with Over 31,000 New Recruits

October 2, 2026, The Marine Corps met its fiscal year 2026 recruitment goal with over 31,000 enlisted Marines, thanks to a high volume of interested applicants and strong retention. Read more in the Marine Times.

Harvard University Transforms Waste Wool from American Woolen Company into Cladding for Retrofits

September 27, 2026, Grinham Research Group at Harvard University has developed an insulating cladding tile made from waste wool, which was presented at this year's Oslo Architecture Triennale.

For the Oslo Architecture Triennale installation, Grinham Research Group sourced preconsumer waste wool from the American Woolen Company in Connecticut. It used a mixture of naturally coloured and dyed fibres, which resulted in the variations in tile colours.

Grinham Research Group saw the potential in wool's insulative, fire-resistant and antibacterial properties, and wanted to save it from being discarded as a residual material in the agricultural and textile industries.

Read more HERE.

Buy American Waiver Relating to Certain Textile Equipment Approved

September 17, 2026, The USDA-ARS Cotton Quality and Innovation Research Unit requires a roving frame and a rotor spinning frame to support fiber-to-yarn processing research, cotton quality improvement, and pilot-scale textile development. These machines provide essential process control capabilities, including adjustable drafting, twist settings, rotor speeds, and small-batch experimental operation, all necessary for research not feasible in commercial production mills.

See the waiver HERE.

DLA Troop Support Honors Gloria Simons for Service in Clothing and Textiles

October 1, 2026, Standing before an room filled with colleagues, service members and loved ones, Army Brig. Gen. Sean Kelly, commander of Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, marked an extraordinary milestone this month as the command celebrated the retirement of two longtime federal civil servants whose careers span a combined 76 years.

Gloria Simons and William “Bill” Diaz were formally recognized for 41 and 35 years of distinguished service, respectively. As the nation’s combat logistics support agency, DLA delivers end-to-end global supply chain solutions to all military branches and combatant commands, a strategic mission carried out through the sustained expertise of dedicated civil servants like Simons and Diaz.

Simons, a strategic sourcing specialist in the CLOTHING and TEXTILES supply chain, began her 40-year career on Oct. 2, 1985, as a supply clerk at Norfolk Naval Air Station, Virginia. Over four decades, she held critical logistics posts across DLA Troop Support Subsistence, DLA Energy at Fort Belvoir, the Defense Commissary Agency and Clothing and Textiles, strengthening supply chain agility at every phase of her service.

Read more HERE.

Award Notice: Insignia, Grade, Enlisted, Cap

October 1, 2026, Award Notice: Insignia, Grade, Enlisted, Cap.

Awardee: Kennedy Inc.

Award Amount: $33,440.

See: SAM Notification.

Navy Exceeds Recruiting Goal with over 45,000 New Sailors

October 1, 2026, the U.S. Navy announced that it surpassed its fiscal 2026 recruiting goal, continuing a trend of meeting its fleet’s manpower needs several years in a row.

Read more in the Military Times.

Determination Under the Textile and Apparel Commercial Availability Provision of the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (``CAFTA-DR'')

The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (``CITA'') has determined that certain faux leather fabric bonded to a pile fabric, as specified below, is not available in commercial quantities in a timely manner in the CAFTA-DR countries. The product is added to the list in Annex 3.25 of the CAFTA-DR in unrestricted quantities.

Specifications: Certain Faux Leather Fabric Bonded to a Pile Fabric

HTS: 6001.10; 6001.92.00.
Fabric Type: Knit fabric, faux leather bonded to a pile fabric.
Fiber Content:
Face: Faux leather fabric constructed from a 100% polyester knit fabric.
Back: Sherpa knit pile fabric 60-64% polyester, 36-40% acrylic.

Yarn Size:
    Face: 75 Denier sea-island filament 100% polyester used for both warp and weft.
    Back: Binding polyester 150 denier polyester combined with tops acrylic fiber, weighing between 8 to 18 grams.

Thread Count:
    Face: Wales/cm 32, Course/cm 32.
    Back: Wales/cm 7, Course/cm 8.
    Weight: 442-488 grams per square meter.
    Width: 137 to 143 centimeters (equivalent to 53.9 inches to 56.30 inches).

Weave: Knit in both, face and back.

Coloration:
    Face: Roll dyed, colors: black, brown and green and overprinted;
    Back side: fiber Dyed in colors black, brown and green.
    
Finishing: Bonded using the Moltopren heat process, which involves a flame lamination technique that fuses the layers through controlled heat and pressure.
    
The finished sherpa hair has a height of approximately 4 to 7 mm in the back.

Additional Information: Sea island fiber is also known as super-conjugate fiber or butterfly polyester yarn, is formed by a core component dispersed in another polymer in a longitudinally continuous way. Polymer material forms the core part, which is also called the island phase or dispersed phase. Another polymer is called sea component, sea phase, or continuous phase. Because original dispersed phase fiber presents as an island state in the fiber section, it is called sea-island fiber.