New Balance Wants Military Shoes to be US-Made

Friday, 06 May 2011 | by Pat's Picks

Federal law dictates that all clothes worn by US military personnel be made in America except for one thing, says the Boston Globe: their sneakers. Because of a rule change two years ago, recruits get a shoe allowance to buy whatever shoes they want. And to the chagrin of Boston-based New Balance, their choice is often a foreign brand. The company and local politicians would like to re-extend the made-in-American mandate (known as the Berry Amendment, it has been around since WWII) to include sneakers; no one is quite sure why it was amended to exclude footwear back in 2009.