All American Shoe

New Balance wants to make the shoe for military recruits. Army Times reports that the company has unveiled a sneaker prototype that could become standard-issue in boot camps. If that happened it could eliminate altogether the cash allowance system that let recruits buy foreign-made shoes as long as they stay below an $80 one-time allowance. New Balance's shoe would be all-American made. Details about the specialized sneaker first surfaced when a group of lawmakers visited a Masschusetts New Balance factory in August. Later this month the Pentagon will host an industry briefing with a host of U.S. shoemakers to ultimately decide who will get the lucrative military contract.