No posts earlier today because I attended a detailed briefing with Army officials about their new program to field two new uniforms in Afghanistan to see if an alternative to the UCP is needed. We reported this earlier with the help of our friends at Soldier Systems, and in the interest of full disclosure, I need to give credit to my good friend Matt Cox at Army Times who broke the story.
Here’s an excerpt of tomorrow’s lead story on Military.com:
The Army is set to field new combat uniforms to two battalions in Afghanistan next month in an effort to better equip combat troops fighting in the varied terrain found in that rugged climate.
For years some Soldiers had complained about the current multi-environment Universal Camouflage Pattern, arguing the toned down grey and green stood out in desert environments, rocky ridges and forested valleys found throughout eastern Afghanistan where most Army units now operate.
The new camo schemes include the Crye Precision-made MultiCam and a new pattern designed by the Natick Soldier Systems Center in Massachusetts.
MultiCam was designed several years ago with the help of Natick and is popular with special operations forces in the Army and Air Force — with some operators already wearing the squiggly brown, tan and green uniforms in Afghan combat.
Natick also developed a new variation of the UCP by adding coyote tan to the pattern, and will field the so-called UCP-Delta alongside the MultiCam one.
“We’re trying not to just deal with anecdotal information,” said Brig. Gen. Peter Fuller, chief of the Army’s Program Executive Office Soldier, during a Sept. 16 briefing with reporters at the Pentagon. “Just because someone else might be wearing something doesn’t mean that that is the best for all the environments.”
And Matt also broke the story of a 2009 study completed by Natick that showed the MultiCam performed better than a bunch of patterns as a “universal” camo and that MARPAT, Desert Brush and a Syrian scheme killed the UCP in almost all scenes. I obtained a copy of the study and I’d like to share it with our readers to do their own analysis…there’s a ton of data, but here’s the jist:
Though Army officials are loath to admit the UCP’s shortcomings, a 2009 Natick study showed the current uniform performing worse than four other commercially available patterns in all environments, including urban, desert and woodland.
The study, which was first reported by the Army Times and a copy of which was obtained by Military.com, said MultiCam performed best as a universal pattern.
“If Army leadership desires a to maintain a single, multi-environment camouflage pattern for combat missions, data from this evaluation show the MultiCam pattern is the best overall, readily available pattern,” the study said.
The study indicated that the Marine Corps desert digital pattern, or MARPAT, and another pattern called Desert Brush performed best in arid and urban environments, while the MultiCam “was not as good as MARPAT and Desert Brush patterns it was significantly better than both patterns in two out of three woodland scenes,” the study said.
Both desert MARPAT and Desert Brush performed better than the UCP in eight of nine scenes testers evaluated, while MultiCam performed better than UCP in seven of nine scenes.
Photosimulation Camouflage Detection Test
Please be sure to read the entire story at Military.com on Sept. 17.
(Photo: C. Todd Lopez)
– Christian
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
Give the Army what the Marines are wearing!
Oh yea, there’s some idiot army general(s) who says my soldiers will NEVER wear what the Marines wear even if it is better than what the Army uses. The hell with saving lives and money.
I have been saying that all the services should be wearing MARPAT the minute I was finished watching the Discovery Channel on the Development of MARPAT. I almost lost my mind when the Air Force first came out with the Blue Tiger stripes! I’m in Korea right now and I have been seeing and advertisement on a site you can speak directly to Sec Gates… Think I might just drop him a line worst they can do is make me retire right?
Are you aware that the MARPAT was a copy of the CADPAT? Did you know that MARPAT was used without consent while CADPAT was under development?
Someone correct me because I’m thinking I am reading this wrong. I haven’t read that report, but the militarytimes.com article yesterday made it seem like *desert* Marpat outperformed UCP in a *woodland* environment.
And i suspect the decision to use UCP was mostly recruitment/image driven. The uniform is distinctive and looks “cool” (put your mind in that of an 18 year old). Same reason they will never switch to Marpat. Its about the Army image.
Issue with the study…one of the conclusions the sudy had was making the PPE and LBE and such a single color. Since PPE and LBE tend to cover a major portion of the torso, why have a multi coloured camo uniform, if a single color will cover it in combat????? Never understood this rational when I had to do so.
The biggest issue I have with the whole UCP argument is this: We were deeply engaged in both Afghanistan and Iraq when it was developed and deployed. We either didn’t see problems or weren’t listening to any issues with them. Why all of a sudden are we now testing them again?
This didn’t seem to become an issue when the services all used the Woodland pattern or desert pattern uniforms. I know why the UCP was created, its because the Marines created MARPAT. It set off those in the chain of command with this we gotta one up the marines idea.
When I was in the service the joke we had was if you were looking for us in the field, just look for the slightly green thing moving out there. All I say is could we at least keep the idea of a uniform that doesn’t need to be starched or ironed and keep those non shine boots?
as a reference/example of my previous post, see the photo at the top of this article. The coyote brown PPE covers the majority of the blouse being shown. Hard to tell exactly what the camo pattern looks like, with that big brown blob…
That shirt in the picture is Multicam, similar to the new TRU or the older Crye style combat shirt with the “under armor” cooling/wicking torso, and camo on the areas that would be exposed if you were wearing body armor. Use your imagination and imagine that shirt, with a multicam Interceptor and pouches over it and you get the idea.
FYI, the pouches are COTS already, the only thing they would have to make is the armor carrier (interceptor vest) and there are COTS solutions for that as well. Theres also the “spray paint the carrier coyote brown and hang multicam pouches off it” approach which seems to work well as long as you use the right color/colors.
Clearly the report validates that one camouflage does not, and will not, be suitable across the environmental spectrum.
Since Multicam seemed to show good across environment results maybe can be used as a base pattern. For a Desert/Arid uniform develop a somewhat lighter version. For a more vegetated environment darken the pattern. And use the current Multicam pattern on the PPE/LBE/MOLLE gear.
I would also suggest that the
this is why i left in the army in the first place. the leadership knew multicam was better and pick UCP anyways. this kind of stupidity of do the wrong thing anyways exists throughout the army.
To sum up the report: if you wish to have a universal pattern, it’s going to be half-assed in most environments.
It’s like a knife… jack of all trades, master of none.
Anyways, why were there no pictures taken of people wearing camo in in-theater environments. Surely taking a picture of a person in Iraq or Afghan isn’t impossible. Very little cost too!
Seems like a lot of these tests are very susceptible to the likes of the colour of paint of the buildings in the MOUT. Surely a slightly different brick colour in Afghan would yield totally different results.
Utterly pointless. I don’t even know what war this camo is made for!
At this point, why don’t we just go back to the old OD Greens? Seems it might be just as effective in some of these environments. There isn’t a full solution here. Afghanistan is challenging because you can face forested areas, mountainous areas, heavy snowfall and open deserts all in the same country. The Taliban doesn’t seem to have much of a problem blending in for an ambush. The only reason we do isn’t because of the camo. We come in big hulking vehicles or by helicopter. Do our guys go on long road marches out there? And even if we do, its not like we are concealing that we are doing it.
So if we think about it, have we had issues trying to set ambushes for these guys and the uniform’s color has given them away?
All I have to say to those bragging about the marine uniform is if you want a marine uniform, join the marines. Period. End of discussion on this trivial matter.
When the army developed acupat, the service actually did want a one uniform concept. How ever, if you take a look at how the uniform is colored and patterned, it is clearly not a one uniform uniform.
For those who are the multicam gear crowd, multicam is not all that either. Yeah, the pattern
looks cool, but in dry sage brush, reddish colored rocks, and sand, it works as well as ACU.
If the army wants good cammo uniforms, then go back to the desert DCU patterns or woodland BDU patterns. Simple, effective, and avialable. But to waste millions to test another fashion eyesore, forget it.
There's plenty of examples of one branch developing something which is made standard across all other branches. Why shouldn't MARPAT be adopted by the Army?
I could’nt figure out why the army went ACU either, I dont really care. I’m very happy with my multicam stuff, maybe Crye didnt kiss enough ass to get the contract….Military gear rocks no-matter the color!!
I find that all the scientific gyrations are interesting. But, what is more interesting is that once the science has been determined, that politics takes over. ACU are difficult to hide in, going digital as a good idea, but when “the second land army” gets it right, just give then credit, change the anchor and globe to a star, and move out. These latest colors are interesting, but are they really that different?
What a waste of my tax dollars. Well at least we gave the desert storm uniforms to Iraqi army and the old desert camis I wore to US Navy. A million here, a million there…
If the ACU pattern does not work in Afghan deserts, why do we even have it (and in Iraq, also a DESERT), but those generals who approved it and pushed it are probably retired. BUT, most operations in Iraq are urban.
Go figure. Now that we have given all the warehouses full of desert storm uniforms to Iraq, what to do, what to do. Keep Natick and the uniform contractors working.
Lou : I am with you in all aspects. This UCP of ours is a piece of junk,that someone somewhere decided to buy. I conclude also with you,that the Muticam is the best in almost all environments and conditions, with the exception that we must also get rid of all that velcro thing, that is so nasty, uncomfortable and noisy. Also those big pockets on the arms should be eliminated, and we must used our ranks again on the arms, as they were used during the Second World War, Korea and Vietnam, when Nam started. Those little ranks, on the front of the ACU’s, and on the shoulders of the Class B, doesn’t say anything at all of the image that should be proyected by an NCO. Finally, I am also with you in regard,that we must return to the “Dress Uniform” wore during the Second World War.
All, the best pattern is what the United States Marine Corps have, MARPAT Woodland /Desert. They are functional and practical for garrision and combat. My brother is presently in Mosul, Iraq. He really stick out in the desert in his Army cammies. The enemy can spot him a mile away.Plus he has more velcro than the factory that makes it. Am sure the Army brass will not go with what the Marine Corps has.
Semper Fi all
And why would be use what the Marines wear? Okay, their camo looks cool. Good, great, grand, wonderful. BUT THAT’S THEIR THING!!!
Multi-cam is what we should have gotten in the first place. It works….everywhere. I don’t mean to bash the ACU. It looks cool, and that’s about it. Maybe keep it around for garrison use, but in Afghan or Iraq….no.
THE ACU and the Air Forces ABU and what ever the hell that thing is the navy is now wearing are all garbage. i hate to say this being an Airman but the Marines got it right! MARPAT is hands down the best. it’s not just an opinion it’s test prove it. two uniforms both combat functional. the Army now is back pedaling and the few of us AF folks that do go outside the fence never wear the ABU. oh and not to completely change the subject but can we get rid of this blousing nonsense. never do it when in country. and it looks better.
Marines win agin hoo rur
I think the quickest and cheapest solution would be to bring out the DCU's. I have several sets hanging up in my closet and would rather go outside the fence in them than ACU's.