[VB]

I'm really curious to see where this was going. The Army currently is a very confused organization, that is having trouble coming to grips with modern asymmetric warfare.

Lots of waste, lots of dead end projects.

We'll see...

The Army has finally released the Camouflage Improvement Effort solicitation. The solicitation closes at 1PM on 31 May 2011. In 45 days potential offerors must submit their design concepts. Following this will be a multi-phase effort to search for a new family of camouflage patterns consisting of woodland, desert, multi-terrain or transitional patterns in addition to a possible fourth pattern for field equipment such as armor and packs. The final decision won’t be made for two years and Soldiers will be stuck in the current ill-suited UCP for that entire time as well as well into a transition period. Based on this course of action, we could see UCP being used for another three to five years despite the availability of more effective patterns.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/53101604/US-Army-Camouflage-Improvement-Effort-Solicitation

 

[acrwill]

i realy hate acu's!!! i want multicam now!!!

 

[novtec1]

we got whole brigades over here in afghanistan wearing multicam... you only can wear it in afghan or iraq... no plan for stateside wear yet.. from what i heard.

 

[acrwill]

negitive no muticam in iraq unless yer sf!

 

[SDDuc996]

Seems everybody and their brother's wearing them here. Army, Air Force, Brits, the Aussies are switching to them...

Says a lot about the pattern. One of the guys was on a cell phone standing on a bunker with a mountain as his backdrop. I walked by and didn't even notice him until he moved.

 

[acrwill]

dcu's or marpat would be best here. multicam would be preety good too thought.

 

[SDDuc996]

There's some areas here though where woodland (or equivalent) works better. I believe one of the best desert patterns is MARPAT/AOR1.

 

[bigdog2003_99]

i realy hate acu's!!! i want multicam now!!!

i was doing pldc/wlc right when the uniform changover was happening, we attacked a squad in the field and anyone with the acu's on stuck out like sore thumbs, the jungle camo actually worked pretty good though... funny thing is in every pic from overseas the acu's are still doing the same thing

 

[ThunderDan19]

Yeah, they are slow, but at least the Army is admitting the problem and starting the process of finding/implementing a solution. I think it is also a step in the right direction that they are abandoning the "universal" camo concept. That was just plain asinine.

 

[DSM]

I'm sure everyone else with a .mil address got it but several months back we all got a canned message from the SecDef's office urging us to go to some site to submit ideas for saving the DoD money. It was funny to me because it read like, "We're shit out of ideas folks, what've you got?"

My suggestion was quite simple and to the point; why is every service going stupid with this uniform BS? Shoot, I just saw not long ago the Navy is looking at making their own version of marpat (slightly different shades of course) for their ground based guys. The AF has their abortion of a "battle" uniform (Wear tested by some 3-star fighter jock at his desk so it must be good to go, right?). The Army's ACU I think has it right in the pattern of the cut such as pockets and fit but the camo is useless. The Marines at least have something that makes sense and is simple.

Service uniforms are where each service can set themselves apart and have their traditions, shiny insignia, dangles and bobbles. A "combat" uniform should be exactly that. Logistically, if something were to happen the 'reach back' ability would be choked trying to refit every soldier, sailor, airman and marine in the theater just in replacement uniforms. Standardize it, streamline it, and they'll save billions.

 

[novtec1]

i think the marines have the best uniform/pattern. I do like the Multicam and think we should just get issued that. The current ACU pattern and uniform is garbage, Not duriable worth a damn and only think you blend in with is a gravel parking lot. but hey thats just my opinion.

 

[Tommys229]

I'm sure everyone else with a .mil address got it but several months back we all got a canned message from the SecDef's office urging us to go to some site to submit ideas for saving the DoD money. It was funny to me because it read like, "We're shit out of ideas folks, what've you got?"

My suggestion was quite simple and to the point; why is every service going stupid with this uniform BS? Shoot, I just saw not long ago the Navy is looking at making their own version of marpat (slightly different shades of course) for their ground based guys. The AF has their abortion of a "battle" uniform (Wear tested by some 3-star fighter jock at his desk so it must be good to go, right?). The Army's ACU I think has it right in the pattern of the cut such as pockets and fit but the camo is useless. The Marines at least have something that makes sense and is simple.

Service uniforms are where each service can set themselves apart and have their traditions, shiny insignia, dangles and bobbles. A "combat" uniform should be exactly that. Logistically, if something were to happen the 'reach back' ability would be choked trying to refit every soldier, sailor, airman and marine in the theater just in replacement uniforms. Standardize it, streamline it, and they'll save billions.

Agreed.

I hate having to maintain sets of desert digi and woodland digi, but it makes more sense to have the right uniform for the right situation. And none of the other branches have the right uniform...except for the new multicam

 

[acrwill]

i think the marines have the best uniform/pattern. I do like the Multicam and think we should just get issued that. The current ACU pattern and uniform is garbage, Not duriable worth a damn and only think you blend in with is a gravel parking lot. but hey thats just my opinion.​

i agree! althought i have used acu's while hunting in northern nevada. blends in with sage brush preety good. lol

 

[oif0709]

I agree. The marine uniforms work well. I've seen both in their respective environments where mine kind of only blended into a gravel lot before sunrise. I have seen the multicam pictures in the environment they're meant for and it looms like it does well. The marine uniforms loom pretty heavyweaight. Is that correct? Acu's are thinner matereal and don't breath well I missed out on the bdus and dcus but alot of the guys seems to prefer wearing dcus.

 

[Apostle]

i think the marines have the best uniform/pattern. I do like the Multicam and think we should just get issued that. The current ACU pattern and uniform is garbage, Not duriable worth a damn and only think you blend in with is a gravel parking lot. but hey thats just my opinion.

It all depends on the enviroment. I played paintball years ago in the fall when the trees lost their leaves and the grass was all dead, and the guys wearing ACUs were damn near invisable. Now I see pics of guys in 'stan or Iraq and think, WTF?

Last fall I was backpacking in the mountains the first week of archery season, and came upon a guy in head to toe woodland MARPAT. Walked with in 5 feet of him and didn't even see him. He scared the shit outta me when he moved.

I realize the cost associated with having all the different patterns, but when being seen and not being seen means someones life...

 

[mike1100]

Regarding common sense, cost and someone's life.......

Sorry gents, but I have a gripe. I'm a Navy Reservist and up until recently I was with an expeditionary type unit that wears woodland BDUs. Because of the nature of the job it made sense.

What doesn't make sense is the Navy decided it was a good idea for sailors on ships to wear blue digital camo BDUs. In my opinion, for those aboard ship, blaze orange or chartreuse, like flight deckhands, makes a lot more sense. I'd rather improve the chances of sailors actually being spotted should they fall overboard.

For all US groundpounders, they should get the best camo available.