Air Force Blues

Yet another battle uniform for our soldiers, in mulit-cam. It appears to be only for those in Afghanistan, but.....I'm not sure what to think. And infused with permethrin? What happens in the first washing/dry cleaning? Does that take the bug protection away? I'm not sure I like the boots, despite being Danner's (thereby comfortable as all get out!). Too hiker looking, which doesn't fit with uniforms, at least to me.....

http://www.army.mil/-news/2010/03/02/35184-soldiers-deploying-to-afghanistan-to-get-new-multicam-uniforms-boots-gear/index.html

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, March 1, 2010) -- Soldiers deploying to Afghanistan will be issued the new "MultiCam" fire-resistant Army Combat Uniform complete with new Mountain Combat Boots and MultiCam-patterned Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment, or MOLLE, gear beginning in July.

At mobilization sites throughout the U.S., the uniform will be issued to deploying troops as part of the Rapid Fielding Initiative process, and Soldiers already in Afghanistan are scheduled to receive the MultiCam this fall.

"Anything we can do to give our Soldiers an edge, we want to do," said Col. William E. Cole, project manager for Soldier protection and individual equipment at the Program Executive Office, or PEO, Soldier on Fort Belvoir.

The decision to field and develop an alternative camouflage for uniforms in Afghanistan came out of the realization that the Army's current Universal Camouflage Pattern, or UCP, did not meet all of the concealment needs for Afghanistan's multiple regions.

"Afghanistan is a unique camouflage challenge because it's such a terrain-diverse country," Cole explained. He also confirmed that the uniforms and gear in MultiCam will for now only be used in Afghanistan.

In Afghanistan, Soldiers on a single patrol can potentially go from desert conditions, to wooded areas, villages, and rocky mountain environments. When coming up with a new camouflage color palette, PEO Soldier wanted to be sure the uniforms gave Soldiers a combat edge in each possible terrain situation.

Similar to the Battle Dress Uniform woodland print, the new MultiCam is a combination of seven different shades which "takes in surrounding colors." A jumble of greens, browns and beige, the MultiCam camouflage presents a solution to Afghanistan's multiple-region problem.

"Troops like the fact that it helps them blend in to different terrain types," Cole said of the new pattern.

Beginning in September 2009, four phases of developing and testing new camouflage options were initiated: deciding on alternative uniform patterns, conducting testing and Soldier feedback, choosing a final pattern to produce, and evaluating a long-term plan for the Army Combat Uniform.

First, a unit field-tested the ACU in MultiCam alongside their standard-issue ACUs, while another tested the UCP-Delta, a digital pattern with the added color 'coyote brown' for better concealment. When polled, the MultiCam and the UCP-D ended up as the top two choices by Soldiers.

Then, a team representing the U.S. Army Infantry Center, PEO Soldier, Natick Labs, the Asymmetric Warfare Group, Army Special Operations Command, and the U.S. Naval Research Center traveled throughout Afghanistan to gather data on six different patterns including the UCP, UCP-D and MultiCam. They took photos of Soldiers in the six different uniforms against eight terrain conditions. From those pictures, photo simulation was created comparing the uniforms at different distances and settings.

About 750 Soldiers who had recently deployed to Afghanistan were then asked to judge the uniforms in the photos based on their detectability, blend-ability, and rank them from best to worst-the MultiCam was chosen as the best performer in all categories.

The MultiCam, while cut in the same style as the ACU, will have several upgrades including a reinforced seat, buttons on the trouser cargo pockets, be constructed of flame-resistant fabric (like the newer ACUs), and treated with permethrin. New Mountain Combat Boots will also be issued to deploying Soldiers, which feature a tougher, more durable sole for gripping the mountainous Afghan terrain.

So far, three of the four phases of exploring camouflage alternatives have been completed, while the process of making a long-term decision about the ACU, and how big a role the MultiCam camouflage will play is still up for debate.

Thank. You. God. It's about time common sense prevailed. It only took 6 years (give or take), but someone finally realized that there's no such thing as "universal" camouflage.

Keep in mind it's only for Afghanistan (at least for now). My bet is they will eventually become the "deployment" uniform, much like DCU's once were. My bet is that, initially, only AF personnel attached to Army units (aka JTACs and SOF) will be authorized to wear it. Then, after a couple years of kicking, screaming, and "evaluations" the AF will adapt it as a service wide deployed UOD. Or at least an inferior version of it with more pen pockets But we'll keep the green boots.

And I could care less about bug repellant. That stuff never seemed to work very well anyway.

Dangit. The timing of this sucks. I will already be there when this stuff comes online.

*Sigh

Tactical uniforms should be designed based on the environment, not the branch of service. Bullets don't give a shit if you're a jarhead or an airman. Service parochialism is just fine for garrison.

Hey, the ballpoint pen is the bayonet of my trade. Don't diss the pen pockets. Although the sleeve pockets on the ABUs either need to be moved lower on the sleeve or be done away with.

And yes, I don't think the revelation that the color green causes foot decay would deter the Air Force away from green boots. They have an odd fixation on them it seems. As long as they don't make everybody in the Air Force wear berets without earning them, like some armed forces.

I like this idea of camouflage uniforms specific to deployed regions, though making this work for more than one or two regions would be a logistical pain in the ass. The new camo looks promising though.

Speaking of crazy camo choices, anybody here familiar with the old "Dazzle" camo patterns they used to use on Navy ships? With the jagged uneven patterns with red and black flashes in it? It was designed with the assumption that a large ship at sea would be hard to hide, and instead made it a fucking PITA to figure out the size, shape, and distance of the ship from the viewer.

These? Measures 31 through 33 are most commonly referred to as 'disruptive' camo. Neat stuff, really makes you wonder if it worked. Some of the other Measures are pretty interesting, a few making attempts to make the ship look smaller than it actually is, look as if it's at speed with a large bow wave, or blend in with the horizon or the surface.

So, Multicam is the new hotness. Wouldn't it be nice if you only got uniforms for the region you were deploying to? Stateside, one camo pattern. Going somewhere? Go get the pattern you need, wear it until you get back.

We already do that to an extent, if you're being shipped to the desert, you get desert pattern flight suits, hats, etc.

IVE SEEN THOSE BOOTS AT WAL-MART!!!

Ah fack me man! Again? Yes it makes sense but schitt they just sold us on the damn abu pattern and now sure as you were born they (The AF brass) will follow suit.

In the specific AOR it's fine, but I can see the brass making this a common uniform, like the ABU. That IS how we managed to get the BDU and ABU, isn't it?

It seems its already become the UOD for combat controllers. Find any recent picture of CCT's, and look at what they're wearing.

Every Uniform Change=Millions to some douchebag clothing company. Follow the $$--What is the company providing these items that Service Members have to buy, and what is the political clout held by that company's owners?

Who stands to benefit?

I'm fairly certain that we aren't sole-sourcing uniforms. If we are, then why do we still have ABU color problems?

Because Govt contracting critters and vendors could fuck up a one-car funeral procession?

I dunno about who's actually manufacturing the uniforms for us, but the clever bastards at Crye Precision patented the multi-cam pattern. In fact, the word Multicam itself is copyrighted. I don't think anyone's being forced to buy it (yet); AFAIK its all issued. But the price of a pair of Multicam pants alone makes Baby Jesus cry.