Apparently, additional guidance has been issued in reference to the recent authorization for commercial sale of OCP insignia. The intent of the commercial sale program is not individual sale. For some reason the Army still can’t understand that Soldiers might want to purchase extra insignia. Instead, the point of the program is to make additional MultiCam (oops, I really did mean OCP) insignia available to deploying units. However, like it or not Army, if businesses, who have a mandate to make money in order to stay in business, have products to sell, they are going to sell them to individuals as well as units. You know, capitalist society and all.
At any rate, the Institute of Heraldry will be out prowling the sew and surplus shops to ensure that vendors only offer insignia manufactured to spec. I suppose they’ll also be ensuring that only “reputable” retail establishments have access to the real deal.
All in all, it’s a bit over the top for just some patches. No wonder there are knock offs on the market.