Here, we see Soldiers from the US Army’s 1/158th Long Range Surveillance and Australian 51st Far Queensland Regiment, Norforce and the Pilbara Regiment as a joint Australian/U.S. surveillance unit at Shoalwater Bay Training Area, Queensland, Australia, during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2011.
Australian Defence Force photo by ADF Lance Corporal Mark Doran/Released
Since it looks like PEO Soldier programs are on the chopping block, we thought this photo would be a great reminder to all as to why there is a Army Camouflage Improvement Effort. All we see these days are photos out of Afghanistan with Soldiers sporting the effective OCP. Don’t forget, it’s a big world out there and in most of it, UCP is still the uniform of the day.
Stay the course. Select and field effective camouflage for our troops.
Tags: Australia
I wear OCP (set of Cryes) everyday over here. I absolutely cannot fathom putting back on the “other” pattern when I get home. WE HAVE A FREAKIN SOLUTION PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!! Why spend the money when OCP is proven. I wear it everyday in combat. I have worn it at home (US). I have worn it in multiple desert terrains. I have friends who wear it in the jungle. It works. Are there other patterns that work? Yes, but I don’t think they are as universal. I know I’m just a “joe” but come on. This should be an easy fix. Maybe even as easy as when they used chimpanzes to pick the “other” pattern.
@James – I think it was actually Magpies that they used in the UCP selection process. After all, they like bright shiny things…
Solid OD from the 60’s would be an improvement. Really, it’s that bad.
I’m serious when I ask this, who was the approving authority for UCP? Was it one person? If so I want their name. Was it a committee? I want their names. I would like to ask them what their thought process was in choosing UCP. Research data? Actual effectiveness in field conditions? A big thumbs up from Joe because Joe just loved this neat’o new pattern?
As a guy that has to wear this crap everyday I think I deserve an answer to my questions.
Mike – I feel for you bro. I’m so glad I never had to wear that crap. I think you deserve an answer, I think Congress deserves an answer, and I think the American Taxpayer deserves a frikkin answer!!!
Worst-case scenario pic, either a well-intentioned effort of a unit leader to have his guys looking their best (notice the new boots on most of those dudes) or a well-calculated effort of a unit leader to show just how bad it can be. Their uniforms may not have had the exposure to the elements that seasons a well-worn ACU uniform. They are, after all, Guard guys who have to fight even harder, through more BS, for quality field time than an AD unit. Before you start the flamin’ and hatin’, let me state that I am a Reservist who gets out to the field as often as circumstances allow, and spends a LOT more than 2 weeks a year on AD most years, as far from the flagpole as possible. A properly-maintained uniform (washed in brightener-free detergent–I STILL talk to people unaware of “the list,” to include the contractors doing our laundry downrange) with time in the field doesn’t look quite that bad. Also, the distinct tan cast of the FRACU (which I’m surprised to see these guys NOT wearing) sucks a lot less in terms of coloration. Yeah, sucks less. Awesome.
All that said, let me state that UCP is an abomination, when it goes away I’ll be doing the full on happy dance. If the parties responsible are still in the employ of the finest Army in the world they should be flown to every division post for a sit down with a few thousand of the people most affected by their service branding decision. If they’re retired, a portion of their pension (no more than a third, I promise) should be rolled into a trust that every joe who dug into his own pocket for a piece of UCP gear can file a claim with.
Straps,
Nobody is bagging on the troops. It’s the inappropriateness of the camo pattern that is at issue here.
The Editor
UCP should never have been given to our troops. How can this controversy still be going on. Also how much money has been wasted on a pattern that is not effective. Crye has been there from the start and has well proven its self over and over again. And still the gov wastes money trying to find a new pattern.
@Admin, sorry–I prob’ly spent too much time qualifying my remarks. Point remains that new-ish ACUs are completely unsuitable for wear in the field.
I’d say ANY ACUs are completely unsuitable for field wear.
It will all be over soon for UCP atleast,Its just that they made so much of this awful looking thing we see it in some places like South Korea witch was one of many place where it didn’t belong Iraq,Saudi Arabia,Afghanistan,Panama,Grenada ect ect,I had and still have one simple soulution since theres No such thing as universal camouflage, When your in a city that has nothing but jungle around it wear the Woodlands,If your in a city thats sorounded by sand and its arid wear Desert Because “Not all cities” will be Gray in color or green gray or whatever UCP has on it,From what ive seen when i was a kid and to now,I first saw our boys march or parachute into the Stan and Iraq i tended to notice that alot of thier buildings are prety much the same color as the very dirt the walk on,In the end saving money blinded the army from thinking straight and putting the troops into more proper patterns that would have saved many lives,They had BDU and DCU those were good enough and DBDU would have been good for afghanistan exept we shit caned it to early,Just be patient and will see what comes.
For desert and urban warfare of the last decade the UCP made sense. Unfortunately, there is more than desert and urban environments in the world. We’ll see what comes out of the current field trials.
With a $14.5 Trillion national debt and the ongoing debt ceiling goatscrew, does anyone really believe the camouflage improvement program will ever be completed? Three patterns? Are you f’ing kidding me?
Get serious. UCP was/is a huge waste of money, but a completely new set of patterns is an even bigger waste of money when the “good enough” solution is already being used by our boys in the ‘Stan. Just expand it to the rest of the Army and be done with it.
Chuck,
If the debt is driving decisions then the Army should just stick with UCP. Replacing UCP with any pattern(s) will be expensive to the tune of billions with a “b.”
The Editor
Yeah exactly in their mind set our government spends billions every Hour,So im sure they figure it wont hurt to blow a few Billion more with a big ass “B” to finaly get something like camouflage Right,Grey Ghost crap was a curse from the getgo but suprisingly congress finaly got worried last year about the seeing everybody in different colors the different fabrics and the time it takes to make them that they spoke up about it,Now the only soulotion we seem to have is to create three various battlefield suited camos and once this has been done with the Army we can soon pass it out to the rest of the branches the Marine Corps are”Excluded”from it,boom deal done problem gone,I would also like to add that like UCP Multicam is the same it would not work in all places at once and its to bright for most wooded land plus it seems they will probably replace multicam with their so called third pattern”mixed Desert and Woodalnd i assume,Witch means it will operate in similar way as multicam.