I’ve heard lots of people opine that the US Army will just have to put that camouflage improvement effort on the back burner due to sequestration. To the contrary, the argument is exactly the opposite. The Army can’t afford to not make the change. Every day that the Army delays its decision is another day that it wastes more money by purchasing additional clothing and equipment in UCP, a pattern that by their own admission doesn’t work. So let’s get going there Army and save some money by spending some.
It doesn’t really matter which family of patterns the Army selects so long as it is more effective than UCP and that its performance is backed up by empirical data. It’s time to end the dog and pony shows. Stop briefing each other on the decision and announce it already. The consequences of sequestration are already hurting morale. Give America’s Soldiers something to be happy about, a new identity and along with it the knowledge that their camouflage pattern is as effective as they are as a fighting force.
Not to mention, a new Class-A uniform, new PT gear, and ANNOUNCE THE DAMNED UNIFORM ALREADY!
The sequestration argument applies only to Multicam. If the decision is to be made from a sequestered budget stand-point, then Multicam becomes the heir apparent. Without staying with UCP, the Crye pattern is the closest thing to an incumbent. Make sense?
I agree, just go with the Multicam family, they already have the transitional mostly in stock and it can become the defacto garrison uniform. They are just wasting money buying more stuff in UCP, just quit buying UCP and slowly integrate the Multicam family.
It could be any one of the patterns. The point is that the decision to get rid of UCP has been made, now all that is missing are the details. To continue to purchase anything in UCP is throwing good money after bad. Time to invest in the future.
While the Army would certainly save some money by utilizing OCP (Multicam) equipment and clothing already in service beyond Afghanistan, the track they’ve gone down with the Camoflage Improvement Effort is to field whatever pattern is proven most effective through their test and evaluation program, whether it be Crye, US4CES, Kryptek, or Brookwood.
Right on. To “just go with the incumbent” would amount to throwing away all of the time, effort, money, expertise, etc. that’s been gained through the Improvement Initiative – and it would open up all kinds of protests from all of the companies involved.
And by the way, MultiCam is only the “incumbent” for Afghanistan – UCP is the real incumbent Army camo pattern – and it needs to GO.
‘Every day that the Army delays its decision is another day that it wastes more money by purchasing additional clothing and equipment in UCP, a pattern that by their own admission doesn’t work.’ …. Could not have said it better.
‘It doesn’t really matter which family of patterns the Army selects so long as it is more effective than UCP and that its performance is backed up by empirical data.’….As long as they go with a FAMILY of patterns and not compromise by just picking one pattern again.
In addition, the sooner it is known, the sooner the industry can start producing and selling products in those patterns en masse. And that certainly can’t hurt the economy.
Amen
They really need to just decide to purchase all TA-50 from here on out in coyote brown (or another basic color) that way, if, or when they decide to change camouflage patterns they don’t need to worry about purchasing new TA-50 which typically takes longer to wear out and be replaced. It’s what they should have done from the beginning.
Testing has shown that this actually highlights the wearer.
Yup, look at any Marine down range. Great camo utilities, big brown vest center mass. It’s a clear aiming point.
However SF and Ranger Batt wear Multicam and Coyote Tan gear and it blends together at a distance pretty well.
Maybe in small doses – but a solid colored IOTV and backpack (or similar) really does negate the camouflage benefit of the uniform – and make a nice center-of-mass aiming point.
A change in camouflage pattern would also be an excellent opportunity to achieve concealment of another change ….
Namely, a change in uniform pattern away from the failed and horrible ACU and towards better features, such as those in the new Navy Type II/III NWUs.
It would be nice, but so far, not in the cards.
So what you’re saying is that there are people involved in that decision who frequent this site, and they could conceivably respond to appeals to reason?
Maybe this could work out after all.
But I’m still thinking 14 June, and I’ll have aged out of any possibility of being issued (or even authorized) the new color scheme…
Hopefully the Air Force follows suit and picks up MultiCam or one of the fine camo patterns that the Army is looking at. The ACU may be horrible to some, but trust me, you’ve not worn the burlap material the AF is forced to wear. The ACU is a fine piece of work compared to the ABU.
We now have that horrible camo available in NYCO ripstop!
Whatever they pick (should they choose to) I hope it doesn’t fade to white after only a year’s worth of wear & washes.
Like most people, I was excited about a new uniform. After a few years of wearing it, I’ve concluded that it doesn’t provide anything to the wearer. No concealment, no true functionality… But the AF treats the uniform differently than other Branches. We’ve switched to MultiCam for AFG deployments, but we should start considering updating our uniform again. The only place this uniform blends in is.. No where at all.
I wonder if they would consider applying OICE US4CES camo on the firearms. The black rifle really screws up everything.
Black colored rifles are so cool!
You didn’t get the memo? according to weapons expert Feinstein, aquiring a weapon with a black finish increases it’s lethality 10 fold. Unfortunately, she also claims that holding one instantly triggers a crippling bout of ptsd
As a civilian, i must say that Feinstein is long overdue for retirement from politics. She knows absolutely ZERO about firearms! Pistols and ARs included. Her train of thought is right up there with VP, Foot-in-Mouth, Joe Biden! 😀
Rumors, ie posted announcements at my unit, say that US4CES won. Production starts Spring. Can anyone prove this wrong or right?
cant confirm it ide just wait til its offically annouced
You can’t confirm it because the PPT is a fake.
WRONG! I’ve written about this several times. That PPT is a fake.
Would be funny if that ended up being the case though…. would make that fake PPT almost prophetic…. or just lucky 🙂
Lucky, some knucklehead wrote it on a military computer down range.
Camo has a better chance of surviving sequestration than the Carbine replacement program. The M4 is in the field, works, and can be improved incrementally over time. is it the best? Maybe not, but it at least works.
The UCP doesn’t work and exposes soldiers in the field which is precisely the opposite of what it was intended to do.