By now you’ve read these cool revelations online that the Army camo program race is too close to call. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
I spent some time in the Test and Evaluation business and one thing you should notice is that the more data you collect, the closer you will come to a true average of performance. In this case, with over 120,000 data points collected, pitting four commercial families of camouflage patterns across examples of the Global Military Operating Environments, everything started to look flat. One family’s woodland might do very well yet their desert pattern, not so much, and so on throughout testing. This was especially true with the transitional patterns that all used virtually the same color palette. As test data was weighted and tabulated, everything started to look like it performed the same. And yet, there was one area, where one family of patterns stood out, and that was the family that was recommended to the Army’s leadership.
Now, we wait to hear the announcement of that decision.
Can’t wait to hear the announcement!
This is a maddeningly vague post. What area set the winner apart?
Are you speaking generally, or have you seen the data?
When was the recommendation made?
Do you know the recommendation but are just waiting for official announcement to reveal?
Does big army have a suspense date to act on recommendation?
Really wanting to hear b/c I want to start shopping for a kickass pack in the transitional pattern…
This is the Army’s announcement to make. Not mine, or anyone else’s.
Thanks for the petition!
Go buy your pack: chances are pretty good it’s already produced in the winning pattern.
If the data supports that they truly all performed the same, then I think we all know the deciding factor: dollars – one of these patterns will cost far less to implement than the rest.
But they aren’t.
https://ssdaily.tempurl.host/2013/04/17/us-army-camo-and-now-the-rest-of-the-story/
no, absolutely do NOT sign that petition. The Army is moving at a pace which is deemed necessary, It shall NOT be rushed into making a mistake decision like the UPC was. ACU’s have already been mass produced and upkeep for them is at an absolute minimum, why rush in and make another billion dollar mistake, If your going to do it, do it right. As for sharing uniforms for uniformity across DOD, thats about the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.
The CSA has been briefed multiple times. Testing is over. They know what they are going to do.
Bigpimpin? More like bigdoofus.
Just make the announcement already! If all other things are essentially equal, and one area becomes the discriminator, then so be it. No need to debate, consider, mull over, or ogle the results. Slap a signature on it and make it happen!
What a Tease!
Blame the Army. I’d be quite happy if you all knew.
Go sign the petition.
http://wh.gov/ewwE
They need to hurry and announce it… Depending on the results, it may make a bunch of Multicam kit go on sale!
A year ago was too late.
The pattern that performed best in the other-than-visual spectrums.
OMG Everyone panic and sign the petition!!!
Don’t panic, take your time to go sign the petition. But sign it all the same.
They will probably release the findings before you get all the signatures for that petition
So… They’re choosing Pencott patterns? 😉
THAT would be the logical choice – which is precisely why it’ll never happen.
I hope Pencott remains for an elite.
And I hope someone who thinks soldiers that aren’t “elite” don’t deserve good kit is never in charge of them.
You’ve been making these vague “we’re almost there!” posts for the past year or so.
Blame the Army. I only post those because I get email after email from people who want an update. As far as I am concerned NSTR is status quo.
Sounds like we are here, but that PEO decided to hold off from picking or announcing a winner. As wheeler says, a year too late.
It’s out of the hands of PEO Soldier. This is up to the Army leadership which works for the Executive branch, hence the petition.
What you should really be doing is contacting members of the Senate Armed Services Committee not the WH.
Set up a petiton like SSD did.
The Army works for the President, not Congress.
Congress writes and signs the checks.
What do you think the chances of families being combined? Like, what if Brookwood’s Desert is awesome and Crye’s Sucks (not likely for Crye), but Crye’s Woodland is phenomenal and ADS’s/Guy Cramer’s Transitional is Tops? Could the best of each be combined into one family? I know it might look a little weird though, with the actual patterning being different.
I hope they use that logic as long as they arent shafted on the price for doing so. They went to this extreme, they should pick the best of the best for soldiers in each area.
At the industry day they said that this could happen but the actual solicitation made it all but impossible. In fact, once the Army announces, I’ll drop a story that will make your jaws drop regarding the Army’s entry that was dropped.
It’s not nice to tease the starving SSD.
These teasing hints are killing me! After following this story for the last 5 years my patience has run dry!!! 🙂
The government’s entry was forced to be dropped for copyright infringement because it looked too similar to another entry? The government couldn’t compete for it’s own program? If you know of the one determining factor, please tell or give us your guess….
How about you wait for the story?
Speaking of the woodland all-over brush looking too British?
I wouldn’t have thought so no that we have our own version of Multicam from Crye…..MTP
@Jim, (No reply button), good point. Looking at it that way, you can count on it not being Multicam/MTP/rabbit ears since all allied countries have since spent millions adopting it.
I bet they also held a brain storming session on which pattern might attract the most young people to the Army. We know this was a thought involved in all of the branches decisions. Cryptek for the win in that case if its the next most important performance measure.
That is a course of action that has been thrown around quite a bit but I’ve heard chapter and verse that science will drive the Army’s selection.
Anyone seen Cryre’s submissions yet, or any more of more Brookwood pics?
Yes and Yes. I can’t share and can’t share.
SSD,
Could you list and/or is there an open source for the “9 operational” enviros? I’m thinking woodland, desert, mountain, urban, jungle…kinda run out after that.
V/R
The real reason they’re holding off is they havn’t decided on what the terrain and foliage is going to be for the next country they invade! 🙂
If UCP somehow stays “the” pattern, do we riot?
Signed – but experience with past White House petitions leave me thinking it’s another waste of time.
I have a solution for whole camo thing that should be implemented across the services: Smile
1. Solid khaki for desert environments, wear it for a couple of days on deployment and it will even blend in to local micro environment your operating in. Back in garrison, launder and starch it and even a Marine Corp General would be proud to have you on his base. But remember, can’t be worn off base by Navy personnel…… Or on base by them????
2. Solid Olive drab for jungle environments, see above for explanation on how this would work.
3. Solid gray for urban environments, see 1. for explanation on how this would work. But, if you don’t have a couple of days to blend in, use locally acquired resources to speed process, ex. Do a couple of oil changes at / insert indigenous name here / Garage and or liberate local hobos exterior garb. Marine Corp General will not want you on his base in this color, even if cleaned up!
4. Solid white for arctic environments, see 1. for explanation on how this would work. This color will also be cost effective during this time of shrinking budgets bc it can do double duty as KP uniform too. Navy will release an updated wear NAV on this shortly.
5. Mix and match above colors for transistional environments. Ex. Norway, wear white bottoms (snow) with olive drab top (trees) and your camo covered.
There ya go, camo selection solved……
I vote for Mitchell Fuller!!
..but only if combined with a picture of Chuck Norris.He would approve.
With no clear cut winner I would think going with Crye would be the no brainer decision, the Army already has some Multicam in stock and they all perform about the same, leverage what you already have.
As long as they adopt a true family of patterns (i.e desert, transitional, woodland). If they go with only MC, I’ll wave the BS Flag big time. I’ve done my own ‘tests’ unscientific as they may be, and the Kryptek family beats Multicam in every envirionment I’ve tried, period.
Where does this “no clear cut winner” come from?
“As test data was weighted and tabulated, everything started to look like it performed the same. And yet, there was one area, where one family of patterns stood out, and that was the family that was recommended to the Army’s leadership. ”
Caught me, went through it a little too fast and missed that last part.
Updates?