New Army Camouflage (Again)

I've always liked the new-ish Army camouflage pattern, the gray colored digital pixel uniform, UCP (right). It seemed especially effective in rocky terrain or concrete-filled urban settings. But it obviously has some short-comings, trying to be the perfect camouflage pattern for all environments. So now the Army is going to issue a variation of the supposedly universal pattern, with noticeably more coyote brown, to two units going to Afghanistan.

The new uniform (left) bears some similarity to the much-praised, commercially available Multicam, yet manages to be significantly uglier. Way to go, Army! It also is quite similar to the Marine Corps pattern, Marpat, which comes in at least two varieties, woodland and desert.

Obviously the Marines got it right the first time: two well-conceived digital patterns for different terrains. Perhaps it is too much to ask for the Army to adopt Marine Corps patterns, but why not use the more highly rated Multicam as a base pattern, as many have been suggesting for years. The Special Forces, which are allowed more freedom in choosing equipment and such, have used Multicam in the field and reportedly give rave reviews.

But instead of using the off-the-shelf Multicam (or any of dozens of other ready-to-go options), the Army is going to re-invent the wheel. Who knows, maybe the final product will be better than Multicam.