Naval Research Center traveled throughout Afghanistan to gather data on six different patterns including the UCP, UCP-D and MultiCam. Army Infantry Center, PEO Soldier, Natick Labs, the Asymmetric Warfare Group, Army Special Operations Command, and the U.S. When polled, the MultiCam and the UCP-D ended up as the top two choices by Soldiers. By the end of September, the Army began shipping uniforms with the "MultiCam" and "Universal Camouflage Pattern - Delta" to two yet-unnamed battalions that will serve rotations in Afghanistan - one pattern each.įirst, a unit field-tested the ACU in MultiCam alongside their standard-issue ACUs, while another tested the UCP-Delta, a digital pattern with the added color 'coyote brown' for better concealment. "Troops like the fact that it helps them blend in to different terrain types," Cole said of the new pattern.īeginning in September 2009, four phases of developing and testing new camouflage options were initiated: deciding on alternative uniform patterns, conducting testing and Soldier feedback, choosing a final pattern to produce, and evaluating a long-term plan for the Army Combat Uniform. Similar to the Battle Dress Uniform woodland print, the new MultiCam is a combination of seven different shades which "takes in surrounding colors." A jumble of greens, browns and beige, the MultiCam camouflage presents a solution to Afghanistan's multiple-region problem. When coming up with a new camouflage color palette, PEO Soldier wanted to be sure the uniforms gave Soldiers a combat edge in each possible terrain situation.
In Afghanistan, Soldiers on a single patrol can potentially go from desert conditions, to wooded areas, villages, and rocky mountain environments. As of 2010, uniforms and gear in MultiCam were slated for now to only be used in Afghanistan. Afghanistan represents a unique camouflage challenge as a result of being such a terrain-diverse country. The decision to field and develop an alternative camouflage for uniforms in Afghanistan came out of the realization that the Army's current Universal Camouflage Pattern, or UCP, did not meet all of the concealment needs for Afghanistan's multiple regions.
At mobilization sites throughout the U.S., the uniform will be issued to deploying troops as part of the Rapid Fielding Initiative process, and Soldiers already in Afghanistan are scheduled to receive the MultiCam in the fall of 2010. Soldiers deploying to Afghanistan will be issued the new "MultiCam" fire-resistant Army Combat Uniform complete with new Mountain Combat Boots and MultiCam-patterned Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment, or MOLLE, gear beginning in July 2010.
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