United States Army next-generation camouflage pattern

The U.S. Army camouflage pattern development effort is a four-phase procurement plan to develop and field a successor to the Universal Camouflage Pattern. The program is fielding an interim camouflage pattern, and will develop a permanent solution for the Army's next camouflage pattern.

The interim camouflage development effort introduced a camouflage pattern, known as MultiCam, for army personnel participating in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). After ten and a half months of research and analysis, the army selected the MultiCam pattern. In late July 2010, the army began providing soldiers in OEF with a camouflage pattern specifically chosen for the variety of operating environments in Afghanistan. The rollout began with a small headquarters detachment preparing to deploy to OEF, and continued in August with two deploying brigade-size elements. In December 2010, fielding moved to soldiers deployed to OEF with more than 120 days remaining. The army is planning a competition to select its successor to the Universal Camouflage Pattern; up to four new patterns. These would include a woodland, arid and transitional pattern, as well as another pattern specifically for OCIE, that will work well with all three.

Phase I
In fall 2009, two battalion-size units serving in OEF received the flame retardant (FR) Army Combat Uniform (ACU) in a pattern other than the Universal Camouflage Pattern (UCP) chosen when the ACU was introduced in June 2004. They also received Organizational Clothing and Individual Equipment (OCIE) blending with each pattern. One unit (2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment) received uniforms and OCIE in the MultiCam pattern; the other (3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment) received uniforms in UCPDelta (UCP-D), a variant of UCP with the coyote-tan color and fewer light sand and gray colors than the UCP. These uniforms were in addition to standard-issue FR ACUs in the UCP. Unit commanders decided which uniform would be best suited to a given mission. Soldiers in the two battalions provided feedback on their experiences with the MultiCam, UCP-D and UCP uniforms and how each blended into Afghanistan’s variety of environments.

Phase II
While soldiers in the two battalions were testing the two camouflage patterns, an army camouflage-assessment team went to Afghanistan in October 2009 to obtain photos and information with maximum practicality. The team included representatives from PEO Soldier, Army G-4, the Army Maneuver Center of Excellence, the Army Special Operations Command, the Asymmetric Warfare Group, the Naval Research Laboratory and the Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC). The field assessment (which covered eight different environments in Afghanistan) focused on six camouflage patterns, with secondary gear blending with each pattern. The patterns were:
 * UCP with UCP
 * MultiCam with MultiCam
 * UCP-D with UCP
 * Mirage with Mirage
 * Desert Brush with Coyote
 * AOR-2 with Ranger Green

NSRDEC used the information (and more than 1,000 color-calibrated photos) to develop a photo-simulation study comparing the six patterns’ performance in providing concealment in various environments at various distances. The colors and distances in the photos were calibrated against scientific standards in the study. The photo-simulation study was administered to about 750 soldiers who had recently served in Afghanistan. The soldiers’ input was objective and subjective, comparing detectability (the range at which the soldiers could detect the uniform), blendability and blending order.

MultiCam was suited to any terrain or environment, and ranked highest in photo-simulation detection and blending. UCP-D, which ranked second in the same analyses, was unsuited to some terrains and environments. The results of the photo-simulation study and the surveys of soldiers in the two Phase I battalions yielded knowledge, from a wide range of experienced soldiers viewing objective scenarios, that helped the Army measure how the camouflage patterns in the study blended with a variety of environments.

Phase III
Based on an analysis of Phase I and II data, the army evaluated whether to produce and field alternate uniforms and OCIE to selected units in specific regions of OEF or to all units in the operation. Senior army leaders were briefed on possible alternatives in early 2010. In February 2010, Secretary of the Army (SecArmy) John McHugh announced that the Army would provide combat uniforms in the MultiCam pattern to all soldiers deploying to OEF. The industrial capacity existed to manufacture the uniforms, and the procurement process could begin. More than 30 companies were involved in changing more than 30 different types of uniforms and equipment from the UCP to the OCP style. PEO Soldier used a number of contractors (including the Materials and Development contract, sources on the Federal Procurement List and full and open-competition contracts) to source and meet requirements until Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support (DLA TS) can retool existing contracts or award new ones for production of OCP items.

To manage and meet the requirements and time frames in the SecArmy’s directive on the fielding of OCP, the PEO Soldier team conducted weekly internal Integrated Product Team meetings to synchronize technical development and procurement. PEO Soldier met biweekly with DLA TS to review transition of technical packages, supply request packages and DLA TS contracting strategies. The first unit fielded with OCP uniforms received them by the end of July 2010, one month ahead of schedule. This effort continued through the remainder of FY10 and into FY11, with more than 10,000 soldiers fielded through the end of the fiscal year and more than 72,000 expected to receive the new uniforms and gear through FY11. Fielding will take place both in the theater and in the continental U.S.

Phase IV
The U.S. Army is implementing Phase IV of its camouflage plan: the evaluation of long-term ACU camouflage options for all soldiers. The U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command has been assigned to develop a performance-based requirement for future uniform and OCIE camouflage. That requirement could result in multiple camouflage patterns for the FR ACU or a universal pattern. On June 29, 2010, the army released a Sources Sought notice inviting companies to submit candidates for a family of three camouflage patterns—woodland, desert and transitional (or universal)—and one pattern for OCIE blending with all three patterns. “Family” is defined as “of the same or similar geometry with coordinating color palettes to cross the global operating environments". This family of patterns may enable the army to issue the transitional pattern to all soldiers, while issuing the woodland and desert patterns to those operating in those environments.

The evaluation methods used earlier (both photosimulation and field testing) will be applied to the candidate patterns as well, underscoring the validity and utility of the Phase II effort. The objective is to develop a new family of patterns, based on testing, for issuance to soldiers.

Adopted
The Scorpion W2 pattern has been unofficially announced as the new pattern.