These inter-service rivalries are getting just absurd.
These inter-service rivalries are getting just absurd.
I was under the impression that the current Army cammy color was an effort to provide concealment for troops operating in a grey urban environment and was a reaction to fighting in the cities of Iraq with an abundance of concrete and cinder block. It seemed to me an effective scheme for that sort of environment even if it wasn’t appropriate in the mountains of A’stan.
Because of the backing shades under the pattern, it will reflect, to a certain degree the colors and shadows of the surrounding environment, appearing "greener" in a vegetated environ, "browner" in a desert background, and "grayer" in a winter or urban setting...
Oh, dear. The Marines, in Ralph Lauren designer clothing. That little tidbit will probably get me punched out tonight. BTT.
The curious USAF pattern is sort of a throwback to Vietnam-era 'Tiger Stripe' that MACV-SOG troops and some USAF officers had custom tailored for themselves while on on R&R in Thailand, then they actually used it in combat and found out that it didn't blend into any environment at all. The USAF ought to go back to wearing flat olive drab with shiny white laced boots and baseball caps like God wanted them to have back in the 60s through the 80s.
The new USN 'blue wave' camo is just idiotic. I bet it would be perfect camouflage for a doomed sailor who falls overboard into the sea at night. What were they thinking?
USMC's MARPAT is the only one that works as intended. The pixelation tricks the brain no matter what size object you put it on. Only downside is that the USMC pretty much looks from a distance like a dead ringer for the Waffen SS when fully geared up in it. That's not cool. Even if there are those who think it's cool, it's still not cool.
The article was not too clear in pointing out the money trail. Names of the natural individuals owning or directing the companies bidding, selecting and manufacturing the clothing.
They should try this pattern. Comes in several color combinations and suitable for nearly every environment and mighty effective, too.
http://www.thehistorybunker.co.uk/acatalog/planetreesmockautumn.jpg
Now let’s get after the Air Force “blue” camoflage.
Just where and what does that camoflage?
Here's what I wear when I go clubbin'.
That's me there in the middle.
Even the Navy tried to come up with something to spark that rivalry, which was stupid of course. Battleship Gray is a well-defined color. Make all Navy uniforms that color and the enemy would simply see a light-gray silhouette on the horizon and shoot at it. How dumb is that? The enemy would never be able to see the enlisted pukes cowering on decks....
Side note: I was one of ninety guys graduating from boot camp on the day Kennedy was shot. Upon hearing the news, 30 of them wanted a discharge to join the Army. "If there is going to be shooting, I want a rifle!"
30 of them wanted a complete discharge. "I only enlisted in the Navy because chicks dig the uniform!"
The rest of us said pretty much said, "Get me the hell out to the fleet. If there is going to be a war, that is exactly what I joined for!"
Of course I went into submarines. Hard to see the color of your uniform when it is hundreds of feet under the surface....
“it’s natural to ask what went wrong and how they’ll avoid the same missteps this time around. “
No, they won’t. Incompetent management is never fixed, just promoted and things gets worse.
They should try the time-tested “Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake” pattern. Looks pixelated, looks cool, and is darn effective even at close range.
The Army’s camouflage researchers say the story of the universal pattern’s origins begins when they helped develop a similarly pixilated camouflage now worn by the Marine Corps. That pattern, known as MARPAT, first appeared in 2002 after being selected from among dozens of candidates and receiving plenty of input from Marines on the ground at the sniper school in Quantico, Va. The Marines even found one of the baseline colors themselves, an earth tone now called Coyote Brown.
The problem, the researchers said, was an oddly named branch of the Army in charge of equipping soldiers with gear — Program Executive Office Soldier — had suddenly ordered Natick’s camouflage team to pick a pattern long before trials were finished.
“They jumped the gun,” said James Fairneny, an electrical engineer on Natick’s camouflage team. Researchers said they received a puzzling order: Take the winning colors and create a pixilated pattern. Researchers were ordered to “basically put it in the Marine Corps pattern,” Fairneny said.
The consensus among the researchers was the Army brass had watched the Marine Corps don their new uniforms and caught a case of pixilated camouflage envy.
“It was trendy,” Stewardson said. “If it’s good enough for the Marines, why shouldn’t the Army have that same cool new look?”
“Brand identity trumped camouflage utility,” Graves said. “That’s what this really comes down to: ‘We can’t allow the Marine Corps to look more cool than the Army.’ ”
Mossy Oak could solve this problem for less than 5 billion I bet
I guess the USMC didn't get the memo that government organizations and institutions, including the military, can't patent items bought and paid for with taxpayer funds. It's all public domain, including unit names and logos.
I cannot but think that there will be more usage of the latest adaptive concealment technology. An outerwear that mimics the surroundings by the use of imbedded micro circuitry, LEDs and fiber optics.
For urban areas just wear what a motorcyclist wears, nobody sees a biker.
The Marine Corps got it right while the Army screwed up & I’m ex Army . The “digital” pattern is to help spoof night vision , the Multi-Cam pattern is excellent & is being used just not service wide issue yet. To many Pentagon types more interested in fashion statements rather than will this pattern help conceal GI’s in a combat zone.
MARPAT is a descendant of CANPAT and is essentially a different color set of CANPAT with some added elements like the USMC logo. The problem with ACU isn’t the pattern, it’s that they chose the wrong colors - ACU is MARPAT/CANPAT with yet another different set of color choices.
The Army never wanted MARPAT.
When the Marines wanted a new uniform, they came to The Army (Natick Soldier Support Center) to do the design work. The US Army had already been working on digital camo since the early 1980s and did some experimentation on a large scale with the 14th ACR.
The Marines always let it be known that the uniform design was USMC only and the Army agreed to that at the very beginning. The Army was actually leaning towards Multicam, but a top NCO overrode the decision of the design team and selected ACP.
