# New Army Uniform Doesn't Measure Up



## MikeL (5 Apr 2007)

One of the most visible and high-impact changes adopted by the Army since Operation Iraqi Freedom began has been the fielding of the Army Combat Uniform, or ACU. The new uniform replaces the woodland camo Battle Dress Uniform and the "three color" Desert Combat Uniform.

One of the main goals of the change was to have a uniform that worked in all environments - woodland, desert, and urban - and held up to the rigors of combat duty, as well as the strictures of day-to-day work in garrison.

A great deal of time and money was spent on the development of this new uniform and the Army Program Executive Office Soldier did extensive testing with Soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan and at home in the United States.

Considering all the testing the uniform went through, it is surprising such a mediocre product finally emerged.

The Good:

The overall layout and organization of the uniform is good, the pockets are generally more useful and accessible in field gear.

Additionally, adoption of the rough-out boot is sensible from the maintenance and appearance standpoint. Soldiers coming out of the field are not going to be immediately gigged for having unshined boots, and while an old Army tradition may have gone by the wayside, no one really misses shining boots - particularly in the field.

The Bad:

Velcro was a good idea, but the execution was simply lacking. This material is just not ready for combat. Putting anything of size or weight in the pant's cargo pocket will often cause the closure to fail if your Velcro has any wear and tear - which in Iraq, it does. Soldiers risk losing belongings and being chewed out by the nearest NCO for an unsightly appearance.

The addition of Velcro on the sleeves to attach patches was intended to keep a Soldier from spending money modifying uniforms with new patches and skill badges. But this savings has been lost in a couple of ways.

First, patches are much more likely to be lost now that they can be easily removed. And, more obviously, Velcro repair kits are beginning to appear in the exchange shops - a tacit admission the Velcro does not last. Instead of shelling out cash to put new patches on the blouse, Soldiers now have to buy new Velcro to replace the material that failed.

The uniform is also poorly constructed. In more than 10 years of active and reserve service, I never once had a uniform "malfunction." Twice in my tour in Iraq I have had the crotch on my pants rip out. Embarrassment was the least of my worries. Had I not been near the end of a patrol it would have been a serious problem if my vehicle had gone down.

And I am not alone. I've talked to many Soldiers that have had this happen. The data is anecdotal at best, but it sure appears to be a problem.

The material itself is a problem as well. The 50/50 blend of cotton and nylon does not appear to have the staying power or the protection of the old 100% cotton or the Nomex of today's flight suits. In fact, Soldiers and Marines that spend a great deal of time in vehicles in Iraq are being issued tan Nomex flight suits to protect them from the possibility of flash fires in their vehicles. The cotton/nylon blend burns very quickly and can add to the injuries sustained in a burning vehicle by melting to the Soldiers skin.

The Ugly:

The ACU in universal camouflage is just not a very attractive camouflage pattern. Admittedly that's a poor reason to choose such utilitarian clothing; especially if I was convinced that it is a highly effective pattern. But I am not.

The pixilation assists in breaking up the shape of the Soldier - particularly through night vision - but in general, it stands out against anything except a concrete wall.

The pattern also shows every last bit of dirt the Soldier's been exposed to. I never once saw my original BDUs stain like my ACUs have, and I was spending more time rolling around on the ground in my earlier days. Even though the new uniform is supposed to stand up to the rigors of daily wear and tear enough that I don't have to buy separate "field" and "garrison" uniforms, a stained ACU isn't going to work in either environment.

Here are some suggestions to improve and complete the ACU:

A new pattern -- Army PEO Soldier is using a so-called "multicam" pattern in its testing of the Land Warrior system. This is a proven all-environment camouflage. It may stand out a tad more in urban environments, but the likelihood is the Soldier has already been detected. I say just adopt this pattern.

New material -- Use Nomex or some other fire-retardant material instead of the 50/50 cotton-nylon blend. The extra cost of Nomex will be more than made up in savings for the treatment and care of burned Soldiers.

Return to sew on patches and buttons -- Velcro is simply not up to the standard needed for combat. A return to sew on patches would also be a morale booster. Soldiers want to have their skill badges sewn on like they were on the BDU and DCU.

When the ACU was first introduced, I was a big fan. Having lived and worked in the uniform for over in year in various field environments - including combat in Iraq - it is clear the goal has not yet been achieved. With a few changes, the Army can complete the process and ensure today's Soldiers have a top-quality uniform ready to take them into combat.

Eric Coulson is an Army officer commanding an Engineer Company in Iraq. He hosts the Badger 6 Blog.


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## Bobby Rico (6 Apr 2007)

ACU doesn't look that much different from the MARPAT really, and the marines have been using those for a few years now.  Does anyone know if there is any difference in the manufacturing of either uniform?  I don't think the Marines use the velcro though- which does seem a little useless IMO.  I would go so far as to say velcro probably wears out quicker than good stitching, so using that to attach patches seems kind of dumb.


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## GAP (6 Apr 2007)

I once saw a soldier from one of the Asian countries ( I never knew what country) that had an unique feature on his uniform. Where badges were to be attached there was a light grid of thread stops. 

Ever try to attach a badge 1 5/8" down from top seam, centered on shoulder....duh...it's not as easy as it sounds. 

The grid system allowed for accurate attachment  and alignment of badges.


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## Fraser.g (6 Apr 2007)

Well, the ACU does seem to work in ALL environments as the pic below shows  ;D


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## TN2IC (6 Apr 2007)

Get your feet off the couch!!! The niner would say....


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## CougarKing (6 Apr 2007)

GAP said:
			
		

> I once saw a soldier from one of the Asian countries ( I never knew what country) that had an unique feature on his uniform. Where badges were to be attached there was a light grid of thread stops.
> 
> Ever try to attach a badge 1 5/8" down from top seam, centered on shoulder....duh...it's not as easy as it sounds.
> 
> The grid system allowed for accurate attachment  and alignment of badges.



GAP,

Did you happen to see this Asian soldier in Vietnam and you were sure they were not ARVN? They could have been ROK Marines (South Korean Marines) of the Tiger Division or possibly the Filipino Soldiers of the PHILCAG (Philippine Civic Action Group) sent to Vietnam by President Marcos of the Philippines, but then again I'm not sure which Corps area/province those units served in and my history knowledge of that conflict needs some brushing up. (What's amazing is the variety of different nations' troops that served in Vietnam including those South Koreans, Australians and New Zealanders, but the public is more aware of the American participation than the other nations' contingents)

Anyways, sorry to get out of topic; I know I could have PMed you but figured someone else on this thread might know the real answer. I was just curious.


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## GAP (6 Apr 2007)

No, I did not see him in Viet Nam. If I remember correctly (a little into the cups at the time) it would have been TaiPai. This conversation prompted the memory of us sitting around ohhhing and ahhhhhing about what a dream it would be to line up stuff we had to sew on...I had forgotten all about it until now. Just one of those things.


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## Fraser.g (6 Apr 2007)

TN2IC said:
			
		

> Get your feet off the couch!!! The niner would say....



True, but only because they are the only things you can see on first glance.


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## tomahawk6 (6 Apr 2007)

Every new uniform that is fielded has some growth pains. The ACU isnt going away and if there are problems there will be fixes. I dont like the velcro. I would prefer sewn on badges makes life a bit easier.


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## CALIFORNIA77 (15 Apr 2007)

The ACUs are being replaced in 2010 by MULTICAM becuse ACUs dont work in the jungle but MULTICAM dose you can check it out at www.cryeassoseates.com Along with other future US military programs.


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## Conquistador (15 Apr 2007)

CALIFORNIA77 said:
			
		

> The ACUs are being replaced in 2010 by MULTICAM becuse ACUs dont work in the jungle but MULTICAM dose you can check it out at www.cryeassoseates.com Along with other future US military programs.



That site doesn't work for me.


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## CALIFORNIA77 (15 Apr 2007)

Yeah sorry about that just go to google and type in crye assosiates and click on the first link.


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## CALIFORNIA77 (15 Apr 2007)

a picture of MULTICAM


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## CALIFORNIA77 (15 Apr 2007)

More pics of MULTICAM.


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## Michael OLeary (15 Apr 2007)

CALIFORNIA77 said:
			
		

> a picture of MULTICAM



What does the Invincibility Suit have to do with MultiCam™?


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## CALIFORNIA77 (15 Apr 2007)

The MULTICAM uniform and the body armour and the helmet.


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## Bruce Monkhouse (15 Apr 2007)

Why am I getting Guy Cramner flashbacks??


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## CALIFORNIA77 (15 Apr 2007)

Huh Who is Guy cramer


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## Bruce Monkhouse (15 Apr 2007)

http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/17633.0.html

http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/2413/post-26537.html#msg26537


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## CALIFORNIA77 (16 Apr 2007)

I did not mean any thing buy it I dont act like him he is a f****up ???


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## AlphaQup (16 Jun 2008)

Sorry for digging up an old thread. Any idea if the CF's are working on new forms of CADPAT? I was looking at the 'Clothe the Soldier' site but it didn't specify.
http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/Chief_Land_Staff/Clothe_the_soldier/hab/1/1_e.asp


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## George Wallace (16 Jun 2008)

AlphaQup said:
			
		

> Sorry for digging up an old thread. Any idea if the CF's are working on new forms of CADPAT? I was looking at the 'Clothe the Soldier' site but it didn't specify.
> http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/Chief_Land_Staff/Clothe_the_soldier/hab/1/1_e.asp



???

Are you a "Fashion Queen" or something?  I highly doubt that the CF is in the Fashion Business, and not likely to come out with new "Fashions" every year or two.  

Hope I am not too harsh on you, but this isn't the Fashion Industry here, and there are much more important things on the minds of the Brass, than new fashions for the soldiers.  Equipment kinda trumps Fashion in this environment.


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## SupersonicMax (16 Jun 2008)

Seeing how the Air Force changes their stuff every year or so (ie:  Color of name tags contours, ranks, t-shirts, flying suit, etc), can we say they Air Force is in the Fashion Buisiness? 

Max


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## AlphaQup (16 Jun 2008)

George Wallace said:
			
		

> ???
> 
> Are you a "Fashion Queen" or something?  I highly doubt that the CF is in the Fashion Business, and not likely to come out with new "Fashions" every year or two.
> 
> Hope I am not too harsh on you, but this isn't the Fashion Industry here, and there are much more important things on the minds of the Brass, than new fashions for the soldiers.  Equipment kinda trumps Fashion in this environment.


No I'm not a "Fashion Queen". You're absolutely right though regarding equipment. 

I was reading through the earlier posts about the US military's complaints about their uniforms and was wondering how we could make it better for our soldiers.


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