Afghanistan Brown

[Corky]

Are you aware the United States has an official color palette?

From Schwarzkopf’s boots to traffic cones, the federal government’s official color palette—yes, it has one—controls much of what we see...

Read it and weep: http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/profiles/americhrome.php

 

[Widebrim]

Wow!

 

[SGT Rocket]

I don't care what color palette they use; just please, please get rid of the horrible ACU color and pattern!

 

[Renault]

I don't care what color palette they use; just please, please get rid of the horrible ACU color and pattern!

I thought I was the only one who hated that stuff. Actually, I abhor all camo stuff. I know it has it's place, I just don't like it. Personal choice. To me the best combat uniform the Army ever had was the old Viet Nam era OD Jungles.

Renault

 

[SGT Rocket]

I'm for going back to plain OD Green, maybe the stuff from the 1950's. Almost all the GI's I know hate the stuff.

 

[cco23i]

They can get rid of the Air Forces new "ABU's", man those are UGLY!

Scott

 

[Eric P]

I can understand the USAF wearing camouflage if they are in a hot zone, but I would like to see them go back to the permanent press green utility uniform we wore in the early eighties. They were comfortable and inexpensive for a work uniform.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Camo Envy???

The new Navy Work Uniform (NWU) designed to replace the enlisted dungarees, coveralls and officers/CPOs khakis as shipboard wear.

 

[smlemk1]

Because obviously the primary thing one desires in a Naval uniform is blending with water. As a currently serving Army officer, IMHO, our combat uniform should either be multicam or the 2-color system the USMC uses, applied to all services, when they need a camouflage uniform. Our dress uniforms should all be branch-specific, but a work-a-day green or tan uniform is more than appropriate. The idea that I conduct every waking hour of my unit's affairs wearing a hiking outfit/janitor's uniform/mechanic's coveralls is bad enough, but now people are going to court hearings in it. Wear a suit...your ARRRRRRMY suit!

 

[Renault]

"Wear a suit...your ARRRRRRMY suit!"

THANK YOU!!!!

R

 

[Chasseur]

The new Navy Work Uniform (NWU) designed to replace the enlisted dungarees, coveralls and officers/CPOs khakis as shipboard wear.

As my navy students call it, "Aquaflage"! They all hate it as well...

 

[Widebrim]

Such a foolish thing getting rid of the dungarees and the officers/CPOs shipboard-worn khakis. Regarding the ACUs, supposedly some experts found that the color combination was the best for use as all-around cammies. I don't think that they're ugly, but they are likely best for urban warfare. When I was in South-West Asia, I wore the DCUs, which I liked a lot, and which blended in well. When the 101st Airborne relieved us, they were wearing the new ACUs, and while I thought that they looked okay, I was glad that we hadn't been issued them for desert-wear. As far as OD green is concerned, it is not the best to use for blending in a woodland environment, and it certainly will not work in a desert scenario. Although I disliked the BDUs, they did blend in well when in the forest. And I agree that this nonsense has to end, the idea of wearing cammies in almost all situations. If you work in an office environment, or are out in public, there is no need to wear ACUs, ABUs, MARPATs, whatever; you should wear a dress uniform, as was done years ago. It looks better, and such a practice would probably save the services money by not having to issue something like four sets of cammies and one dress uniform to all servicemen, but rather one dress uniform (with two trousers/skirts and three shirts/blouses) and two sets of utilities for all chairborne personnel.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Is it just me or does the new Navy uniform look like a huge flock of seagulls unloaded on them???

 

[Renault]

" I don't think that they're ugly, but they are likely best for urban warfare."

Maybe it's the detergents used in washing (phosphates), but look at troops wearing them in the dark, thru a rifle scope. To me, the ACU's tend to glow......... (I did contract OPFOR with the Army).

Renault

 

[Widebrim]

" I don't think that they're ugly, but they are likely best for urban warfare."

Maybe it's the detergents used in washing (phosphates), but look at troops wearing them in the dark, thru a rifle scope. To me, the ACU's tend to glow......... (I did contract OPFOR with the Army).

Renault

I've not had the opportunity to look at them through a scope...but that is odd. Perhaps it is the detergents, but at any rate, not good...

 

[The Good]

As much as I like it, aesthetically speaking, would the classic olive drab colors even work with modern U.S. military uniforms? What I mean is, would it actually be any more or less functional than it had been in the past?

 

[Baggers]

This has been a pet peeve of mine for a while. The Marines started it with their wanting a better combat camouflage and uniform design, which in retrospect they got right. But then the Army wanted their own and came up with what they called Universal Camouflage Pattern, or UCP. Then came the Air Force with their digital tiger stripe for the ABU, which in it's first version was too stiff and heavy for anything other than an air conditioned office. And it has sage green boots to go with it. And finally, not to be outdone, the Navy had to have the NWU, which according to what I read was designed only to hide oil and grease stains. Each service had to have their own uniform design and camouflage to meet their own personal desires and perceived requirements. But in reality, I think every service wanted to have their own distinct look. Obviously their service uniforms weren't enough. And the Air Force and the Navy uniforms weren't even meant for combat zones. The Air Force wanted personnel not authorized to wear flight suits feel like warriors, and the Navy was just looking for something to hide the grime of shipboard duty.

The best pattern out of them all is MARPAT, but the Marines copyrighted it and incorporated a tiny EGA in the digital pattern so that no one else could use it. Since then, the Army has found UCP lacking and has adopted the loser of their camouflage competition, Multicam, for use in Afghanistan, and the Navy has adopted two other patterns for their Special Operations forces, AOR 1 and AOR 2 (a pattern similar to MARPAT in temperate and desert colorways).

Can we please stop the madness and return to ONE basic battledress uniform design in two camouflage patterns, either temperate and desert patterns or Multicam for both, for all services to wear in combat zones? Aside from the millions of dollars spent developing and fielding a different uniform for each service and the logistical complexity of supplying them, the idea that one or more of our branches might be placed in harm's way wearing a less than effective camouflage is infuriating.

I apologize for the rant, but this frustrates me to no end.

P.S. the reason that some ACUs "glow" under NVDs is because the wearers aren't using the recommended laundry detergents. Anything with a optical brightener in it will permanently ruin the IR suppressing properties of the fabric.

 

[SGT Rocket]

My vote for the OD color.

My understanding is that the ACU uniform is a 60% solution. It is designed to give you 60% camo in any environment. Since that is the case, we should probably go back to the OD green.

I think with ACU's and OD green, they both seem to collect the dirt of the specific environment that they are used in. Similar to how Tofu takes on the flavor of anything that it's cooked with (IMHO).

Israel still wears the OD green, and it seems to work ok, for them.

At least it should be a good garrison uniform, and work well in most training environments (like at most locations in the U.S.). I don't think we should adopt their uniform, we should use something specific to our needs, not theirs. That being said, I think their color works well.

And, lets face it, when we go out to seek the enemy or we are on a convoy, EVERYONE knows we are there.

In a desert environment:

At the mall:

Urban warfare:

Ok, ok, ok, I just put this one in because women with guns are just plane cute (IMHO).

ok, seriously, this shows a good view of the OD color.

 

[Baggers]

Girls with guns FTW, especially if they actually know how to use them. Love the sandals on the soldier on the left with the pack slung over her shoulder in the last picture. Wonder if they're issue?

I remember reading about that 60% solution for the ACU. Another way to say it would be "mediocre in all environments." Evidently The Powers That Be were figuring they'd never have to fight another jungle war. As for OD green, according to the majority of post Viet Nam - pre ACU veterans on another forum, the best uniform ever issued by the U.S. Army was the OG 107 jungle fatigues. Light, comfortable, and sharp as a tack when starched and pressed. Good for field and garrison, but only in temperate to tropical climates. Now THAT would be a specifically American uniform.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Iran
I've never seen such a bewildering variety of camo in one army. Though I've got to say that I wish our military parades were this colorful.

The Sasquatch Jihad Brigade

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