ARMY AL&T
Woven deep into the history of our warfighting uniforms is Army acquisi- tion, which over the past 50 years has been steadfast in enabling the most effective equipping of the Nation’s forces while maintaining an inter- nal culture of constant organizational improvement. The Army acquisi- tion system has successfully developed and rapidly fielded state-of-the-art improvements in Soldier uniforms and equipment, most recently under the auspices of Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier.
Now another chapter in the history of uniforms is being written with the introduction of a new uniform for U.S. forces fighting in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). On Sept. 16, 2009, the Army unveiled a 4-phase plan to evaluate and decide which camouflage pattern or patterns would best serve the concealment needs of Soldiers serving in OEF. Ten and a half months later, the Army fielded the first unit with a suite of uniforms and accessories in the new OEF Camouflage Pattern (OCP), in a rapid yet rigorous process of study, analysis, planning, and procurement.
This expedited but well-researched action to purchase and field Fire Resistant Army Combat Uniforms (FR ACUs) and associated equipment
in a new camouflage pattern grew out of the Army’s continuing commitment to provide Soldiers with the equipment they need to be as lethal and survivable as possible in any operating environ- ment. Effective concealment has been of particular concern in Afghanistan, with its diverse environments of mountains, woodland, and high desert. In OEF, Soldiers often travel through multiple environments in a single mission.
The 4-phase plan included both imme- diate action, to provide concealment capability to two battalion-size elements in OEF, and a deliberate, thorough evaluation of camouflage alternatives for Soldiers in all regions and terrain types of Afghanistan. The end result was that in late July 2010, the Army began providing Soldiers in OEF with a camouflage pattern specifically chosen for the multiple operating environ- ments of Afghanistan. The fielding began with a small headquarters detach- ment preparing to deploy to OEF and ramped up in August with two deploy- ing brigade-size elements. In December 2010, fielding will move to Soldiers who are deployed to OEF with more than 120 days remaining in theater.
The fielding of uniforms and equip- ment in the OCP, known commercially as MultiCam, involves providing 23
different uniform and equipment items, including body armor, ruck- sacks, helmet covers, and even knee and elbow pads, for about 10,200 Soldiers in FY10 and an anticipated 74,500 Soldiers in FY11, not including spares and sustainment quantities. The cost is approximately $174 per uniform, with a basis of issue of four per Soldier, plus an estimated $4,208 per Soldier for associated equipment.
A process that ordinarily would take at least 12 months—to develop, purchase, and field one item—was compressed into less than 8 months for an entire suite of items, so that the Army could be responsive to what Soldiers saw as a pressing need, and also be responsible for the science underpinning the deci- sion and its fiscal impacts.
Phase I (Immediate Action) In fall 2009, two battalion-size units serving in OEF received the FR ACU in a pattern other than the standard Universal Camouflage Pattern (UCP) that was chosen when the ACU was introduced in June 2004. They also received Organizational Clothing and Individual Equipment (OCIE) that blended with each pattern.
One unit (2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment) received uniforms and OCIE in the MultiCam pattern, while the other (3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment) received uniforms in UCP- Delta (UCP-D), a variant of UCP that adds the Coyote Tan color and uses less of the lighter sand and gray colors than in the UCP.
These uniforms in alternate camou- flage patterns were in addition to the Soldiers’ standard-issue FR ACUs in UCP. Unit commanders were respon- sible for deciding which uniform would be best suited to a given mission.
Members of the Army’s camouflage assessment team wear the six different camouflage patterns they evalu- ated. From left, the patterns are: AOR-2, UCP, MultiCam, Desert Brush, UCP-Delta, and Mirage. The photo was taken in Khost province, Afghanistan, close to the Pakistan border, in late October 2009. (Photo courtesy of Naval Research Laboratory, PEO Soldier, and NSRDEC.)
13 OCTOBER –DECEMBER 2010
The Soldiers in the two battalions would provide essential feedback on their experiences with the MultiCam,
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