Army Fielding Completely New Combat Uniform

National Guard, Jul 2004 by Triggs, Marcia

The Army is fielding a new combat uniform designed by NCOs and tested by Stryker Brigade soldiers in Iraq since October.

Soldiers showed off the wrikle-free uniform with a digitized camouflage pattern at the Army's 229th birthday ceremon ath the Penatgon last month.

Three different versions of the Army Combat Uniform (ACU) were developed, and more than 10,000 were produced. Others are on production lines to be issued by April 2005 to soldiers in deploying units.

Fielding to the total Army should be complete by December 2007, officials from the Program Executive Office said.

There were 20 changes made to the uniform, to include removing the color black and adapting the digital print from the Marine Corps uniform to meet the needs of the Army, said Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Myhre, a clothing and individual equipment noncommissioned officer.

Black is no longer useful on the uniform because it is not a color commonly found in nature. The drawback to black is that it immediately catches the eye, he said.

"The color scheme in the ACU capitalizes on the environments that we operate in," Myhre said. "The current colors on the ACU are green-woodland, gray-urban environments and sand brown-desert. The pattern is not a 100 percent solution in every environment, but a good solution across the board."

"This isn't about a cosmetic redesign of the uniform," said Col. John Norwood, the project manager for clothing and individual equipment. "It's a functionality change of the uniform that will improve the ability of soldiers to execute their combat mission."

The bottom pockets on the jacket were removed and placed on the shoulder sleeves so soldiers can have access to them while wearing body armor. The pockets were also tilted forward so they are easily accessible. Buttons were replaced with zippers that open from the top and bottom to provide comfort while wearing armor.

Patches and tabs are affixed to the uniform with Velcro to give the wearer more flexibility and to save the soldier money, Myhre said. Soldiers can take the name-tapes and patches off their uniforms before laundering, which will add to the life of the patches. Also the cost to get patches sewn on will be eliminated, he added.

The ACU will consist of a jacket, trousers, moisture-wicking t-shirt and brown combat boots. It will replace both versions of the battle dress and desert camouflage uniforms.

The black beret will be the normal headgear for the ACU, but there is a matching patrol cap to be worn at the commander's discretion.

Although the ACU's cost $88 per uniform, about $30 more than the BDU, soldiers will eventually save money and time by not having to take uniforms to the cleaners or shine boots.

Four months ago, Myhre was among a team who visited Iraq to get feedback from soldiers on the uniforms.

"We would talk to soldiers right after they had completed a mission while the benefits of the uniform were still fresh in their minds. We wanted to know how did the uniform help the mission," he said.

Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth Preston is one of the ACU's biggest supporters. He said major command sergeants major had a chance to see the uniform and give advice toward the final version.

"We have not made a major change to our uniforms since the BDUs were introduced in the early 1980s," Preston said. "This new uniform performs well in multiple environments. Its new pockets and color designs are a result of feedback from soldiers in combat. Every modification made on the uniform was designed with a specific purpose and not just for the sake of change."

Uniform changes include:

* Mandarin collar that can be worn up or down

* Rank insignia centered on the front of the blouse

* Velcro for wearing unit patch, skill tabs and recognition devices

* Zippered front closure

* Elbow pouch for internal elbow pad inserts

* Knee pouch for internal knee pad inserts

* Draw string leg cuff

* Tilted chest pockets with Velcro closure

* Three-slot pen pocket on bottom of sleeve

* Velcro sleeve cuff closure

* Shoulder pockets with Velcro

* Forward tilted cargo pockets

* Integrated blouse bellows for increased upper body mobility

* Integrated Friend or Foe Identification Square on both left and right shoulder pocket flap.

* Bellowed calf storage pocket on left and right leg

* Moisture-wicking desert tan t-shirt

* Patrol Cap with double thick bill and internal pocket

* Improved hot-weather desert boot or temperate-weather desert boot

* Two-inch, black nylon web belt

* Moisture-wicking socks

By Sgt. 1st Class Marcia Triggs