Archive for May, 2010

All Your MultiCam Questions Answered

Monday, May 24th, 2010

Photobucket

The MultiCam switch for Afghanistan deployments is rapidly approaching, and many of you still have a lot of questions regarding who will get the new pattern and what will be issued with it. Fortunately, the good people at PEO Solider Live comprised a thorough list of Frequently Asked Questions in an attempt to clear up some confusion. Here are some common Q’s and A’s being asked about this revolutionary new design:

Q. When will the Army start fielding Fire Resistant Army Combat Uniforms in MultiCam?
A. The Army, through Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier, will begin fielding MultiCam FR ACUs to deploying Soldiers as early as August 2010.

Q. Who will be getting the MultiCam uniforms?
A. At this time, only Soldiers assigned to units deploying in support of Operation Enduring Freedom will receive the uniforms. The next fielding phase, which is expected to begin no earlier than October 2010, will include Soldiers assigned to units that are already in Afghanistan. The overall order of fielding will be based on priorities established by the Army G-3 and availability of units. Exact fielding dates have not been determined. Priority for units already serving in Afghanistan will be established with guidance from Army Headquarters, U.S. Army Central Command and U.S. Forces – Afghanistan.

Q. How many of the uniform will each Soldier get?
A. The Basis of Issue for the Army Combat uniform is the same as for the Rapid Fielding Initiative (RFI), four per Soldier. Each Soldier will also be issued four Army Combat Shirts with sleeves in the MultiCam pattern and torso in the Tan 499 color.

Q. What gear will Soldiers receive in the MultiCam pattern?
A. Soldiers will receive the same Organizational Clothing and Individual Equipment (OCIE) and body armor in MultiCam that they would normally receive in the Universal Camouflage Pattern.

Q. Will the uniforms and gear cost Soldiers anything out of pocket?
A. No. Soldiers will not be charged for the equipment that is issued to them through PEO Soldier. They will be issued the equipment on their hand receipt.

Q. Will the MultiCam FR ACUs be permitted for garrison use in Afghanistan, as well as outside the wire?
A. Yes. Soldiers deploying to OEF who are issued the four sets of MultiCam uniform will wear that uniform as his/her duty uniform while performing missions in the compounds and outside the wire. This will be the only uniform those Soldiers will receive.

Q. Will Soldiers be permitted to wear MultiCam anywhere outside Afghanistan, such as in Iraq or at their home installation?
A. The current plan for the MultiCam uniform is for its use only in OEF. The uniform for Iraq will still be the FR ACU in the Universal Camouflage Pattern (UCP). Once a Soldier deploys back to home station, he or she will wear the Army Combat Uniform. Army Headquarters G1 will publish wear policy for MultiCam uniforms.

Q. Will Soldiers be permitted to keep their MultiCam uniforms when they redeploy to the States?
A. Soldiers will be permitted to keep the MultiCam FR ACUs, caps, hats, and accessories on their clothing record. They will be required to turn in their MultiCam MOLLE, Extended Cold Weather Clothing System (ECWCS) Generation III items, body armor, and helmet covers.

Q. What uniforms will be provided in MultiCam?
A. The following uniforms will be provided in MultiCam:
1) FR ACUs with permethrin treatment, all Army Uniform Board approved changes, and appropriate patches (4 FR ACUs per Soldier, except combat vehicle or air crew members)
2) Army Combat Shirt (4 per Soldier)
3) Improved Combat Vehicle Crewman Coverall (4 per combat vehicle crewman)
4) Army Aircrew Combat Uniform (4 per aircrew member)
5) Extended Cold Weather Clothing System Generation III, selected layers (1 per Soldier, except crewmen who draw the Fire Resistant Environmental Ensemble)
6) Fire Resistant Environmental Ensemble, selected layers (1 per combat vehicle crewman and aircrew member)

Q. How about body armor and other personnel protective equipment (PPE)?
A. The following PPE will be provided in MultiCam:
1) The Improved Outer Tactical Vest (IOTV) and Soldier Plate Carrier System, or conversion kit (1 per Soldier)
2) Advanced Combat Helmet cover (1 per Soldier)
3) NAPE Pad (1 per Soldier)
4) Knee and Elbow pads (1 set per Soldier)

Q. What additional items will be provided in MultiCam?
A. Besides uniforms and personnel protective equipment, the MultiCam pattern will apply to:
1) MOLLE, all kits and components (1 per Soldier; kits per duty position)
2) Patrol Caps and Sun Hats (1 of each per Soldier)
3) Accessory kit: (3 name tapes, 2 rank tapes, 2 pin-on rank, 2 U.S. Army tapes, and 2 shoulder sleeve insignia, all per Soldier)
4) Improved First Aid Kit (1 per Soldier)

Posted in clothing, Gear, Multicam | 16 Comments »

July Deployments Bring MultiCam Uniform Switch

Thursday, May 20th, 2010

Photobucket

Article taken from the March issue of www.army.mil

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, March 1, 2010) — Soldiers deploying to Afghanistan will be issued the new “MultiCam” fire-resistant Army Combat Uniform complete with new Mountain Combat Boots and MultiCam-patterned Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment, or MOLLE, gear beginning in July.

At mobilization sites throughout the U.S., the uniform will be issued to deploying troops as part of the Rapid Fielding Initiative process, and Soldiers already in Afghanistan are scheduled to receive the MultiCam this fall.

“Anything we can do to give our Soldiers an edge, we want to do,” said Col. William E. Cole, project manager for Soldier protection and individual equipment at the Program Executive Office, or PEO, Soldier on Fort Belvoir.

The decision to field and develop an alternative camouflage for uniforms in Afghanistan came out of the realization that the Army’s current Universal Camouflage Pattern, or UCP, did not meet all of the concealment needs for Afghanistan’s multiple regions.

“Afghanistan is a unique camouflage challenge because it’s such a terrain-diverse country,” Cole explained. He also confirmed that the uniforms and gear in MultiCam will for now only be used in Afghanistan.

In Afghanistan, Soldiers on a single patrol can potentially go from desert conditions, to wooded areas, villages, and rocky mountain environments. When coming up with a new camouflage color palette, PEO Soldier wanted to be sure the uniforms gave Soldiers a combat edge in each possible terrain situation.

Similar to the Battle Dress Uniform woodland print, the new MultiCam is a combination of seven different shades which “takes in surrounding colors.” A jumble of greens, browns and beige, the MultiCam camouflage presents a solution to Afghanistan’s multiple-region problem.

“Troops like the fact that it helps them blend in to different terrain types,” Cole said of the new pattern.

Beginning in September 2009, four phases of developing and testing new camouflage options were initiated: deciding on alternative uniform patterns, conducting testing and Soldier feedback, choosing a final pattern to produce, and evaluating a long-term plan for the Army Combat Uniform.

First, a unit field-tested the ACU in MultiCam alongside their standard-issue ACUs, while another tested the UCP-Delta, a digital pattern with the added color ‘coyote brown’ for better concealment. When polled, the MultiCam and the UCP-D ended up as the top two choices by Soldiers.

Then, a team representing the U.S. Army Infantry Center, PEO Soldier, Natick Labs, the Asymmetric Warfare Group, Army Special Operations Command, and the U.S. Naval Research Center traveled throughout Afghanistan to gather data on six different patterns including the UCP, UCP-D and MultiCam. They took photos of Soldiers in the six different uniforms against eight terrain conditions. From those pictures, photo simulation was created comparing the uniforms at different distances and settings.

About 750 Soldiers who had recently deployed to Afghanistan were then asked to judge the uniforms in the photos based on their detectability, blend-ability, and rank them from best to worst-the MultiCam was chosen as the best performer in all categories.

The MultiCam, while cut in the same style as the ACU, will have several upgrades including a reinforced seat, buttons on the trouser cargo pockets, be constructed of flame-resistant fabric (like the newer ACUs), and treated with permethrin. New Mountain Combat Boots will also be issued to deploying Soldiers, which feature a tougher, more durable sole for gripping the mountainous Afghan terrain.

So far, three of the four phases of exploring camouflage alternatives have been completed, while the process of making a long-term decision about the ACU, and how big a role the MultiCam camouflage will play is still up for debate.

Posted in clothing, Multicam | 30 Comments »

Body armor that matches

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

From the May 17, 2010 Issue of Army Times,

FIVETHINGS EVERY SOLDIER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT

NCO - Afghanistan

Soldiers deployed to Afghanistan are getting new MultiCam uni­forms to help them blend into the environment better. But for now, at least, their body armor doesn’t match the new camouflage.

Equipment experts have a plan to fix that.

The Army decided in late Febru­ary to begin issuing MultiCam uni­forms and equipment to soldiers serving in Afghanistan after the pattern outperformed the Army Combat Uniform’s Universal Cam­ouflage Pattern.

Soldiers deploying to Afghanistan are issued the UCP-clad Improved Outer Tactical Vest and they will be issued a lightweight Army Plate Carrier. The service initially ordered 57,000 plate carriers in the UCP pattern last fall.

In response to the camouflage change, the Army added to its order and asked for plate carriers in the new camo.

Here’s what you need to know about the new gear:
1The fix. The Army will start issu­ing a special kit for “retrofitting” the IOTV and plate carriers from UCP to MultiCam.

2How it works. Soldiers can take the soft armor inserts out of the existing UCP covers, “put it in a kit, and now you have a MultiCam IOTV and a MultiCam plate carri­er,” said Brig. Gen. Peter Fuller, who commands Program Executive Office Soldier.

3When you get them. The Army will begin issuing conversion kits to units deploying to Afghanistan in July. The first planned fielding for units deploy­ing to Afghanistan is scheduled for August.

4More in the works. The Army has increased its plate carrier order from 57,000 to 85,000. The “residual of the plate carriers” will be in Mul­tiCam, Fuller said.

5What’s next in camo. The Army is wrapping up the final phase of its camouflage assessment. Uniform officials are scheduled to make a recommendation at the end of the year regarding the service’s future camouflage strategy.

“I don’t know what the decision is going to be because there are sever­al ways to address this,” Fuller said, explaining that the service could look at multiple patterns. “In Afghanistan, we determined that MultiCam was the most appropri­ately colored uniform; it might not be the most appropriately colored uniform” for other areas of the world.

— Matthew Cox

Posted in Uncategorized | 12 Comments »