Big Army’s “Duh” moment on uniforms
I’m finally getting to my email from the last two days, so if you haven’t seen your tip yet, hang on, I’ll get to it. But Jason sent us a link to a Military.com article which reports that Big Army has decided that they’ll just stick with Multicam uniforms for the time being;
After years of testing, Army uniform officials are planning to recommend that MultiCam should replace today’s pixilated design as the official camouflage pattern the service issues to all soldiers, Military.com has learned.
Made by Crye Precision LLC of Brooklyn, N.Y., MultiCam is the pattern that outperformed the service’s Universal Camouflage Pattern, or UCP, to become the Army’s pattern for soldiers deploying to Afghanistan. UCP was nonetheless adopted in 2004, but came under congressional scrutiny when soldiers complained about its poor performance in Afghanistan.
So, let me see if I got this right; the Army is going to decide to keep the uniform pattern they bought about two years ago and after spending $5 billion looking for a new pattern? And they can’t find waste to cut in the Defense Department that doesn’t involve raising Tricare fees? But, wait there are two options in the recommendation. One is just job security for the weenies at Natick;
But officials running the camouflage effort are now looking at two options to recommend to the service’s senior leadership this fall.
One option would be to make MultiCam the Army’s official camouflage pattern, sources tell Military.com.
The second option would be to make MultiCam the service’s pattern for garrison and general deployment use, but also to have a family of approved camouflage patterns that could be issued for specific areas of the world.
Does anyone envision any scenario in which Option 2 won’t be the choice? Yeah, no, me either.
Category: Big Army
O/T: this is on Drudge right now. Tricare is not off the table or this year, yet.
http://freebeacon.com/obama-to-soldiers-pay-up/
Bill R., I started writing about that, but I can’t find a credible link for the story. Everything seems to link back to a blog, and you know how unreliable those blogs are 🙂 But I can’t find the original statement anywhere – just something on a blog with no links to the actual document. So, I’m not climbing on the bandwagon yet.
That would be for this year, yet.
Also, just think of all the money wasted on the UCP TA-50. That swirling sound you hear is all the money to be wasted making Multicam TA-50 in order to outfit the Army.
Can we fire them too?
Gee, I could get a really great spray-painted camo pattern duckcloth cheap at my favorite fabric store, about $2.00/yd. You can make a great duck hunting getup out of it and look silly at the same time.
That’s mine above, too.
Try this link, which I shamelessly stole from Blackfive: https://traceyricksfoster.wordpress.com/2012/06/28/statement-of-administration-policy-h-r-5856-department-of-defense-appropriations-act-2013-rep-rogers-r-ky/
Yeah, Country Singer, that’s what everyone is linking to, but I want to see the original statement this Foster guy copied it from. It just sounds too easy.
I’ll dig around a little.
They invent ways to waste money! Hell, I can’t wait for the government to take over healthcare too! Just think of how much money will be flushed down the crapper then! As far a camo, isn’t it mainly about blending in with the colors of the region and season?
Goddamn you I was trying for some good news there. I have been wanting to punt puppies since yesterday and now you all are just trying piss on my parade. Multicam should have been what they went with before and they finally pulled their head out of their ass and did it. Now I just wish we could find the anonymous general who came up with the idea for the UCP and give him a good kick in the junk.
I think the tricare thing has leaked out pretty damned quick and spread like wildfire. What a dickbag…
Sure glad I didn’t have multicam in Mosul would have been worse than the digital acu
No. 8 Mr. Lilyea:
“. . . I want to see the original . . .”
“It just sounds too easy.”
Ha-Ha !!
Careful is right — you could’ve accidentally,
won a Pulitzer !!
(I’m not a cynic, just accurate.)
No. 3 Trent:
It’s damn near IMPOSSIBLE, to fire gov’t workers .
(I’d like to be wrong on this.)
Not trying to stir the pot but why does the Army insist on changing uniforms every couple of years? Besides family tradition, what drew me to the Marine Corps were our traditions. Our uniforms change very little, very rarely. Our customs and courtesies are the same today as when I went in 35 years ago. tradition.
Yat Yas the army frowns upon any non-mandatory fun time tradition. Anyone trying to start any new tradition in the army is labeled a shitbag and dealt with accordingly. Hence, SMA Clownshoes and his hardon for tattoos.
The problem with the whole uniform deal is the army doesn’t really consult your combat arms units on things like this. When we got ACUs in August 05 before we stepped for Iraq myself, who was an E1 at the time, to NCOs thought it was garbage. What’s even more funny is SOCOM (ie ranger battalion and secret uniforms) had been using multicam I want to say around the time period. Just more waste fraud and abuse by CSMs and general officers that approve this garbage.
I feel very justified.
IIRC, the winning company is associated with the Republican who won Weiner’s and Schumer’s seat in Brooklyn.
Aweful lot of money spend on keeping a Republican from Brooklyn in Congress.
YatYas-the Army destroys all its good traditions (see the wretched “Army song” as opposed to “Caissons” and how they actually managed to make our bad dress uniform worse with the blues), you’d almost think it was intentional.
This week’s Army Times had a story on changing pay an benefits. One of the things proposed was that they would make reservists pay and benefits the same in reserve status as on active duty (i.e. instead of 4 days base pay for a weekend, you’d get two days base pay plus 2 days BAH and 2 days BAS). That would mean a cut for me, but they also said that we would be offered tricare the same as active duty which would have almost have made it worth it (though it is still not clear how they would address issues like how points are calculated for retirement, etc). Now this rumor about charging for tricare-yeesh, it never ends.
@ 16 JPJ. LOL! Actually the Marine Corps does the same thing. There are traditions still held today that are 75 years old and some much older. Some are way cool like learning the sword manual at the NCO Academy or having to ask for permission to pass a commissioned officer or leave his presence, “Sir, by your leave”. Having to do facing movements when leaving the offices of the 1st Shirt, XO or CO after getting chewed out. Yeah, I had to “stand tall” when one of my Marines screwed up. Another good tradition!
Since I came back from Afghanistan with Multi-Cams, I’d say not a problem for me. I prefer them significantly to ACUs, but then I also got to wear DCUs in Iraq when most others had to start wearing the ACUs there in ’05.
But hey, at least Multi-Cam is actually camouflaged.
We should just stick with multi-cam and DCUs. I still have BDUs and DCUs in my spare room though so if they reverted, I’m sure plenty of us would be able to change tomorrow. If the Army said we could start wearing multi-cam tomorrow, I would in a heartbeat.
@ 19 68W58. It really seems like the military is trying to disenfranchise the units they rely on the most. I mentioned in a different thread that my AFRes brother retired rather than keep getting deployed. A 25 year Reserve veteran and a 30 year Phoenix firefighter, all that experience that they’ve lost out on.
They are way overthinking this shit!
1.) Make it sturdy- like the BDUS used to be
2.) Lots of pockets- so the REMFS can put lots of pens in the pockets and forget they are there when they wash em.
3.) Let each soldier pick the camo patteren they like- make a fashion statement. Desert, woodland, ACU etc.
5.) There is no #4
6.) fuck the velcro on the pockets- it’s handy for the patches.
7.) go back to the rank on the collar…enlisted folks hate having to wait until an officer is within blast zone before they see the rank and salute.
How about some gladiator armor? The heck with camo, go for the glam!
CI Roller Dude, I agree on all points except the rank; It needs to go back on the arm.
Nice big stripes to tell instantly, and at any distance, who the hell is in charge here. Our enemies don’t care who the leadership is, they just want to kill us all, so giving away your leadership position is a moot point.
Slick sleeve? You got a baby face? You’re a new PVT or cute little LT (neither which deserve much recognition yet). Old and scraggly puss? No doubt, officer country. Salute it.
I’ve always held that big chevrons looked perfectly Soldierly and professional.
….not to mention, you no longer have to wait until your nose is in their chest to know if you salute with all fingers, or jut one 🙂
Don’t forget they need to keep those pen holders one the sleeves! Because they are so useful…I really want to kick whoever came up with that bright idea in the junk/taco. I also think that at least 6 or 8 more pockets, because I needed more pockets to forget where I put my notebook, dip, smokes, phone, etc…in.
at least the multi cam pattern is true camouflage. the acu pattern looks like it was taken from a scrambled porn image on tv.
The correct answer for uniforms is ensure they are terrain and weather-specific. You wouldn’t want to go to combat in Iraq, for instance, in multicam; plus, if you’ve worn both, you know the ACU breathes better than multicam and is cooler during the summers. (And conversely, multicam keeps you warmer in the winters.)
And why is the Army so strident about having our garrison uniform be the same as the combat uniform, anyway? I guess ease of use, but it looks ridiculous seeing guys in ACUs at the ballgame or Applebees.
In any case, before we change uniforms again, let’s think strategically about terrain and weather factors so we don’t have to do this again in 5-10 years when I have to drag my ass to fucking Brazil (who knows) and people are complaining about uniforms again.
WTF? Did the Kardashians take over the US Military?
We had uniform clothing for ground combat forces since WW1, until just before OEF/OIF. It used to be the only way you could tell a Marine from a Soldier from a distance was the helmet band.
This “Army vs Marine” cammo and special cammo for special areas crap is crap. Because for the vast majority of the force, it really doesn’t matter. What a huge waste of time and money.
Oh, your special cammo makes you feel special? STFU and get in the sand pit and smoke yourself until I get tired and too sweaty from watching the stupid come out of you.
Why wouldn’t they go down to Bass Pro Shops and just buy some RealTree camo? Shit seems to work amongst animals who’s senses are much better than any human. No shit, they got it all from outerwear to coffee mugs and Lazy Boy recliners. And unlike our contracts to the small and demographically correct regulation at the sacrifice cost and availability in the civilian in the free market, we would get the product on time and within standards. Funny how that free market stuff works..must be the “invisible” part of the hand.
Nope, we have to grease every jerkoff politician to ensure they bring home the pork plus no doubt some form of a sweet payback. Besides, if you spend enough time in any uniform in the sweat, dirt, and lack of water assures that any pattern adapts itself to the area operations…not by choice of course.
Call me stupid,; you wouldn’t be the worst of first. Take the multi-cam and be done with it. It works. But that doesn’t provide enough kickbacks and political capital for their district. God forbid our congressional reps need to augment to their paltry salary and benefits. Boo fucking who!
Soldiers are just tired of walking around in bullet magnets. Don’t get me started on the velcro pockets (“this way t kill infidel”).
Like it’s been said.” Officers; fucking things up since 1775.”
Tat money could have spent on additional training or even retiree benefits. Unfortunately that doesn’t translate well to constituents who want something big, tangible and jobs. There was a reason that Senators were picked up by quorum rather than popular vote.
Aaarrrghhh! My head is going to explode. Nothing has changed, except the means in which the congress critters line their pockets. I wonder how many soldiers have died because of their useless ACUs.
I liked the jungle fatigues I was issued in Basic Training. They were lightweight, durable, and looked great if you wanted to “break starch”. Over the last three decades we’ve had to put up with E-Ring Christian Dior’s who believe that a uniform change every 10 years will somehow make us more fashionable. Added to the ensemble was that stupid black beret; a ridiculous concept pushed through by a General who thought that it would be good for his “legacy”. I feel sorry for this generation of troops. Not only do they have to put up with President Punchdrunk, but they have to go through wardrobe changes like a fucking vaudeville act.