The Army wants to look like the Marines...

[CingularDuality]

http://www.peosoldier.army.mil/index.php?section=acu

http://apnews.excite.com/article/200...D884OGD00.html

FORT STEWART, Ga. (AP) - Army soldiers are being issued new fatigues with easy-to-use Velcro openings and a redesigned camouflage pattern that can help conceal them as they move rapidly from desert to forest to city in places like Baghdad.....

The uniform will replace the standard forest camouflage - green, brown and black - and the desert camouflage - tan, brown and grey - now used by U.S. troops in Iraq. Twenty-two changes were made to the uniforms, most notably the new camouflage pattern.

Instead of bold jigsaw swatches of colors, the new camouflage pattern uses muted shades of desert brown, urban gray and foliage green broken into one-centimeter segments. Black was eliminated completely because it catches the eye too easily.

The resulting camouflage - similar to a pattern the Marines adopted two years ago - conceals soldiers in forest, desert or urban battlegrounds, said Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Myhre, the uniform's lead designer.....

Other changes were prompted by complaints from soldiers in the field. Jacket and pocket buttons, which can snag on nets and other gear, have been replaced with zippers and Velcro.

Pockets at the jacket's waistline were moved to the shoulders, where soldiers can reach them while wearing body armor. And the uniforms have a looser fit, with more room to wear layers underneath.

Rank, unit and name patches attach with Velcro rather than being sewn on. Infrared-reflecting squares on the shoulders make friendly troops easier to identify while using night-vision goggles.....

The new uniforms cost a little more - $85 each, compared with $60 for the old ones. But Norwood said the Army will save money by having to produce only one combat uniform rather than three - standard greens, desert camouflage and cold-weather fatigues.

And they should make soldiers' lives easier, too. The fabric is wrinkle-free and machine-washable, and the new suede boots do not require polishing like the old black boots.

"If you have a choice whether you teach them to polish boots or teach them how to survive in battle, we'd rather teach them to survive in battle," Rodeheaver said.

Interesting... I don't think the pattern is as effective in a vegetated environment or a desert environment, though. I like the fact that MARPAT is so effective, even though you still have to choose jungle, desert or urban before you deploy...

http://www.marcorsyscom.usmc.mil/sit...at_pattern.asp for comparison.

Hmmm, looks like the Marines have given up on the idea of an urban pattern... It was similar in overall color to what the Army is going with, IIRC.

Oh, yeah, and if you want to see the rest of the best uniforms in the US Armed Forces, click here: http://www.marcorsyscom.usmc.mil/sit...orm_plates.htm

[CingularDuality]

Hmmm, I just ran across this pattern and it looks very promising!

http://www.multicampattern.com/

If you go to Images and look at the photos, you'll see just how effective it is. It's the same exact camo pattern in every photo. Interesting how effective it is in different amounts of light...

[phyllis]

Originally Posted by CingularDuality

http://www.multicampattern.com/

Very interesting !

This is what caught my eye though... "MultiCam™ featured in Ghost Recon 2 video game " ..Now let's see how well it works in the virtual world