2/27/2007
Army Combat Uniform
Red2Alpha says,
The Army Combat Uniform (ACU) is the third bad idea to come out of the modern Army in the last few years. The other two, in no real order, are: issuing the black beret to every Soldier, and the introduction of the Combat Action Badge (C.A.B.). There are other bad ideas, but these are the top three that don’t include dumb ideas that kill people.
The first time I got a close look at Soldiers wearing the ACU was in October or ‘05, while coming home on leave from Iraq. I first thought was that the uniform just looked wrong. Everything about it, mostly the color. It seems to kind of glow, especially against the tans and browns of Iraq. I couldn’t figure out where the colors of the uniform would be effective. Maybe the grayish green and tans would work on some distant planet like LV-426 where Sigourney Weaver and her crew encounter a very nasty creature in the 1979 film ‘Alien’. Upon closer inspection I thought the uniform looked sloppy. Not sloppy as in unpressed or dirty but sloppy as in the name tapes and patches seemed to be in danger of falling off because they were ’secured’ by Velcro. The edges curled like old paper.
When I first learned that the Army was designing a new uniform I was excited, after all, the Marines had come out with their new MARPAT uniform which was functional and looked fantastic. I figured the Army would adopt something similar to the Marines. Boy, was I wrong. The ACU is kind of like the MARPAT in cut and style, pockets on the sleeves, angled chest pockets, and lacking the nearly useless lower pockets on the blouse ( yes, I just used the word blouse). There the similarity ends. Where the MARPATs digital camo pattern actually looks like it would work on this planet, the ACUs pattern doesn’t look like it would work anywhere on Earth. When the 101st Airborne Div. began to replace my unit in Iraq they were all outfitted with the ACU. On patrols with them I noticed how much they stood out against the buildings and soil of our sector. Our Soldiers, with their faded and worn, DCUs blended in much better, as much as you can in an urban environment.
Who came up with this pattern? I know, some computer program that I am sure is much smarter than I am worked long and hard up at NATICK to produce this pattern and color that is supposed to work in any environment. That’s why there is only one color for the ACU, as compared to the Marines that have one for both woodland and desert. Maybe they have something there, huh?
Beyond that, and here I will digress a bit. Maybe I am to concerned with looks. After being in Iraq and seeing combat I know it’s not about looking good but about surviving. However, a Soldier should feel good about his uniform, it should look neat and orderly. The ACU does not look good. It looks sloppy. It looks like someone’s idea of what a future uniform should look like, like something out of a movie. Velcro and fancy pockets on the lower legs, the crazy pattern and colors. Supposedly the uniform was designed with the in put of Soldiers. I can’t think of one Soldier I know that actually likes the uniform. It costs more, much more than a set of BDUs, the patches and name tapes cost more. The best I have heard about the ACU is it’s comfortable. Now that I own a set I will agree with that. They do fit nicely, but that’s about it. The buttons on the blouse have been replaced by a zipper. It used to be that if you lost a button or two in the field you could sew it back on. If a Soldier blows a zipper now what is he going to do? Secure his uniform with a few strips of 100mph tape? The Velcro patches and name tapes are supposed to make it easier for Soldiers to make their uniform ’sterile’, no names or unit ident but how many Soldiers, outside of SF, actually do that? Not many. Most COs and 1st Sgts I can think of would lose it if his men went around with nothing on their uniforms, even in combat.
In the end, I have learned that the Army is now reconsidering the ACU. Reports from combat zones are saying that the uniform does not hold up well in those conditions. The Velcro wears out, the camo pattern is not effective, and under observation under night vision the pattern actually stands out more than the old woodland or three color desert pattern. On top of that female Soldiers are complaining about the placement of the rank patches. Center chest, right at the bust line instead of on the collars like the old uniform.
If the Army wants to have new uniform, I say good. Do it. But please, make it practical, make it useful. Make it something we can use here, on this planet
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23 Responses to “Army Combat Uniform”
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Only way I can describe it.
Go go Power Rangers!
Yeah - but it looks good and works against the mottled grey granite in Penn Station in NYC (only slightly kidding) - helps them hide from the commuters
First time I saw them I thought back to a quote on camo design from Palister’s book “I’d rather be wrong and too dark, than wrong and too light” - guess the folks who designed the ACU never thought of that
I don’t know about it’s ability to blend into the tan desert environment. However, I do know from experience that it does blend in incredibly well in a woodland environment. I was once talking with a buddy on an FTX, and out of nowhere he completely gave me the slip, disappearing into the nearby bushes. I agree that velcro was probably the worst fastener they could have used, there is no need for the general Army populous to regularly switch patches/name tapes on and off. The female complaint of the rank being on the bust line, in my opinion, is a bit silly. Both the BDU and ACU are not fashionable, I’m not sure what the complaint actually is, but no more soldiers are looking at womens breasts because now then they were before. The ACU has no “Ooogle” effect.
American Soldier, I’m sorry, but I’m just one dumb a$$ed vet. But let me see, if I understand what you are trying to say. You are suggesting the government might use some “common sense”, whatever that is, in the design of this Army Combat Uniform. As my father put it, one of the times the government tried to use this thing called common sense, they had a project. The goal of the project was to build a perfect square. Everybody put their utmost into the project. The result is what we now call, “The Pentagon”. I am sure, you can draw your own conclusions. Good Luck! “Grumpy”
AS-
I agree, the ACU looks SO sloppy. The velcro’d tags and pockets are CRAP! Noise disipline anyone?
“Hey LT! Where the hell are we?”
“Two seconds Sarge! Let me check my map!”
SSSSHHHHHHHRRRRRRIIIIIIIPPPPP!!!!!!!
“WTF!?!”
KRACK BANG!
“MEDIC!”
That’s how it would go.
They also tried to sell us on the “fact” that the velcro’d patches are to make them last longer through washing. So the patches look brand friggin new and the rest of the uniform will fade, just like BDUs.
And in addition to the types of units that would have a legit need for a sterile uniform, you forgot Civil Affairs / Psy Ops.
But even then, if we get ourselves into a situation where we would need to sterilize, we did something real F’d up.
JB2D out.
Red2Alpha,
Sorry about the uniforms. I’m glad that they are reconsidering the design. They should get the opionion of combat troops who have been to Iraq or Afghanistan and who know what you guys want and need in a uniform. Then they wouldn’t put all this time, money and effort into uniforms that are so inadeqate and look so much like something from another planet !!
I have to agree. The ACU is a case of trying to do too many things at once. It can’t be an ideal uniform camo pattern for both woodland/tropical and desert. That’s just silly.
The DCU wasn’t a bad camo pattern, but the uniform itself suffered from some of the same defects as the BDU. Adjusting the pocket slants and adding sleeve pockets was a good move considering how much of the time body armor is worn, but making them velcro (or hook and whatever it’s called) fastening is suboptimal for all the reasons you cite, with the additional one of how prone to getting clogged with sand the velcro is. One more thing a soldier has to dig sand out of with a toothbrush, as if they don’t have enough things to do that for. I’d guess that the zipper has a similar drawback.
The placement of rank in mid-chest was an obvious bonehead move, which could have been adduced from the Goretex jacket; I found it a little off-putting to have to stare or squint (with these old, tired eyes) a female soldier’s chests to figure out their rank. Granted, on the Gortex, being an outer garment, it’s not as leering-seeming as on the ACUs.
While the black beret is useless (for non-Rangers), the good news is that with the change from green Class A’s (i.e., Army Green Service uniform) to blue ones (Army Service Uniform), the black beret will only be worn with the service uniform by E-4 and below. Once a soldier is an NCO they get the gold stripe and the bus driver, er, service cap.
Unfortunately, that still leaves troops who wear the ACU (or BDU) on a daily basis stuck wearing the beret whenever they’re not in the field or doing motor stables.
Sorry the uniforms suck. I hope the Army gets it together and listens to those that know~and gets it right this next time.
I’ve quoted you and linked to you here: http://consul-at-arms.blogspot.com/2007/03/re-army-combat-uniform.html
The ACU works fine. I thought the pattern would be a problem but its not, and works especially well at night and in low visibility. Most of the time real fighting soldiers are filthy anyways so the pattern is not really important. I agree that the black beret is a little silly. The new boots are outstanding.
Personally I think the Army needs to have that same thing as the Marine corps for a combat uniform as with the other services and the Army Service Uniform whose idea was that, that will be nothing but a pain because we will have to buy at least two sets of them and they are cheap not to mention the shoulder boards are 30 dollars alone and that is everytime you get promoted
Personnally I think the ACU needs to go and the Army as well as the rest of the U.S Military needs to adopt the MARPAT as their Battle Uniform and the Army needs to recall that Service Uniform thing as well because the Green Uniform fits the Army better as a color. The people who say that the green uniform looks like the Wehrmacht need to walk off a cliff
The ACU is completely flawed in every single aspect. There is no uniform not even the praised “multicam” that is adequate for all environments. The only type of camo that will ever work for all environments is a light bending technology that makes the wearer invisible like in Predator. Now I know this does not even exist but I honestly do believe eventually scientists will discover a way to create it and hopefully it will be soon. Back to the topic I don’t know if anyone has noticed it yet but MARPAT (both woodland and desert) use a four color pattern while the ACU uses a three color pattern. That right there makes it worse because the less variety of proper colors for a specific environment the worse the camo is e.g. jungle fatigues were the right color green but only green. If they had had other colors like brown and black they would have been much better. So until the Army wises up and asks the USMC if they can adopt MARPAT they should just take the ACU and change the color pattern to green/brown/black for woodland and light tan/dark tan/brown for desert. That way it would still be a three color instead of four color pattern so the USMC couldn’t sue them for copyright infringement. And yes MARPAT is copyrighted and can’t be used by the other branches unless they are given permission. Well that’s my rant.
From what I have seen of the ACU’s, they are working just fine. As for the green service uniform. No thanks! I look foward to the New Army Blue Service Uniform. The US Army is returning to it’s 19th century traditional blue service uniforms heritage. You can keep the green disco greens. Give me the Army Blue!
The ACU is, well what I call a botched uniform velcro WTF why don’t you just yell out “hey shoot”. I think the Army should have sucked it up and adopted the MARPAT design. I was watching a video of U.S. Army soldiers patroling the South and North Korean boarder whering the ACU’s I wasn’t very impressed mainly because it doesn’t take a f****** genius to tell you that a gray digital uniform and a woodland enviroment don’t exactly work to well with one another.
Okay I like the ACU but I would like it better if these changes were implemented lose the velcro and return the rank insignia to the collar it would look alot better than what uit is know. As far the the Blue Service uniform goes have you ever seen it with a beret it looks horrible and not to mention the gray shirt only makes it look worse. Army Green is much more traditional and I haope the new Chief of Staff reinstates the green uniform ARMY GREEN FOREVER. For the Army White Uniform SAVE IT have you ever had a assignment in the tropics where it is hot and humid the White Uniform is for that reason Have fun wearing that faggot Service Uniform in a tropical asignment. Remember that the Air Force wears blue and I do not care if the Army had it first it is the Air Force color now GET OVER IT. The new Blues also look GAY and we don’t like let Faggots in the Military remember if I ever become Chief of Staff it gonna be back to the Greens
ARMY GREEN FOREVER DON”T MAKE US LOOK LIKE QUEERS!!!
Well ACUS are cool and all but insignia should back to the collar it would look alot better and Army Greens are cool to leave the Dress Uniforms the way they are.
Okay who took out my first comment I meannt everything I said in it Army Green forever. I like the Army Greens I am currently stationed in Hawaii and cannot even wear the Dress Blues because the CO said no because the are to hot to be worn in our conditions right now we all have to the White Uniform during the day and the Green uniform at night I am dredding the first I have to wear the Dress Blues full time this and I hope General Casey revokes the plan that would be a great idea plus the Air Force is Blue already and to all you people who think it is a great idea I hopr you enjoy wearing that thing traveling
Navy Blue
Marine Corps Blue
Air Force Blue
ARMY GREEN FOREVER
Hey guys, I have to agree. I love the comment left by JawBreaker 2 Delta. That was some funny shit. Anyways, I have to defend the ACU’s on one ground. Atleast you dont have to iron the shit outta them. I hated the damn BDU’s and kept waisting money to go have them starched and pressed. Even my SSG was telling me that he liked the ACU’s better because of this one fact. Anyways, other than that I have to agree.
I been in the army a year now and i have to say, i dislike the ACU very much. Iv discoverd where the effectivness of the light colors of the ACU comes from however, what makes it effective is that it stains itself to the type of area your in. Just roll around in the mud and grass then bam! you got yourself some woodland ACUs! Well anywho, iv yet to hear a good thing bout the ACU and i pray to god they least ask the Marines about using their pattern so we dont stick out like soar thumbs anymore. And as one last thing to show my hate of the ACU, even though the BDU is going to be no longer used soon iv done got a set so i dont have to wear such a crappy uniform, i just hope a new style of acu comes soon and fast.
ok military is military am i wrong? why dont we all have the same uniform only different branch tapes? if MARPAT works well, and acu doesnt, shouldn’t we all just have MARPAT?:???:
The greens have more tradition? The greens have only been around 60 years. The blues have been around for 230 years. The greens look like $hit. I have seen new pics of the Class A/B blue service uniforms and they look sharp. They are light years ahead of the green pickle suit.
The change was not made overnight, nor at some Generals fancy. Soldiers have been complaing about the greens since they were introduced back in the 1950’s. They have been so many atempts to make the uniform look sharp (scarves, diffrnet color shirts, berets…)and all have failed.
So as the 1990’s roll around and the Army looked into changing the uniform after looking at polls sugesting a near seventy percent diasproval rate with the greens. This thing has been in the works for 8 years.