Germany-based soldiers headed for Iraq are the first in Europe to get the new digitized, permanent press Army Combat Uniform, or ACU. The first soldiers to get the new uniforms were Fort Stewart-based troops with the 48th Infantry Brigade of the Georgia National Guard.
According to Paul Rivera, team leader for Program Executive Officer Soldier, the new uniform replaces both battle dress uniforms, or BDUs, and desert camouflage uniforms, or DCUs.
“This is the uniform for all environments — jungle, urban and desert,” Rivera said. “There will be no BDUs or DCUs. They will all be gone,” Rivera said. “All war fighters will wear one uniform.”
The uniforms are radically different than the uniforms they replace, most distinctly their lack of black, according to Army documents. Black is omitted because it’s not commonly found in nature.
The ACU consists of a jacket, trousers, patrol cap, moisture wicking t-shirt and the recently adopted Army Combat Boot (Temperate and Hot Weather). The new ACU is the culmination of many months of research and development by Soldiers, for Soldiers, and is the uniform of choice by the overwhelming majority of Army leaders and Soldiers.
The ACU enhances Soldier performance by providing a uniform that is tailorable to the individual mission; provides enhanced functionality and ergonomics over the existing BDU; and does away with requirements to procure uniforms focused on specific environments making the ACU deployable worldwide. The ACU was fielded to designated deploying units beginning February 2005 and will complete fielding no later than April 2008.
The $88 cost of the new uniform jacket and pants (a $34 increase over the current BDU) will be offset by:
Proposed increase, as yet to be determined, in the monthly Clothing Replacement Allowance for enlisted Soldiers
A permanent press treatment that eliminates the need for Soldiers to pay for costly dry cleaning of their uniforms
No added cost to Soldiers for additional sewing due to the use of hook and pile or pin-on patches, nameplates, and badges
Army-wide savings realized by streamlining procurement and stockpiling of one uniform for all environments instead of maintaining the BDU in the woodland and desert patterned sets
Decreased manufacturing costs as processes are refined.
The Army Black Beret will remain authorized for wear with the new ACU; no decision has been made concerning whether the ACU will replace any uniform other than the BDU/DCU. The ACU, including component materials, will be manufactured in the United States using the same industrial base that produces the current uniform, thereby, ensuring the highest quality control and assisting the American work force. The ACU is part of the Army's continuing effort to equip the Army's Future Force now and to provide America's Most Deployed Combat System, our Soldiers, the best equipment possible.
Army Combat Uniform Fact Sheet
Three different versions of the ACU have been developed, and more than 10,000 uniforms have been produced and dragged through the sand in Iraq and at Army training centers. Fielding to the total Army should be complete by April 2008, said officials from the Program Executive Office, known as PEO Soldier.
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, the Clothing and Individual Equipment noncommissioned officer in charge.
Black is no longer useful on the uniform because it is not a color commonly found in nature. The drawback to black is that its color immediately catches the eye, he added.
"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, grey-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."
Every change was made for a reason. 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 that 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 lifecycle of the patches. Also the cost to get patches sewn on will be eliminated, he added.
Uniform changes include:
1. Mandarin collar that can be worn up or down
2. Rank insignia centered on the front of the blouse
3. Velcro for wearing unit patch, skill tabs and recognition devices
4. Zippered front closure
5. Elbow pouch for internal elbow pad inserts
6. Knee pouch for internal knee pad inserts
7. Draw string leg cuff
8. Tilted chest pockets with Velcro closure
9. Three-slot pen pocket on bottom of sleeve
10. Velcro sleeve cuff closure
11. Shoulder pockets with Velcro
12. Forward tilted cargo pockets
13. Integrated blouse bellows for increased upper body mobility
14. Integrated Friend or Foe Identification Square on both left and right shoulder pocket flap
15. Bellowed calf storage pocket on left and right leg
16. Moisture-wicking desert tan t-shirt
17. Patrol Cap with double thick bill and internal pocket
18. Improved hot-weather desert boot or temperate-weather desert boot
