At yesterday's round table with PEO Soldier program managers, one of my colleagues asked a journalisticly simple question about the new OEF Camouflage Pattern uniforms being hurriedly fielded to Joes (and now Airmen) in Afghanistan -- but one that truly encapsulates the issue with MultiCam/OCP.
PEO Soldier Brig. Gen. Pete Fuller said issuing MultiCam uniforms "was like giving candy to a kid. Everybody wants it. And they want it now."
REPORTER: You said the "kids" down range are excited about MultiCam -- why are they so excited about it?PEO's BILL COLE: They just feel that in the terrain they're operating in Afghanistan it's just a much more effective camouflage pattern for them.
PEO's FULLER: I think the kids are seeing hey, you listened and you did something. So, regardless of what the charts say, the kids are saying you're listening to me, and you got me something and I think it's cooler looking because it's greener than this [UCP] and this [UCP] didn't really match in Afghanistan.
It all boils down to confidence, Fuller said.
"The kids look like they're well camouflaged in Afghanistan wearing this pattern," he added.
Well, besides that fact that MultiCam looks cool as hell, it's way more effective than UCP in varied environments. And now that more Joes are wearing it in the field, we have more evidence of that fact. Just look at the following pics to see for yourself.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Cole also said -- just an FYI -- that the Army had just this week issued aviator uniforms in OCP, including all the survival equipment printed in that pattern]
AND NOW, THE CONTROL GROUP: See if you can pick out the Soldiers against the background...
