Army's $5B failed pixelated uniform getting scrapped
The Army’s pixelated camouflage uniform is getting scrapped — after costing $5 billion and making soldiers easier targets because the design stood out in nearly every environment they were worn in, according to a report in The Daily.
Researchers at the Natick Soldier Center in Natick, Mass. told The Daily that the gray-green uniform debuted in 2004 after Army brass interfered in the selection process, choosing looks and politics over science,
Researchers are now testing new patterns to replace the gray Universal Camouflage Pattern, known as UCP, and troops in the field have been given a greenish, blended replacement called MultiCam, according to The Daily.
“Essentially, the Army designed a universal uniform that universally failed in every environment,” an Army specialist who served two tours in Iraq, wearing UCP in Baghdad and the deserts outside Basra, told The Daily. “The only time I have ever seen it work well was in a gravel pit.”
“As a cavalry scout, it is my job to stay hidden. Wearing a uniform that stands out this badly makes it hard to do our job effectively,” he said. “If we can see our own guys across a distance because of it, then so can our enemy.”
