It seems that the US Army is looking hard into issuing the Multicam Pattern for use by combat troops. This is brought about by a congressional hearings following complaints by soldiers that the ACU pattern is ineffective in Afgahnistan. And there's a growing opinion that there's no universal pattern for camouflage and that they be issued uniforms that is a appropriate in the environment they are going to operate in. Though this is not actually a new thinking, as this has been the thinking of experts over the decades. It was perhaps more of cost-consciousness that dominated the thinking of the officials when choosing a pattern for use by the forces.

As Army Times reports:

The Army is eyeing MultiCam, a camouflage pattern preferred by special operations forces, to replace the pixelated pattern on the combat uniforms soldiers wear in Afghanistan.

The hunt for a new camo design follows a growing groundswell of rank-and-file criticism that the current pattern on the Army Combat Uniform is ineffective in the rugged Afghan terrain — and elsewhere.

“The general consensus on the ACU pattern among many, many soldiers is that it is ineffective in breaking up a soldier’s outline in just about every environment except in urban areas and the local gravel pit,” Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 mark Ulsh wrote to Army Times. “As an aviator, I can tell you that from the air most other nations’ camouflage masks a soldier better than the ACU does.”

Similar complaints made their way to an influential member of Congress, who gave senior Army leaders a Sept. 30 deadline to present a plan that includes the budgetary and logistical details for outfitting roughly 40,000 soldiers serving in Afghanistan with a new camouflage pattern.

The directive to find an alternative to the Universal Camouflage Pattern comes just five years after it was introduced as the one-and-only camo design. It replaced both the Desert Camouflage Uniform and the woodland-patterned Battle Dress Uniform. Though the move to streamline soldiers’ clothing bags was generally applauded, many complained the result was a pattern that was not particularly effective in either desert or woodland surroundings.

Complaints about its ineffectiveness have grown as the Army has increased the number of soldiers deployed to Afghanistan.

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Photo from Army Times taken by Maj. Deanna Bague / Army