DESERT COMBAT UNIFORM - why was there not enough?

Logistics for a small company is a challenge in itself. Doing it for an entire military let alone in combat and on the other side of the planet sure can cause some issues. The 3 colour desert camo has a interesting history that was overshadowed somewhat unfairly by its predecessor & replacement. Having said that, there is always a silver lining - lots of mothballed military surplus for everyone!
We landed a bunch of DCU along with 'choc chip' camo at time of writing - head over to our bio if you want to score some!

[@FinallyMe78]

When I went to Iraq in 2003, as a Reservist, everyone had the DCU uniforms. It was all the other stuff that wasn't DCU. When you see guys in woodland, they are wearing MOP suits. They probably had DCUs underneath. All the IBAs were woodland as well. That is why the iconic look for early Iraq and Afghanistan is DCUs with woodland webgear and IBAs.

[@armyand_Outdoors]

yeh by the looks thats the average experience - webgear, MOP suits etc and a damside harder & more expensive to produce. Definitely took a long while to see the majority of it disappear!

[@mikebrase5161]

1995 with 1st Cav I was initially issued Chocolate chip pattern upon deployment. During the deployment we were supplied with two crates of uniforms for the Platoon of the two tone DCU pattern tops and bottoms. In '04-'05 Iraq I was once again in 1st Cavalry Division and we were issued two tone ACU tops and bottoms winter and summer weight. Some guys had to mix winter tops with summer bottoms as their weren't enough to go around we got PC's and Boonies of the same pattern. Our IBA's and pouches were all of the woodland pattern.

[@armyand_Outdoors]

that's one hell of a mix-good ol loggies! Getting supplies out in a combat zone to the right units can't be easy - let alone the resources & time drain on retooling the entire Army! I wonder if the Winter ACU's were purely a accident or just a purposeful rush to get boots in new camo at all haste

[@gp556by45]

My uncle had a unique blend of UCP tops, bottoms, and helmet covers; but DCU pouches and Interceptor vests when he deployed in June 05 to Ramadi. By the time DCU equipment was finally issued en masse, the uniform had changed to the UCP. By the time he left in June 06, his unit was just finally getting UCP gear, so they never ended up using it and it went on to the next unit.

[@mikebrase5161]

@@armyand_Outdoors the guys who were issued the winter tops with summer bottoms were something like large long in the sizing of the tops. It was all the taller dudes in my company that got them. I wore medium regular and got all summers. It wasn't until about 3 months into the deployment when supply got a huge some huge pallets in that had socks, moisture wicking T-shirts and the summer tops for the guys that needed them. I would say we were all well outfitted to include getting the RFI stuff. Just not a uniform pattern. I didn't start seeing 100% same pattern stuff til about late '06 early '07. By that time I had PCS'd to Fort Lewis. At Lewis as soon as ACU came out it seemed over night the entire post had them. I was an OC/T instructor and even we had to go turn in and draw new at CIF. Hope my little tid bits help. I have friends who are reenactors and have been trying to help them record this stuff before I get much older and start to forget.

[@armyand_Outdoors]

@@mikebrase5161 its definitely great to have that info for everyone interested cheers mate! - you raise a good point, this is the type of thing reenactors and the likes argue over when veterans have mostly long passed on. As small a detail as it is in the grand scheme of things, it is always interesting to somebody somewhere who loves all things camo!

[@CFMLEAP]

Same thing with the entire British army pretty much. Everybody was going in to the desert with woodland DPM until we could issue desert uniforms to everyone.

[@armyand_Outdoors]

yeh goes to show the amount of time investment it takes to make gear, especially webgear even in a hurry

[@4002corbe]

We were on pre-deployment training on Salisbury Plain in late 1990 with the, what was then, the brand new desert DPM, I understood at the time that there were some British Army units on deployment in the Gulf that still had DPM. (In the rear with the gear, as it were) and, more to the point, I was never actually deployed. Imagine that !

[@armyand_Outdoors]

@@4002corbe thats the thing lots of peeps don't get - apart from development/production time etc, its not quite as simple as 'Fedexing' a bunch of uniforms to Kabul. Takes time to roll it out to frontline lads already in conflict!

[@johnsolas81]

This is one of the best uniforms issued to us before deployment to Iraq OIF 2 1st Cavalry Division 2/5 Cav it was mixed summer and winter, but I got lucky enough to get three summer sets.

[@armyand_Outdoors]

yeh DCU was rad. What webgear did you manage to obtain for your first Iraq deployment?

[@evanmatuszak1864]

Old woodland BDUS

[@rickastely996]

So dumb they switched from DCUS to the ACU or Universal Camo

[@armyand_Outdoors]

yehhhhh really not a great move. Feel like somebody somewhere made a lot of money out of that and it wasn't the taxpayer!

[@evanmatuszak1864]

Are still king

[@gp556by45]

Most of the Woodland Uniform (Not gear like IBA, pouches, packs etc) we see from the 03 Invasion Era wasn't M81 Woodland, although it did happen. They were the MOPP suits that troops wore over their DCUs; mainly because MOPP gear is expensive to produce and it was already in production, and the invasion was relative short notice (about 7 months). Fun fact about MOPP gear in the US Military. There is a procedure called Selective Unmasking following a chemical attack if no chemical detection equipment is available. Following steps are : 1.) Take a deep breath. 2.) Keep their eyes open. 3.) Break the seal of their masks for fifteen seconds. 4.)Then reseal and clear their masks. 5.) Wait for ten minutes. The step the CO takes immediately before such is to have said person disarmed of all weapons prior to such procedure....because nobody is going to do that willingly.

[@armyand_Outdoors]

jeepers, thats grim 💀💀💀yeh it was predominately vests, things that take significant funds/time to build as BDU clothing is a lot easier and quick to produce.

[@gregorysorce1898]

I like the coffee stain camo.

[@HunterLord458]

Sgt. Maj John Sixta approves

[@bd3199]

US Navy too but less than US Air Force. I think the Navy was still using it in 2012.

[@armyand_Outdoors]

Was tempted to mention them but thought Id keep it brief - 100% correct! For them especially it made no sense to replace their camo and continue using what is on hand. Industrial complex often has other ideas though...hahaha

[@bd3199]

Believe it or not it would work in the hills of the northern California SF Bay Area in summer and fall when the egress on the hills fries out and turns light yellow or tan. In the winter and spring time especially the last couple of years with all of the rain the hills are a bright green color. I think the 3 color desert for fall and summer and woodland for winter and spring would work well. The issue when the grass is dry is that all of the trees and bushes are still green while the surrounding grass is tan. This creates the same problem in Afgnaistan between these lush green patches surrounded by tan arrid areas and having to go between using desert and woodland camo. Even MARPAT can't fix that problem. The only thing that can handle that is OCP or Multicam which would be the closest thing to a universal pattern.

[@armyand_Outdoors]

@@bd3199 it is that age old question for militaries - issue a 'jack of all trades, master of none' camo or double your costs by running 2. I still find it interesting the Germans are mostly alone in their approach of reversible camo uniforms. Obviously the manufacturing costs and wear out mustn't be worth it otherwise Im sure the US would of done it already.

[@bd3199]

@@armyand_Outdoors sure.

[@Tet68]

What was the camo in the last war America won? Answer olive drab.