At long last the waiting and waiting and waiting is over, the US Army today announced the official timeline for the roll-out of the ‘new’ OCP pattern camouflage ACUs – as well as confirming the changes that have been made to the uniform design too.
WASHINGTON (Army Press Release, June 1, 2015) — The Army announced today the release of the Operational Camouflage Pattern in Soldier uniforms. The Operational Camouflage Pattern will be available for purchase in select military clothing sales stores beginning, July 1.
According to an article in The Army Times, some bases will see the OCP uniforms on July 1, while others will receive their first merchandise on Sept. 1 or Nov. 1:
• July 1 phase: 19 installations, including Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Fort Lewis, Washington; Fort Stewart, Georgia; Fort Benning, Georgia; Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Drum, New York; Fort Carson, Colorado; and South Korea.
• Sept. 1 phase: 28 installations, including National Capital Region (including the Pentagon); Fort Bliss, Texas; Fort Riley, Kansas; Fort Knox, Kentucky; and Germany.
• Nov. 1 phase: 63 installations, including Fort Gordon, Georgia; Fort Sill, Oklahoma; Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Fort Jackson, South Carolina; Fort Lee, Virginia; and Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.
The uniforms will become standard issue in clothing bags in January. Uniforms and equipment in the Operational Camouflage Pattern will be available for U.S. Army National Guard, U.S. Army Reserve, and Senior Reserve Officer Training Corps during summer 2016.
(PEO Soldier – via Soldier Systems Daily)
Soldiers are authorized to mix and match T-shirts, belts, and boots with either the Operation Enduring Freedom Camouflage Pattern or the Operational Camouflage Pattern during the transition period – expected to run through Oct. 1, 2019. To further ease the change, Soldiers, who already have Flame Resistant ACUs in the Operational Enduring Freedom Camouflage Pattern, will be authorized to wear them during the transition.
The cost of the uniform in the Operational Camouflage Pattern will be similar to the cost of the uniform in the Universal Camouflage Pattern. According to The Army Times: A full ACU currently costs $102.04, according to the Army. That includes coat ($41.86), trousers ($42.43), patrol cap ($7.41), riggers belt ($3.73), T-shirt ($4.48) and drawers ($2.13).
In addition to the camouflage change, the Operational Camouflage Pattern ACUs will incorporate several design changes to tweak the comfort and performance of the ACU.
(PEO Soldier – via Soldier Systems Daily)
The following photos from PEO Soldier show several of the key changes in closer detail:
In my opinion, the changes to the collar are a huge improvement, and the changes to the upper sleeve pockets are also a great improvement. The change to buttons on the leg pockets is a good move too – although I would have liked to see them keep a small strip of Velcro between the button on the cargo pocket flap, for extra security and to have a quick-closure method as a back-up to the buttons. But at any rate, all the changes are definitely a significant improvement over the original ACU design – and the change to a Coyote Brown boot is a good move too.
Most important of all though is the farewell to UCP, the sorriest excuse for a ‘camouflage’ pattern ever issued to the American soldier!