Some people might say its a surprise, others will say that its no surprise, and some might even say that it was a fore-drawn conclusion right from the start.  And, as we know, there was an announcement expected on the 14th of June – that never came – and now the expectation is that the Secretary of the Army will announce it at the AUSA Convention next month – but that’s not been confirmed either.

But thanks to Soldier Systems Daily picking up on a story published online by Stars and Stripes, now it doesn’t really matter.  In an article about Sergeant Major of the Army Raymond Chandler briefing troops in Afghanistan about changes to grooming standards coming out in the next 30 to 60 days, the Stars and Stripes story also included a final paragraph that was a bit of a bombshell:

On a separate note, Chandler also told troops that the new Army combat uniforms will likely be phased in starting eight to nine months from now. The uniform will feature different colors for different environments, but the pattern will be very similar to the mottled “multicam” currently used in Afghanistan under the designation “Operation Enduring Freedom Camouflage Pattern.”

Now – the Army hasn’t officially announced the decision regarding the winner of the competition, but this must surely good news for all the troops who have spent their hard-earned dollars buying MultiCam gear.  It should also be good news for the Army as it means that time and money will be saved because a lot of kit that’s already in the supply chain won’t have to be DX-ed.  And finally, it should also be good news for the US textile industry as it means that the Army might start placing big orders and spending real amounts of money again.  But nothing will be 100% until the Army Chain-of-Command, or the Secretary of the Army pull their fingers out and confirm the SMA’s statement with an official announcement.