FORT BELVOIR, VA - In a surprise move, the US Army’s Program Executive Office-Soldier has announced that it has selected a "revolutionary" new woodland camouflage pattern to replace the Army’s Universal Camouflage Pattern (UCP).
The UCP, introduced in 2004, was widely regarded as a colossal blunder, costing the taxpayer nearly $5 billion. Modeled after the “Urban Track Pattern”, the uniform finished last in PEO-Soldier trials in 2003.
Nevertheless, PEO-Soldier selected the pattern for its new Army Combat Uniform (ACU).
Though PEO-Soldier boldly claimed that the UCP was capable of blending into any environment, practical experience in Afghanistan and Iraq showed that the uniform failed to live up to expectations. Two powerful Pennsylvania congressmen decried the uniform, citing numerous non-commissioned officers who claimed that the uniform failed to blend to the environment in Afghanistan.
After another grueling series of trials, PEO-Soldier selected a new pattern for the US Army — woodland camouflage.
A PEO-Soldier spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity believes that the new uniform introduction is "a game changer."
