Desert Combat Uniform

The Desert Camouflage Uniform (DCU) is an arid-environment camouflage uniform that was used by the United States Armed Forces from the early-1990s to the early 2010s. In terms of pattern and textile cut, it is identical to the U.S. military's Battle Dress Uniform (BDU) uniform, but features a three-color desert camouflage pattern of dark brown, pale olive green (which is reported to look mint-colored on 1989/90 pattern DCUs), and beige, as opposed to the four-color woodland pattern of the BDU. It replaced the previous Desert Battle Dress Uniform (DBDU) which featured a six-color "chocolate chip" pattern of beige, pale olive green, two tones of brown, and black and white rock spots. Although completely phased out of frontline use in the U.S. Armed Forces, some pieces and equipment printed in the DCU camouflage pattern are used in limited numbers such as MOPP suits and/or vests.

The DCU is made of the same materials as the Enhanced Hot Weather BDU (EHWBDU): 50/50 ripstop nylon and cotton poplin blend.

History

Designed in the mid-1980s by the U.S. Army's Natick Laboratories, the DCU was first issued to Air Force security personnel (in a very limited quantity in late 1989, in the style of an M65 field jacket and a pile cap with earflaps – however the hat was commercially produced and not officially issued by the military).

The DCU and its camouflage pattern, officially known as the three-color desert camouflage pattern and known colloquially as "coffee stain camouflage" and "tri-color desert", were developed to replace the six-color desert camouflage "chocolate-chip camouflage" uniform, which was deemed not as effective as DCU for desert combat. As opposed to the original six-color desert Natick had originally designed it in the American-Mexico desert area which was rockier and elevated which was often not encountered, the DCU was created primarily for a lower, more open, and less rocky desert battlefield space which became a common sight throughout the Persian Gulf War. As a replacement pattern, this meant a new arid region had to be utilized to test the effectiveness of the DCU. Desert soil samples from parts of the Middle East, namely Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, were compared to similar terrain in the United States for evaluation. Initially, color palettes were reused from 6-color desert.

Though the DCU did exist before the Persian Gulf War, the vast majority of U.S. military personnel in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq wore the DBDU during the entirety of the war, with the exception of some select U.S. Army generals who were issued the DCU a month following the air campaign in Operation Desert Storm. Norman Schwarzkopf, then CENTCOM commander, and leader of U.S. forces during Desert Storm, had acquired a set of the aforementioned 1989 pattern M-65 field jacket as well as coat and trousers in the new DCU color pattern shortly before the war ended.

In October 1990, the U.S. Army Infantry School, of TRADOC, selected and approved the three-color desert pattern. Immediately afterward, military specifications were updated to incorporate the tricolor pattern into the 'Desert Battle Dress Uniform' ( temperate weight), the 'Hot Weather Battle Dress Uniform', and the M65 field coat.

By 1992, the first wide scale batches of DCUs were issued first by the United States Army, and within a year to the United States Air Force, and replaced the majority of the DBDU by 1993, with the United States Navy and Marines replacing their older six-colored desert fatigues from 1992 through 1995.

U.S. Army

First fielded in 1989 by the U.S. Air Force, the DCU would be also adopted by the U.S. Army and serve as the new primary desert combat pattern from 1991 until it was fully replaced by the ACU in 2008. In June 2004, the Army unveiled a new pixel-style camouflage pattern called UCP (Universal Camouflage Pattern), to be used on the DCU's successor uniform, the Army Combat Uniform (ACU).

In fall 2003 and winter 2004, the "Close Combat Uniform" and "Combat Uniform" were issued to U.S. Army soldiers in Stryker Brigade elements of the 2nd Infantry Division and 25th Infantry Division, respectively, when they were deployed to Iraq. In January 2003, development began with input from certain members of the 3rd SBCT, 2nd Infantry Division. These uniforms featured additions such as shoulder pockets affixed with hook-and-loop "Velcro" fasteners as well as a redesigned collar and chest-worn rank insignia. They were made by American Power Source, Inc. and only saw brief usage as they were issued shortly before the introduction of the newer ACU in mid-to-late 2005.

In mid-2005, the DCU and the BDU began slowly being discontinued within the U.S. Army. By 2007, most U.S. soldiers were wearing the ACU with both the DCU and BDU being fully replaced by early 2008.

U.S. Marine Corps

Following the Army, the United States Marine Corps began issuing the DCU from 1992 and remained the Marine Corps standard arid combat uniform until January 2002, when the U.S. Marine Corps became the first branch to replace both its BDUs and DCUs with the Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform (MCCUU), completely replacing them by April 2005.

U.S. Air Force

Along with the Army, the Air Force began issuing the DCU to security personnel in the Middle East in late 1989 then adopting it in 1990 where it remained as the primary desert camouflage pattern until The U.S. Air Force officially replaced the BDU and DCU on 1 November 2011, with the Airman Battle Uniform (ABU), though most airmen had been using the ABU for a couple years before that date.

U.S. Navy

The United States Navy issued the DCU from 1992 until 2010 when it was replaced by the arid variant of the Navy Working Uniform (NWU), known as the NWU Type II. The DCU was retired by the navy in late 2012.

U.S. Coast Guard

The DCU was introduced to the Coast Guard sometime after 1992 until the DCU and BDU were formally retired by the USCG in 2012.

Users

Current

*: Used in a derivative camo pattern by Argentine troops in peacekeeping operations.
*: Used by Azeri peacekeepers in Iraq.
*: Used by Bosnian troops in Afghanistan.
*: DCP was Main camouflage pattern employed by Georgian units in Iraq, also saw usage in opening stages of Georgian mission in Afghanistan before being replaced by MultiCam, still in limited usage by Georgian Special Operations Forces.
*: Used by Israeli military in OPFOR capacity.
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Former

* : Known to be used by Afghan commandos working in Task Force 444 and in CRU 222/CRU TF 24 to replace their Tiger Stripe camos.
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*: Used until 2013, where SloCam was adopted.
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**, replaced by the Army Combat Uniform in the late 2000s
**, replaced by the Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform in the mid-2000s
**, replaced by the Navy Working Uniform in the early 2010s
**, replaced by the Airman Battle Uniform in the early 2010s

Notes

References

Bibliography

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External links

GlobalSecurity page detailing DCU

{{Camouflage

1989 in military history
Camouflage patterns
History of fashion
United States Air Force uniforms
Military equipment introduced in the 1990s