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The Battle Dress Uniform (BDU) is a camouflaged
combat uniform A combat uniform, also called a field uniform, battledress, or fatigues, is a casual wear, casual uniform used by military, police, firefighter, fire, and other public uniformed services for everyday fieldwork and duty, as opposed to dress uni ...
that was used by the
United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...
as their standard combat uniform from the early 1980s to the mid-2000s. Since then, it has been replaced or supplanted in every branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. BDU-style uniforms and derivatives still see widespread use in other countries (some of them being former U.S. surplus stocks transferred under U.S. security assistance programs), while others are still worn by some U.S. federal, state, and local law enforcement agents who may work in tactical situations, such as the DEA RRT and
SWAT A SWAT (''Special Weapons and Tactics'') team is a generic term for a police tactical unit within the United States, though the term has also been used by other nations. SWAT units are generally trained, equipped, and deployed to res ...
teams. The uniforms are also used by
urban search and rescue Urban search and rescue (abbreviated as USAR or US&R) is a type of technical rescue operation that involves the location, extrication, and initial medical stabilization of victims trapped in an urban area, namely structural collapse due to natu ...
groups such as FEMA USAR task force teams and
firefighting Firefighting is a profession aimed at controlling and extinguishing fire. A person who engages in firefighting is known as a firefighter or fireman. Firefighters typically undergo a high degree of technical training. This involves structural fir ...
agencies when conducting technical rescues or other special operations. As late as 2014, BDUs were worn by officers of the
U.S. Public Health Service The United States Public Health Service (USPHS or PHS) is a collection of agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services which manages public health, containing nine out of the department's twelve operating divisions. The assistant se ...
as the prescribed uniform for deployment, but have since been replaced by a variant of the U.S. Coast Guard's
Operational Dress Uniform The Operational Dress Uniform (ODU) is the normal work uniform of the United States Coast Guard, the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps, a ...
.


Background

While the
Italian Army The Italian Army ( []) is the Army, land force branch of the Italian Armed Forces. The army's history dates back to the Italian unification in the 1850s and 1860s. The army fought in colonial engagements in China and Italo-Turkish War, Libya. It ...
was the first military organization to issue
camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...
clothing, albeit in limited numbers, the Germans were noted for their efforts in this field before the Second World War. After much trial, the
Oberkommando der Wehrmacht The (; abbreviated OKW
Ë kaËˈve The colon alphabetic letter is used in a number of languages and phonetic transcription systems, for vowel length in Americanist Phonetic Notation, for the vowels and in a number of languages of Papua New Guinea, and for grammatical tone in s ...
Armed Forces High Command) was the Command (military formation), supreme military command and control Staff (military), staff of Nazi Germany during World War II, that was directly subordinated to Adolf ...
(abbrev. OKW) authorized Heeres-Splittermuster 31, more commonly known as " splinter pattern", for use in shelter-quarters ('' Zeltbahnen'') in the 1930s. In 1940, SS-Verfügungstruppe (abbrev. SS-VT; renamed
Waffen-SS The (; ) was the military branch, combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscr ...
) designed, tested, and issued its own distinctive patterns and layout not long after. The
United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
received its first
military camouflage Military camouflage is the use of camouflage by an Military, armed force to protect personnel and equipment from observation by enemy forces. In practice, this means applying colour and materials to military equipment of all kinds, including ...
pattern in 1942, when the reversible, beach-jungle, three- and five-color frog-skin pattern uniform was issued, based on a 1940 trial design. The pattern was mostly employed in the Pacific Theatre but was not found to be particularly effective and in the European Theatre the pattern was withdrawn altogether in 1944—in part because of anticipated friendly fire incidents after
D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...
, due to its similarity to the Waffen SS's pattern (not to be confused with
Flecktarn ''Flecktarn'' (; "mottled camouflage"; also known as ''Flecktarnmuster'' or ''Fleckentarn'') is a family of three-, four-, five- or six-color disruptive camouflage patterns, the most common being the five-color pattern, consisting of dark gree ...
, a post-war design). Camouflaged helmet covers and shelters were issued in the 1950s in "wine leaf" and "brown cloud" patterns. The U.S. Army also tried a lesser-known camouflage uniform on D-Day and throughout the Normandy operations, like the Marine Corps uniforms, but it was replaced by the M1943 uniform before being used much. During the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
, the United States Armed Forces' four-color
ERDL pattern The ERDL pattern, also known as the Leaf pattern, is a camouflage pattern developed by the United States Army at its Engineer Research & Development Laboratories (ERDL) in 1948. It was not used until the Vietnam War, when it was issued to elite ...
saw limited use among specialist units in the
U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
, though most were issued the solid olive green
OG107 The OG-107 was the basic work and combat Battledress, utility uniform (fatigues) of all branches of the United States Armed Forces from 1952 until its discontinuation in 1989. The designation came from the United States Army, U.S. Army's colorin ...
sateens or jungle fatigues, while the Marines adopted the pattern service-wide after 1968. The ERDL pattern fatigues were identical in cut to the third-pattern OD jungle fatigues, and were available in both a highland pattern (more brown) and a lowland pattern (more green), though the lowland pattern was eventually phased out. Other, unofficial, patterns utilized in Vietnam included black-dyed or spray-painted jungle fatigues, often used by special purpose forces, and various
Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
ese
Tigerstripe Tiger stripe is the name of a group of camouflage patterns developed for close-range use in dense jungle during jungle warfare by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, South Vietnamese Armed Forces and adopted in late 1962 to early 1963 by US Spe ...
patterns (themselves being based on
French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...
airborne and Foreign Legion patterns and a British design utilized in Malaysia), or commercial "duck hunter" patterns. The general design and configuration of the U.S. BDU uniform were similar to that of the Vietnam War's "jungle fatigues" (Tropical Combat Uniform), which were in turn similar in configuration to specialty uniforms worn by U.S. paratroopers during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. However, the two older uniforms had slanted breast pockets, which wouldn't return till the
Army Combat Uniform The Army Combat Uniform (ACU) is the current combat uniform worn by the United States Army, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Space Force and some elements of the U.S. Coast Guard. Within the Air Force and Space Force, it is referred to as the OCP ( Op ...
. The biggest difference between the BDU and the prior TCU, is demonstrated in the uniform used by the
Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force The Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force (RDJTF) is an inactive United States Department of Defense Joint Task Force. It was first envisioned as a three- division force in 1979 as the Rapid Deployment Force (RDF), a highly mobile rapid deployment ...
(RDJTF), which is considered a transitionary uniform between the former and the later. The brown dominant ERDL uniform had one major change that made it easy to identify: vertical pockets.


History

First issued in limited number to garrison leaders, officers, and generals to all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces in September 1981 for replacement of the long worn and aging Olive Drab colored uniforms or
OG-107 The OG-107 was the basic work and combat utility uniform (fatigues) of all branches of the United States Armed Forces from 1952 until its discontinuation in 1989. The designation came from the U.S. Army's coloring code " Olive Green 107", whic ...
, the following month, the Battle Dress Uniform began field issue military-wide. Since 1981, changes included the addition and subsequent elimination of buttoned waist adjustment tabs, the size reduction of the collar, and refinements in stitching and fit. BDUs were initially only issued in a 50/50 nylon and cotton twill blend called the Temperate Weather BDU or TWBDU. Complaints regarding the heat retention of these uniforms, especially following the invasion of Grenada in 1983, led to the introduction of the Hot Weather BDU, the HWBDU. The Hot Weather BDU coat and trousers were instead constructed of 100 percent ripstop cotton, much like the ERDL uniforms made for Vietnam. However, after complaints of shorter wear and frayed cuffs, along with requirements imposed by unit commanders to
starch Starch or amylum is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of numerous glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants for energy storage. Worldwide, it is the most common carbohydrate in human diet ...
the all-cotton uniform for parade, the Enhanced Hot Weather BDU (EHWBDU) replaced the HWBDU commencing in 1996. The EHWBDU's components are made with a 50/50 ripstop nylon and cotton poplin blend. BDUs were printed with infrared-brightened dyes.
Near infrared Infrared (IR; sometimes called infrared light) is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than that of visible light but shorter than microwaves. The infrared spectral band begins with the waves that are just longer than those o ...
(NIR) Signature Management Technology is used in the uniforms to help prevent detection by NIR
image converter An image or picture is a visual representation. An image can be two-dimensional, such as a drawing, painting, or photograph, or three-dimensional, such as a carving or sculpture. Images may be displayed through other media, including a project ...
s. These
photocathode A photocathode is a surface engineered to convert light (photons) into electrons using the photoelectric effect. Photocathodes are important in accelerator physics where they are utilised in a photoinjector to generate high brightness electron ...
devices do not detect temperatures, but rather infrared radiation variances. NIR-compliant uniforms use a special fabric that allows soldiers to appear at the same radiation level as the surrounding terrain, thus making them more difficult to detect. It is advised not to use starch when cleaning or ironing BDUs since starch weakens the fabric and ruins the infrared protective coating. A pair of BDUs that has been starched even once should not be worn in combat. The tropical weight uniform was not as durable as the temperate weight uniform. The tropical uniform would only last for 4–6 months of use when rotating four uniforms for duty, while the temperate uniform would last over a year under the same conditions.


U.S. Army

All
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
soldiers formally received their first batches of the BDU as its new field and garrison uniform in the temperate weight cut on October 1, 1981. In addition, Patrol caps, Boonie hats, and the M-65 jacket were issued in the new camouflage pattern in time, including a new light brown T-shirt and black webbed belt with brass buckle. The BDU was the first camouflage uniform approved by the U.S. Army since the Vietnam War, where the
ERDL pattern The ERDL pattern, also known as the Leaf pattern, is a camouflage pattern developed by the United States Army at its Engineer Research & Development Laboratories (ERDL) in 1948. It was not used until the Vietnam War, when it was issued to elite ...
was in limited use. The BDU soon replaced all earlier camouflage pattern uniforms for all wooded, jungle, and tropical environments, and by 1989, had completely replaced the standard
olive drab Olive is a dark yellowish-green color, like that of unripe or green olives. As a color word in the English language, it appears in late Middle English. Variations Olivine Olivine is the typical color of the mineral olivine. The first re ...
uniforms that had been used since 1952. April 30, 2008 was the final day that the BDU was authorized.


U.S. Department of Defense

The BDU was worn by DoD civilians and DoD Police officers.


U.S. Marine Corps

The ERDL-patterned BDU was first introduced to the United States Marine Corps in 1977, as they phased out the olive green
OG-107 The OG-107 was the basic work and combat utility uniform (fatigues) of all branches of the United States Armed Forces from 1952 until its discontinuation in 1989. The designation came from the U.S. Army's coloring code " Olive Green 107", whic ...
, which had been standard wear since the early 1950s. Originally, no nametapes were worn with the USMC's BDUs, which was officially referred to by the USMC as a "camouflage utility uniform" (CCU) during its usage. However, in October 1991, the USMC began the wearing of nametapes on their BDUs (and DCUs and DBDUs) in order to comply with NATO
Standardization Agreement In NATO, a standardization agreement (STANAG, redundant acronym, redundantly: STANAG agreement) defines processes, procedures, terms, and conditions for common military or technical procedures or equipment between the member countries of the alli ...
(STANAG), becoming mandatory by 1 October 1992. In the USMC's case, a nametape bearing the wearer's last name was worn embroidered above the right pocket, and a nametape reading "U.S. MARINES" being embroidered was worn above the left pocket. The MCCUU which replaced the BDU continues this. The USMC's BDU was worn with a stenciled iron-on
Eagle, Globe, and Anchor The Eagle, Globe, and Anchor (commonly referred to as an EGA) is the official emblem and insignia of the United States Marine Corps. The current emblem traces its roots in the designs and ornaments of the early Continental Marines as well as the ...
(EGA) centered on the wearer's left breast pocket, below the pocket flap. Early USMC BDUs featured "USMC" lettering below that EGA, however, that was discontinued later on, with only the EGA being used by the end of the BDU's tenure with the USMC. The EGA was ironed onto the BDU blouse pocket by USMC recruits at the end of MCRD upon completion of their training to signify their christening as U.S. Marines. The same was done on the eight-pointed "
utility cover The utility cover, also known as the utility cap and eight-pointed cover, is the United States Marine Corps cap, worn with their Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform , combat utility uniform. It is an eight-pointed hat, with a visor similar to a ...
" hat that was worn with the USMC's version of the BDU. The BDU's successor, the MCCUU, has the EGA embroidered instead of stenciled on the blouse's chest pocket and all covers.


U.S. Air Force

The
U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its origins to 1 ...
initially only issued ERDL BDUs to combat arms units stationed overseas, such as
United States Air Force Security Forces The United States Air Force Security Forces (SF) are the ground combat force and military police service of the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force. The USAF Security Forces were formerly known as Military Police (MP), Air Police (AP), and ...
, Combat Controllers, and
United States Air Force Pararescue Pararescuemen (also known as Pararescue Jumpers or PJs) are United States Air Force Special operations, special operators who conduct personnel recovery and combat search and rescue operations as well as other missions for the U.S. military and ...
, as of October 1981, the same time as the Army and Marines. The Air Force did not allow non-combat arms to wear the woodland pattern BDU until the summer of 1987 and mandated them as the only "Fatigue" uniform in 1988. The BDU was no longer authorized for wear in the USAF on November 1, 2011.


U.S. Navy

Sailors of the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
started issuing the BDU in the new woodland scheme and temperate cut at the same time as the other branches. The U.S. Navy referred to the uniform as the "Camouflage Utility Uniform" (CUU) during its usage.


U.S. Coast Guard

Coast Guardsmen started issuing the new woodland BDU around the same time as the other service branches.


State Defense Forces

Multiple
State Defense Force In the United States, state defense forces (SDFs) are military units that operate under the sole authority of a State governments of the United States, state government. State defense forces are authorized by state and federal law and are unde ...
soldiers, airmen, and sailors utilized the woodland BDU as their uniform with modified insignia to denote their affiliation with their state. The Virginia Defense Force utilizes a modified version of the BDU called the Tactical Response Uniform (TRU) which still uses the woodland camouflage pattern. Certain defense forces still use the BDU uniform for
Opposing Force An opposing force (alternatively enemy force, abbreviated OPFOR or OpFor) is a military unit tasked with representing an enemy, usually for training purposes in war game scenarios. The related concept of aggressor squadron is used by some ai ...
operations with their National Guard counterparts.


Successors

The
U.S. military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. U.S. federal law names six armed forces: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and the Coast Guard. Since 1949, all of the armed forces, except th ...
has run trials of many camouflage patterns (some being used by foreign militaries), and issued environment-specific uniforms, notably the six-color Desert Battle Dress Uniform (DBDU), nicknamed the "chocolate chip camouflage", designed in 1962, and the " nighttime desert grid" (NCDBDU). Both uniforms were used in 1991, during the
Persian Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...
. These Desert BDUs were discontinued after the war. The
Desert Camouflage 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 B ...
(DCU) in three-color desert camouflage was introduced in 1992, and was utilized in operations in Somalia (1993); it was in service in Afghanistan and Iraq from the start of hostilities, but the
U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
and
U.S. Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionary ...
have both replaced the DCU with newer uniforms ( ACU and MCCUU, respectively). In testing, U.S. Army researchers found that, as in other environments, the color of desert terrain varies, and can range from pink to blue, depending on the minerals in the soil and the time of the day. Since patches of uniform color in the desert are usually 10 times larger than those in wooded areas, it was decided to alter the existing six-color DBDU pattern. This led to the development of a three-color pattern DCU, which was adopted. The BDU is made in various camouflage patterns by various manufacturers, such as in the
MultiCam MultiCam is a Military camouflage, camouflage pattern designed for use in a wide range of environments and conditions which was developed and is produced by American company Crye Precision. The pattern has found extensive adoption globally. Var ...
camouflage, which is in use today mainly by the public, public service persons, and some foreign military units. BDUs can be purchased from civilian vendors in the UCP pattern analogous to the ACU as well, but these are not authorized for wear by the U.S. Army's soldiers.


U.S. Marine Corps

The development of modern camouflage patterns and the rising desire of the various U.S. military branches to differentiate themselves from each other has resulted in new patterns for uniforms. The
U.S. Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionary ...
was the first branch to replace their BDUs. The
Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform The Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform (MCCUU) is the current battledress, battledress uniform of the United States Marine Corps. It is also worn by United States Navy, Navy personnel (mostly United States Navy Hospital Corpsman, corpsmen, Seabe ...
(MCCUU) uses the computer-generated
MARPAT MARPAT (short for Marine pattern) is a multi-scale camouflage pattern in use with the United States Marine Corps, designed in 2001 and introduced from late 2002 to early 2005 with the Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform (MCCUU), which replace ...
pattern and several other enhancements. It was approved for wear in June 2001, became available for purchase in 2002, and the changeover was completed by October 1, 2004. Beyond that date, the BDU was authorized for wear until April 1, 2005, with limited exceptions for those small numbers of Marine Corps personnel who did not yet have the MCCUU. USMC Special Operations units (
MARSOC United States Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) is a component command of the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) that comprises the Marine Corps' contribution to SOCOM, originating from Marine Force Recon (FORECO ...
) have recently issued M81 woodland-patterned uniforms to supplement MARPAT uniforms for special missions.


U.S. Army

In 2004, the
U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
unveiled the
Army Combat Uniform The Army Combat Uniform (ACU) is the current combat uniform worn by the United States Army, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Space Force and some elements of the U.S. Coast Guard. Within the Air Force and Space Force, it is referred to as the OCP ( Op ...
(ACU), its successor to the BDU. From late 2005 to early 2008, the U.S. Army undertook the process of replacing the BDU with the ACU, with the BDU being formally discontinued by the Army in April 2008 (though most soldiers had been wearing the ACU for years by then). The Army Junior ROTC followed suit thereafter in 2009. The original version of the ACU used a pixelated "digital" pattern known as the
Universal Camouflage Pattern The Universal Camouflage Pattern (UCP) is a digital camouflage pattern formerly used by the United States Army in their Army Combat Uniform. Laboratory and field tests from 2002 to 2004 showed a pattern named "All-Over Brush" to provide the ...
(UCP). UCP is similar to MARPAT but uses more neutral, less saturated colors. The neutral colors, primarily foliage green and sand yellow, are designed to work best in the desert, woodland, and urban combat situations. The ACU in UCP was used by the army in all environments except for areas with
snow Snow consists of individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water througho ...
, as the UCP pattern works poorly against white despite the heavy use of grey. An all-white BDU and the
ECWCS The Extended Cold Weather Clothing System (ECWCS ) is a protective clothing system developed in the 1980s by the United States Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, Natick, Massachusetts. The first generation ECWCS con ...
are used instead for winterized warfare. Beginning in 2014, the Army switched the ACU to use the
Operational Camouflage Pattern Operational Camouflage Pattern (OCP), originally codenamed Scorpion W2, is a military camouflage pattern adopted in 2015 by the United States Army for use as the U.S. Army's main camouflage pattern on the Army Combat Uniform (ACU). This pattern ...
(OCP), as UCP was seen as inadequate in many environments.


U.S. Department of Defense

Civilian employees of the U.S. Department of Defense in combat zones began wearing the Airman Battle Uniform and Army Combat Uniform in place of the BDU (and its cousin DCU) after it was replaced.


U.S. Navy

From 2004 to 2007, the
U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...
began issuing a pixelated blue and gray "digital" pattern
Navy Working Uniform The Navy Working Uniform (NWU) is a series of military uniforms that are currently used by the United States Navy (and some elements of the U.S. Coast Guard) for wear by its members. The NWU is a "working" uniform, which means that it is made to ...
(NWU) in limited quantities to some sailors on an experimental test basis. While the NWU is neither a tactical uniform nor a battle dress uniform, it is intended to take the place of many existing work ensembles (utilities, wash khaki, coveralls, M81 BDU, etc.). The disruptive pattern is primarily intended to complement U.S. Navy ship colors and to hide stains and wear, and supposedly to make the wearer a less obvious visual target for hostile forces while working aboard a naval vessel in port. To meet the Navy's cold-weather requirements, the NWU includes a fleece jacket, pullover sweater, and parka options. U.S. Navy SEALs, Seabees, and other U.S. Navy personnel deployed ashore under the cognizance of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command used "M81" woodland BDUs (referred to by the navy as CCUs) and DCUs for outdoor operations or activities in specific areas of responsibility (AOR), until the issuance of the NWU Type III in the AOR camouflage pattern.


U.S. Air Force

In 2004 and 2005, the
U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its origins to 1 ...
experimented with but rejected a blue-toned
tigerstripe Tiger stripe is the name of a group of camouflage patterns developed for close-range use in dense jungle during jungle warfare by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, South Vietnamese Armed Forces and adopted in late 1962 to early 1963 by US Spe ...
uniform. In 2006, a new BDU-style uniform called the ''
Airman Battle Uniform The Airman Battle Uniform (ABU) is a U.S. camouflage combat uniform formerly worn by members of the United States Air Force, United States Space Force, and some civilian employees of the United States Department of the Air Force, U.S. Department ...
'' (ABU) was adopted, using a semi-pixelated tiger pattern with four soft earth tones consisting of tan, grey, green and blue. It failed, however, to incorporate many of the significant improvements of the ACU and MCCUU. By 2007, it was in current production. In 2008, responding to criticism that the new Airman Battle Uniform was too heavy and hot in high-temperature environments, the USAF's 648th Aeronautical Systems Squadron at
Brooks City-Base Brooks is a mixed-use development that was founded on the former Brooks Air Force Base when the United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. ...
revealed plans to switch to a lighter, more breathable fabric for the combat blouse section of the ABU. The original heavyweight nylon-cotton blend was changed to a lighter-weight nylon-cotton poplin material. Priority will go to those serving in the Middle East or other hot-weather theaters. On May 4, 2016, the
National Commander of the Civil Air Patrol The National Commander of the Civil Air Patrol (acronym: CAP/CC) is the highest senior official and commanding officer of Civil Air Patrol (CAP) — a non-profit corporation that is congressionally chartered to operate as the civilian auxil ...
announced the USAF's approval for the
Civil Air Patrol Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is a Congressional charter, congressionally chartered, federally supported Nonprofit corporation, non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliaries, auxiliary of the United States Air Force (USAF). CA ...
to begin its transition to the Airman Battle Uniform. On May 14, 2018, the Air Force announced the adoption of the Army's
Operational Camouflage Pattern Operational Camouflage Pattern (OCP), originally codenamed Scorpion W2, is a military camouflage pattern adopted in 2015 by the United States Army for use as the U.S. Army's main camouflage pattern on the Army Combat Uniform (ACU). This pattern ...
uniform; however, its insignia would be distinct. The transition was to be complete by April 1, 2021.


U.S. Coast Guard

The U.S. Coast Guard has introduced the new
Operational Dress Uniform The Operational Dress Uniform (ODU) is the normal work uniform of the United States Coast Guard, the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps, a ...
(ODU) uniform in 2004 to replace the winter and summer "Undress Duty" uniform. Resembling the BDU, the ODU retains the basic design of the old-style BDU uniforms, but with the lower pockets on the blouse being eliminated. The sleeves can be worn "folded up" in a manner similar to the old U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force BDUs and the trousers "bloused" into the boots (unless boating shoes are worn, as is common for the
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary (USCGAUX, CGAux, or USCG Aux) is the uniformed, civilian volunteer component of the United States Coast Guard. Congress established the unit on 23 June 1939, as the United States Coast Guard Reserve. On F ...
, which patrols for the Coast Guard aboard privately owned watercraft), with the ODU black belt and blackened buckle being worn with the metal tip two to four inches from the buckle. The ODU is also issued in a single blue color as opposed to any camouflage pattern. The BDU and DCU were formally retired by the USCG in 2012. The dark blue Coast Guard unit
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
-style cap is worn with this uniform. The ODU also has all of its allowable insignia sewn on, eliminating the chance of puncture wounds created by the pins if the individual suffers a blow to the chest while wearing a PFD or body armor. The ODU is not intended to be worn by Coast Guard units that engage in combat operations or are deployed overseas. These units continued to wear older woodland BDU and DCU uniforms before adopting the Navy Work Uniform for USCG units overseas or part of other DoD operations.


State Defense Forces

All State Defense Forces have since retired the woodland BDU uniform in favor of the Army Combat Uniform in either OCP or UCP for garrison and field wear with the Vermont State Guard being the last state to wear the uniform until 2024. Despite the uniform's retirement from daily use, it is still utilized in smaller effects as OPFOR wear for participating state soldiers.


Other users

Russia - MVD Internal Troops wore a near copy called Les (forest) page 144 of Dennis Desmond’s book “Camouflage Uniforms of the Soviet Union and Russia†and a full copy called NATO.


See also


Current

*
Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform The Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform (MCCUU) is the current battledress, battledress uniform of the United States Marine Corps. It is also worn by United States Navy, Navy personnel (mostly United States Navy Hospital Corpsman, corpsmen, Seabe ...
(
MARPAT MARPAT (short for Marine pattern) is a multi-scale camouflage pattern in use with the United States Marine Corps, designed in 2001 and introduced from late 2002 to early 2005 with the Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform (MCCUU), which replace ...
) *
Navy Working Uniform The Navy Working Uniform (NWU) is a series of military uniforms that are currently used by the United States Navy (and some elements of the U.S. Coast Guard) for wear by its members. The NWU is a "working" uniform, which means that it is made to ...
*
Operational Camouflage Pattern Operational Camouflage Pattern (OCP), originally codenamed Scorpion W2, is a military camouflage pattern adopted in 2015 by the United States Army for use as the U.S. Army's main camouflage pattern on the Army Combat Uniform (ACU). This pattern ...
*
Operational Dress Uniform The Operational Dress Uniform (ODU) is the normal work uniform of the United States Coast Guard, the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps, a ...
*
Airman Battle Uniform The Airman Battle Uniform (ABU) is a U.S. camouflage combat uniform formerly worn by members of the United States Air Force, United States Space Force, and some civilian employees of the United States Department of the Air Force, U.S. Department ...
*
Army Combat Uniform The Army Combat Uniform (ACU) is the current combat uniform worn by the United States Army, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Space Force and some elements of the U.S. Coast Guard. Within the Air Force and Space Force, it is referred to as the OCP ( Op ...
*
MultiCam MultiCam is a Military camouflage, camouflage pattern designed for use in a wide range of environments and conditions which was developed and is produced by American company Crye Precision. The pattern has found extensive adoption globally. Var ...
, also known as OCP or OEFCP ( OEF Camouflage Pattern)


Former

* Desert Battle Dress Uniform *
Desert Camouflage 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 B ...
*
Afghanka The Afghanka ( ; proper designation: Obr88) is a type of military uniform system developed and issued by the Soviet Army in the early 1980s, still in use today in some post-Soviet states in many different variants. The name ''Afghanka'' is an uno ...
- similar Soviet uniform *
Desert Night Camouflage The Desert Night Camouflage pattern is a two-color grid camouflage pattern used by the United States military during the Gulf War. It was designed to aid soldiers in concealment from Soviet-based night vision devices (NVDs). The pattern is now ...
*
United States Army uniforms in World War II The United States Army in World War II used a variety of standard and non-standard dress and battle uniforms, which often changed depending upon the theater of war, climatic environment, and supply exigencies. Men's service uniforms U.S. Army b ...
*
OG-107 The OG-107 was the basic work and combat utility uniform (fatigues) of all branches of the United States Armed Forces from 1952 until its discontinuation in 1989. The designation came from the U.S. Army's coloring code " Olive Green 107", whic ...
, the basic work utility uniform (fatigues) of all branches of the United States Armed Forces from 1952 until its discontinuation in 1989


References


External links


Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier
{{USAF weapons 1981 in military history History of fashion Military equipment of the United States United States Army uniforms United States Air Force uniforms Military equipment introduced in the 1980s