MultiCam is a

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 ...

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. Variants of it, some unlicensed, are in use with militaries worldwide, particularly with

special forces Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

/special operations forces units. The pattern is also available for purchase for civilian usage. Derived from the original standard pattern, additional specified variants were developed and later introduced in late 2013, those are "

Arid Aridity is the condition of geographical regions which make up approximately 43% of total global available land area, characterized by low annual precipitation, increased temperatures, and limited water availability.Perez-Aguilar, L. Y., Plata ...

", " Tropic", " Alpine" and "Black".

History

First unveiled and designed in 2002, MultiCam was designed for the use of 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 ...

in varied environments, seasons, elevations, and light conditions. It is a seven-color, multi-environment

pattern developed by Crye Precision in conjunction with United States Army Soldier Systems Center. The pattern was included in the U.S. Army's move to replace the 3-Color Desert and

Woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with woody plants (trees and shrubs), or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunli ...

patterns, but in 2004 the U.S. Army chose 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 ...

that came to be used in 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 ...

. Nonetheless, it remained in limited use by the U.S. Army special forces in the mid-to-late 2000s in Iraq and Afghanistan. MultiCam was also continually trialed for its " Future Force Warrior" program demonstrations. MultiCam was officially re-commissioned by the U.S. Army in 2010, replacing UCP for units deploying to fight in the

War in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC), the conquest of Afghanistan by the Macedonian Empire * Muslim conquests of Afghanistan, a series of campaigns in ...

, under the designation Operation Enduring Freedom Camouflage Pattern (OEF-CP). It had already been used by some American special operations units and civilian law enforcement agencies. The U.S. Army discontinued the use of UCP in October 2019. MultiCam is available for commercial sale to civilians. A version of MultiCam has been adopted by the armed forces of the United Kingdom as the

Multi-Terrain Pattern The Multi-Terrain Pattern (MTP) is the standard camouflage pattern of the British Armed Forces. It is a modified version of the Disruptive Pattern Material camouflage with Multicam colours. As part of the British Ministry of Defence's (MOD) P ...

(MTP), replacing their previous DPM camouflage. MTP retains the color palette of MultiCam but incorporates shapes similar to the previous DPM scheme. After using the MultiCam scheme in Afghanistan, Australia has also adopted its own version, combining the pattern of MultiCam with the color palette of its earlier DPCU / Auscam pattern. On 25 November 2013, Crye Precision unveiled a family of MultiCam variants, which they claim can reduce the visual and near-IR signature of a person operating in different environments. There are 4 variants from the original MultiCam. First is arid, for users operating in desert environments. Second is tropic, for users operating in dense jungle environments and areas that predominantly consist of lush vegetation that remains relatively unaffected by seasonal changes. Third is alpine, for users operating in snow-covered environments and intended to be used in every area of operation that receives significant snowfall. Last is black that meets the unique requirements of

police tactical unit A police tactical unit (PTU) is a specialized police unit trained and equipped to handle situations that are beyond the capabilities of ordinary law enforcement units because of the level of violence (or risk of violence) involved. The tasks of a ...

s operating in high-risk environments and projects a distinctly authoritative presence appropriate for domestic operations.

Appearance

MultiCam has a background of a brown to light tan gradient, overprinted with a dark green, olive green, and lime green gradient and a top layer of opaque dark brown and cream-colored shapes spread throughout the pattern. This allows for the overall appearance to change from predominantly green to predominantly brown in different areas of the fabric, while having smaller shapes to break up the larger background areas. The MultiCam color scheme in hex triplet is as follows:(i) Cream 524br>B8A78B
(ii) Dark Brown 530br>48352F
(iii) Tan 525br>967860
(iv) Brown 529br>6F573F
(v) Dark Green 528br>5A613F
(vi) Olive 527br>8C7D50
and (vii) Pale Green 526br>85755C

Variants

Australia

Army On 19 November 2010, after trials by Australian special operations forces, the Australian Defence Force announced that MultiCam will be standard for all regular

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...

personnel in Afghanistan. MultiCam, it is said, provided "... troops with greater levels of concealment across the range of terrains in Afghanistan – urban, desert and green." Previously, depending upon the terrain, Australian troops had to transition between green and desert colored Australian Disruptive Pattern Camouflage Uniforms (DPCU or ''AUSCAM'').New combat uniform makes troops job easier
''Australian Department of Defence'', 19 November 2010.Land Warfare Conference - Minister for Defence Materiel
Australian Department of Defence, 19 November 2010. On 30 May 2011 the Defence Material Organisation announced that they had obtained licence to produce MultiCam in Australia for US$4.7 million and Crye would also design a new uniquely Australian pattern for another US$3.1 million. The Australian Army decided to standardize MultiCam-patterned uniforms starting in October 2014 called the Australian Multicam Camouflage Uniform (AMCU). The Australian derivative retains colour and pattern elements of the previous DPCU pattern. The AMCU is manufactured domestically by Australian Defence Apparel and

Pacific Brands Hanes Australasia, formerly Pacific Brands, is an Australian consumer products company. It is a business unit of the American company Hanesbrands. Structure and brands The company is organised into three operating groups: * Underwear: whi ...

Workwear Group and comes in two variations, field and combat, using a tested Australian Multi-Camouflage Pattern that can operate in bush, desert, and jungle conditions. Previous DPCU Uniforms and Australian MultiCam Pattern Operational Combat Uniforms will be worn until all Army personnel have been issued with the AMCU.Australian Army launches new Multicam Camouflage Combat uniform at Chief of Army's exercise
- Armyrecognition.com, 24 September 2014 File:Australian SOTG sniper team June 2010.jpg, Australian special forces in MultiCam, June 2010 File:An Australian soldier attached to Task Group Taji demonstrates how to tactically move to Iraqi soldiers.jpg, An Australian soldier wearing a combat uniform and kit in AMCU pattern, in Iraq, 2016 Air Force In 2014 the

Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...

began fielding a new MultiCam-based uniform to replace the DPCU, called the General Purpose Uniform (GPU), using the blue-and-grey colours of the RAAF. The uniform is not intended to be used as

in warlike operations or environments. File:CSPOC_(7084874).jpeg, The primarily blue colour scheme of the General Purpose Uniform, seen from behind. File:AVM_Roberts,_Commander_of_Defence_Space_Command,_visits_USSF_Space_Systems_Command_(7147506).jpeg, Two members of the RAAF wearing the GPU in 2022 Navy In 2015, the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the navy, naval branch of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (Australia), Chief of Navy (CN) Vice admiral (Australia), Vice Admiral Mark Hammond (admiral), Ma ...

began their own testing of a new MultiCam uniform with a blue colourway, calling it the Maritime Multicam Pattern Uniform (MMPU) The new uniform and pattern were intended to replace the Navy's grey-and-green Disruptive Pattern Naval Uniform (DPNU) by 2017. In 2019, the Navy announced that it was fielding a variant of the new AMCU including the design and cut of the uniform itself, and reverting to the grey-and-green colours of the DPNU. File:First_three_Australian_officers_to_attend_the_Naval_Submarine_School’s_Submarine_Officer_Basic_School_in_February_2024.jpg, Royal Australian Navy officers wearing the MMPU in 2024 The fabric for the AMCU, the MMPU, and the GPU are produced in Australia by Bruck Textiles Pty Ltd.

Canada

In 2021, a CADPAT variant based on the MultiCam pattern, called "multi-terrain pattern" or simply "MT," was announced as the replacement the TW and AR patterns. The rollout began in February 2024 for high-readiness units first; and scheduled to fully replace all older variant of CADPAT by 2026.

Georgia

A domestic variant of MultiCam is in use with the

Georgian Defense Forces The Defence Forces of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს თავდაცვის ძალები, tr), or Georgian Defence Forces (GDF), are the combined military forces of Georgia, tasked with the defence of the nation's indep ...

as standard issue for all military branches as well as special units of the MIA and State Security. The pattern was adopted initially in 2009, replacing the DWC and MARPAT and since has been produced in a slightly altered version that fits better to the local environment. File:USMC-110217-M-8715L-002.jpg, Infantrymen of the Georgian 33rd LIB during a mission readiness exercise File:A Georgian soldier with Scouts Platoon, Delta Company, Special Mountain Battalion conducts reconnaissance operations Feb. 14, 2014, during Georgian Mission Rehearsal Exercise (MRE) 14-02B at the Joint 140214-A-HJ139-001.jpg, A Georgian ranger during mission rehearsal for Afghanistan deployment File:Georgian soldiers transport a simulated casualty during an FTX in Germany, February 2011.jpg, Georgian troops wearing a mix of MultiCam and MARPAT File:Crucible of cooperation U.S. Marines, Georgians keep Taliban off balance 17.jpg, A Georgian officer of the Batumi Separate Light Infantry Battalion in Afghanistan

Hungary

File:HunCam-2015.jpg, The Hungarian Army's 2015M pattern File:Hungary-2019.09.12 Carl-Gustaf-M4.jpg, Hungarian soldier wearing 2015M pattern uniform

Indonesia

On 2 March 2022, the Army unveiled their field uniform with a new camo pattern known as "Loreng Angkatan Darat" (Army camo pattern) or "Loreng TNI AD" also known officially as 'PDL (Pakaian Dinas Lapangan) Khas Matra Darat'. This camo is a variant of Multicam based on US Army OCP with local DPM color palette. A Desert/Arid variant intended to replace the older local Desert DPM Variant are also Present. File:Loreng PDL Khas Matra Darat saat HUT TNI 2023.jpg, Indonesian Army infantry 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade with the 'PDL Khas Matra Darat' camo File:Batalyon Zeni Tempur 10 Kostrad Melaksanakan Upacara Peringatan HUT TNI Yang Ke-78 Tahun 2023, 4.jpg, Indonesian Army

Kostrad The Army Strategic Reserve Command (; abbreviated Kostrad) is a combined-arms formation of the Indonesian Army. Kostrad is a Corps level command which has up to 35,000 troops. It also supervises operational readiness among all commands and con ...

2nd Infantry Division with the Indonesian MultiCam camo pattern File:Berbagai Tugas Yang Telah Dilakukan Menjadi Bukti Nyata Pengabdian Kita Kepada Bangsa Dan Negara.jpg, Soldiers of the Army Aviation Center wearing the Indonesian MultiCam File:Kasdam IX Udayana Terima Delegasi Angkatan Darat Amerika. 4.jpg, Indonesian MultiCam compared to the US Army OCP File:Kasad Hadiri Pemberangkatan Satgas BGC Konga XXXIX-E dan Kizi Konga XX-T Monusco. Thumbnail.jpg, Garuda Contingent for

MONUSCO The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or MONUSCO (an acronym based on its French name ), is a United Nations peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A planned withdraw ...

wearing the Desert Camo/Loreng Gurun variant of the Indonesian MultiCam File:Indonesian Military Engineer Company for MINUSCA wearing the still limited issue Desert Indocam.jpg, Indonesian Army Engineering Company for

MINUSCA United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (also called MINUSCA, which is an initialism of its French name Mission multidimensionnelle intégrée des Nations unies pour la stabilisation en C ...

with the desert Indocam / Loreng Gurun

New Zealand

The

New Zealand Defence Force The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF; , "Line of Defence of New Zealand") is the three-branched military of New Zealand. The NZDF is responsible for the protection of the national security of New Zealand and its realm, promoting its interests, ...

announced in late 2019 that it would be replacing its local Multi Terrain Pattern camouflage (NZMTP), in use since 2014, with a variant of British

. The rollout began in 2020. Prior to this, the

New Zealand Special Air Service The 1st New Zealand Special Air Service Regiment, abbreviated as 1 NZSAS Regt, is the special forces unit of the New Zealand Army, closely modelled on the British Special Air Service (SAS). It was formed on 7 July 1955. It traces its origins to ...

in Afghanistan wore uniforms in Crye Precision MultiCam. File:NZMTP.jpg, NZ Army soldiers wearing the NZMTP uniform during training. File:NZAF_Air_Commodore_Sexton_visits_CFSCC_(7841683).jpg, A Royal New Zealand Air Force officer, right. wearing NZMTP.

Poland

A modified version of MultiCam has been adopted by the some of

Polish Special Forces The Special Troops Command () is the special forces Command (military formation), command of the Polish Armed Forces (SZ RP). The command was formed in 2007 and is the fourth military branch of the SZ RP. Composition The Special Troops Command (' ...

. It is named Suez. File:SMCOCP.png, From left: Suez, MultiCam, OCP

Portugal

As part of the ''Sistemas de Combate do Soldado'' (Soldiers Combat Systems) project, in 2018, the Portuguese Army started to experiment a new individual equipment system for the dismounted soldiers, which includes a new camouflaged MultiCam-style uniform. This new uniform was tested in the field by units deployed to the Central African Republic, Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2019, the MultiCam-style camouflaged was officially adopted as the ''Multiterreno'' (Multi-terrain), becoming the standard field uniform camouflage of the Portuguese Army, gradually replacing the Disruptive Pattern Material pattern. It was developed in cooperation with the CINAMIL (Research Center for Development and Innovation of the Military Academy). File:HIANG delivers airlift support in Europe for exercise Swift Response 18 (24).jpg, Portuguese Paratroopers on board aircraft File:Italian, Portuguese Soldiers Conduct Halo Jump During Saber Strike 18 (2).jpg, A landed Portuguese Paratrooper

Romania

In October 2016, a new camouflage meant to replace the old Disruptive Pattern Material was presented by the

Romanian Armed Forces The Romanian Armed Forces ( or ''Armata Română'') are the military forces of Romania. It comprises the Land Forces, the Naval Forces and the Air Force. The current Commander-in-chief is Lieutenant General Gheorghiță Vlad who is managed by ...

. The pattern has a mosaic design and resembles MultiCam. The new camouflage was introduced in 2017. The five-color M2017 camouflage has distinct versions for the

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

, and

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

. Regular MultiCam is also used by the

Special Forces Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

. These uniforms are made by UF Pro. File:Romanian M2017 camouflage.png, M2017 camouflage pattern File:Romanian Air Force M2017 camouflage.png, Air Force pattern File:Romanian Navy M2017 camouflage.png, Navy pattern File:191105-D-SW162-2241 (49022011346).jpg, Army Sgt. Maj. Florea Sas wearing an M2017 camouflage uniform File:Vânători de munte, Operation Wolf Strike.jpg, ''

Vânători de munte The ''vânători de munte'' (, ) are the elite mountain troops of the Romanian Land Forces. They were first established as an independent Army Corps in 1916 during World War I, and became operational in 1917 under ''Corpul de Munte'' designati ...

'' soldiers

Russia

MultiCam has also been adopted by some Russian

Spetsnaz SpetsnazThe term is borrowed from rus, спецназ, p=spʲɪtsˈnas; abbreviation for or 'Special Purpose Military Units'; or () are special forces in many post-Soviet states. Historically, this term referred to the Soviet Union's Spet ...

units, including FSB Alpha, the SSO, and by the Internal Troops of the MVD. It is reported that Russia makes their own MultiCam camos. In 2023, Russia has adopted Multicam as a standard camouflage of its new Army field uniform kit, VKPO 2.0, VKPO 3.0 and VKPO 4.0. File:RIAN archive 835340 Antiterrorist operation in Makhachkala.jpg, Russian FSB officers in December 2010, during an operation in

Makhachkala Makhachkala, previously known as Petrovskoye (1844–1857) and Port-Petrovsk (1857–1921), or by the local Kumyk language, Kumyk name of Anji, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Dagestan, Russia. ...

File:Special operations forces of the Russian Federation1.jpg, Russian special operations forces in February 2016

Ukraine

The first use of MultiCam in Ukraine was done by the "

Ukrainian Volunteer Battalions Ukrainian volunteer battalions (, more formally , or abbreviated ) were militias and Paramilitary, paramilitary groups mobilized as a response to the perceived state of weakness and unwillingness of the regular Armed Forces of Ukraine, Armed Forc ...

militias A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or serve ...

and

paramilitary groups A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934. Overview Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...

formed to fight

separatists Separatism is the advocacy of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, regional, governmental, or gender separation from the larger group. As with secession, separatism conventionally refers to full political separation. Groups simply seekin ...

, which were largely self-funded and bought their own equipment. Ukraine first adopted MultiCam officially for their special forces units as part of a larger

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

training and modernization program, together with a new digital camo for regular units. However, some regular

Ukrainian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are the Military, military forces of Ukraine. All military and security forces, including the Armed Forces, are under the command of the president of Ukraine and subject to oversight by a permanent Verkhovna Rad ...

and the

National Guard of Ukraine The National Guard of Ukraine (NGU; , ; /NHU ) is the Ukrainian national gendarmerie and internal military force. It is part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, responsible for public security. Originally created as an agency under the dire ...

units have been issued MultiCam uniforms as well. Territorial Defense Forces volunteers, are sometimes issued or buy their own MultiCam uniforms. Members of the

special police Special police usually describes a law enforcement agency or unit within a such an agency whose duties and responsibilities are significantly different from other forces in the same nation, jurisdiction, or from other personnel within the same agen ...

unit Rapid Operational Response Unit (KORD) of the

National Police of Ukraine The National Police of Ukraine (, ; /NPU ), often simply referred to as the (), is the national, and only, police service of Ukraine. It was formed on 3 July 2015, as part of the post-Euromaidan reforms launched by Ukrainian president Petro Por ...

also use MultiCam. File:Armyinform006.jpg, Operators of the SSO wearing MultiCam File:СБУ 2017.jpg, Operators of the SBU

Alpha Group Spetsgruppa "A", also known as Alpha Group, officially Directorate "A" of FSB Special Purpose Center (Russian: Спецназ ФСБ "Альфа"), is a sub-unit of Russian special forces within the Russian Special Forces Center of the Feder ...

wearing MultiCam File:Azov in Mariupol 9.jpg, Soldiers of the

wearing MultiCam in a

military parade A military parade is a formation of military personnels whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as Drill team, drilling or marching. Large military parades are today held on major holidays and military events around the ...

File:Бійці козацької роти спецпризначення ім. Т.Шевченка. 2.jpg, Soldier of a " Volunteer Battalion" militia in 2014 during the

war in Donbas The war in Donbas, or the Donbas war, was a phase of the Russo-Ukrainian War in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine. The war Timeline of the war in Donbas (2014), began in April 2014, when Russian separatist forces in Ukraine, Russian para ...

File:CORD ukrainian special police 8.jpg, Members of KORD wearing MultiCam

United Kingdom

The colors of the MultiCam pattern were also used in the development of the British armed forces

(MTP). British forces deployed in Afghanistan used MTP uniforms from March 2010 onwards, with these uniforms replacing all Disruptive Pattern Material (DPM) uniforms by 2013. The colors used in Crye's MultiCam technology were determined to be the best performing, across the widest range of environments (by a significant margin) when compared with the two existing DPM designs in use at the time and was subsequently selected as the basis for the new MTP camouflage, combined with the existing DPM base pattern. In June 2020, the Royal Marines announced the adoption of a new uniform made by Crye which uses the original MultiCam pattern instead of MTP, though the compatibility of the two designs means that items of load carrying equipment produced in MTP continue to be on issue; prior to this, usage of original MultiCam as an issued uniform (as opposed to items privately purchased by individual personnel) was limited to

United Kingdom Special Forces United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF) is a directorate comprising the Special Air Service, the Special Boat Service, the Special Reconnaissance Regiment, the Special Forces Support Group, 18 (UKSF) Signal Regiment and the Joint Special Forces A ...

units. File:Gearing Up for Rapid Trident 2011 (5970383663).jpg, British Army paratroopers wearing MTP during Rapid Trident 2011 File:British Army Soldier in Full Kit in Afghanistan MOD 45152579.jpg, British Army soldier wearing MTP in Afghanistan, 2011 File:RAF Regiment Reservist MOD 45156189.jpg, RAF Regiment reservist wearing MTP at Hythe Range Complex, 2013 File:HMH-462 Supports 2-8, ATF-444 and British Soldiers in Qal'ah-ye Badam 130831-M-SA716-197.jpg, Special Forces Support Group member wearing MultiCam in Afghanistan, 2013 File:Exercise Falcon Amarante MOD 45165016.jpg, Pathfinder Platoon member wearing MultiCam on exercise, 2018 File:Royal Marines Commando Uniform 2020 MOD 45166713.jpg, Royal Marines demonstrating their newly adopted MultiCam uniforms in 2020 File:40 Cdo-PROJECT HERMOD LIVEX MOD 45168316.jpg, Royal Marines wearing a combination of MultiCam (uniform, helmet cover) and MTP (body armour, load carrying equipment) items at Bovington Training Area, 2021 File:Brigadier_Daniel_Cheesman.jpg, Royal Marines Brigadier wearing MultiCam at Navy Command Headquarters, 2021

United States

MultiCam is currently in use by the U.S. Special Operations Command, and some private military contractors. Several members of the U.S. Army's Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment were also seen wearing MultiCam when followed by ABC News. In 2010, U.S. soldiers deployed to Afghanistan were issued MultiCam versions of the

, as the existing

(UCP) was found to be inadequate for the terrain. In May 2014, the Army selected a pattern similar to MultiCam called Scorpion W2 to replace UCP, naming it 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). The original Scorpion pattern was jointly developed by Crye Precision and the Army for the Objective Force Warrior program in 2002, and Crye made small adjustments for trademark purposes to create MultiCam. Because Scorpion is similar to MultiCam, the same color Velcro, buttons, and zippers can be reused. OCP resembles MultiCam with muted greens, light beige, and dark brown colors, but uses fewer beige and brown patches and no vertical twig and branch elements. On 31 July 2014, the Army formally announced that OCP would begin being issued in uniforms in summer 2015. Soldiers were allowed to continue wearing uniforms and field equipment patterned in MultiCam until they could acquire OCP, which was allowed until the MultiCam uniforms' wear-out date on 1 October 2018. The U.S. Air Force also subsequently adopted OCP uniforms, starting 2018 with full phase-on April 1, 2021, replacing the previous

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 ...

. Some local, state and federal law enforcement agencies also make use of the pattern, including the

Drug Enforcement Administration The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating illicit Illegal drug trade, drug trafficking a ...

's Foreign-deployed Advisory and Support Teams (FAST) teams operating in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

as well as the

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE; ) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the Un ...

's Special Reaction Team, the

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south o ...

Police Department, and the

Oregon State Police The Oregon State Police (OSP) is a Police, law enforcement agency of the U.S. state of Oregon. The OSP enforces all of Oregon's criminal laws and assists local law enforcement agencies. Casey Codding has served as Superintendent (police), Superi ...

SWAT team. File:Defense.gov News Photo 020523-D-9880W-068.jpg, An early prototype Scorpion pattern uniform on display at

the Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense, in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The building was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As ...

in May 2002 File:Burning hashish seized in Operation Albatross.jpg, DEA FAST agents armed with M4A1 Carbines in Afghanistan, June 2008 File:Army mil-54118-2009-10-27-091030big.jpg,

U.S. Army Special Forces The United States Army Special Forces (SF), colloquially known as the "Green Berets" due to their distinctive service headgear, is a branch of the United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC). The core missionset of Special Forces ...

' 3rd Special Forces Group (United States) in the

Farah Province Farah (Pashto :فرَاه /) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the southwestern part of the country on the border with Iran. It is a spacious and sparsely populated province, divided into eleven Districts of Afghanistan, dist ...

, April 2009 File:10th_Mountain_Multicam.jpg, U.S. Army soldiers from the

10th Mountain Division The 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) is a light infantry division (military), division in the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. Formerly designated as a mountain warfare unit, the division was the only one of its size in ...

in Logar Province, January 2011 File:U.S. Army firefight in Kunar.jpg, U.S. Army soldiers from the

101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division (military), division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault military operation, operations. The 101st is designed to plan, coordinat ...

in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, March 2011 File:U.S. Air Force Combat Controller in Haiti 2010.jpg, A U.S. Air Force Combat Controller operating in Haiti as part of Operation Unified Response, January 2010

Users

Current

* * : Crye-based Multicam used by Albanian special forces personnel. * : Used by parachute units of Special Operation Brigade of the

Angolan Army The Angolan Army () is the land component of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA). History On August 1, 1974, a few months after a military coup d'état had overthrown the Lisbon regime and proclaimed its intention of granting independence to Angola, ...

. * : Adopted a variation used by Argentine troops in Patagonia and by some Argentine special forces units. * : Used by Armenian Special Forces and the National Security Service. * : ** MultiCam: Currently used by Special Operations Command and

Police Tactical Group Police tactical group (PTG) is the generic term used to refer to highly trained Australian and New Zealand police tactical units that tactically manage and resolve high-risk incidents, including sieges, armed-offender situations and terrorist incid ...

s. ** Australian Multicam Camouflage Uniform (derived from MultiCam): Adopted by the

Australian Defence Force The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the Armed forces, military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia and its national interests. It consists of three branches: the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army and the Royal Aus ...

for general issue from 2014 onwards, replacing the Disruptive Pattern Camouflage Uniform and the ''Australian MultiCam Pattern Operational Combat Uniform'' patterns. * : Austrian Special Forces (Jagdkommando) and Austrian troops deployed to Afghanistan. * : Its own version of this camouflage is used in the

Internal Troops of Belarus Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus (; ) is a paramilitary law enforcement force in the Republic of Belarus under the national Ministry of Internal Affairs. All personnel are trained in the Internal Troops Faculty of ...

. * : MultiCam was adopted as standard issue by all components of the

Belgian Armed Forces The Belgian Armed Forces (; , ) are the combined national military forces of Belgium. The Monarchy of Belgium, King of the Belgians is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. The Belgian Armed Forces was established after Belgium Belgian Rev ...

except for the Naval Component in 2022. * Used by the Belize Special Assignment Group. * : Used by the

Comando de Operações Táticas The Comando de Operações Táticas (Portuguese for ''Command Of Tactical Operations''), mostly known by its acronym COT, is the tactical unit of the Federal Police of Brazil. It was created after Brazilian parliament recommendations, in an atte ...

of the

Federal Police of Brazil The Federal Police of Brazil () or Department of Federal Police () is a Federal government of Brazil, federal law enforcement agency of Brazil and One of the most know nationals Polices forces of the Executive Power of Brazil. Besides with Políc ...

. * : Seen in use by

Canadian Special Operations Forces Command Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM; ) is a command of the Canadian Armed Forces. It is responsible for all special forces operations that respond to terrorism and threats to Canadians and Canadian interests around the world. C ...

. * : Standard issue uniform of the

Marine Corps Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included raiding ashore (often in supp ...

and the Navy Special Warfare Division. Also used by the Chilean Air Force Commandos. As of 2021 it has been issued in the

Chilean Army The Chilean Army () is the land arm of the Chilean Armed Forces. This 80,000-person army (9,200 of which are conscripts) is organized into six divisions, an army aviation brigade and a special operations brigade. In recent years, and after sever ...

* : Main combat uniform of the

Cypriot National Guard The National Guard of Cyprus (), also known as the Greek Cypriot National Guard or simply the National Guard, is the military force of the Republic of Cyprus. It consists of air, land, sea and special forces elements, and is highly integrated wit ...

army branch. * : Standard uniform of the

Danish military The Danish Defence (; ; ; ) is the unified armed forces of the Denmark, Kingdom of Denmark charged with the defence of Denmark and its self-governing territories Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The military also promote Denmark's wider interests ...

. * : In use by

Egyptian Navy The Egyptian Navy (), also known as the Egyptian Naval Forces, is the maritime branch of the Egyptian Armed Forces. It is the largest navy in the Middle East as well as Africa, and is the twelfth largest (by the number of vessels) navy in the w ...

Special Forces. * : In use by Estonian Special Operations Force. * : Used by the Special Operations Command's units. * Seen in use with some members of the Coastal Jaeger Battalion and the Special Jaeger Battalion. * : Standard uniform of the Defense Forces, modified variant produced locally. Issued also to law enforcement and security agencies. * : Used by units of the

Haitian National Police The Haitian National Police (PNH; ) is the law enforcement and ''de facto'' police force of Haiti. It was created in 1995 to bring public security under civilian control as mandated in Haiti's constitution. As of 2023, the force has 9,000 acti ...

. ** ''Brigade de Lutte contre les Vols de Véhicules (BLVV)'' ** ''Brigade de Lutte contre le Trafic de Stupéfiants (BLTS)'' ** ''Police Frontalière (POLIFRONT)'' * : Used by the

Special Duties Unit The Special Duties Unit (SDU; zh, c=特別任務連), nicknamed the "Flying Tigers" ( zh, c=飛虎隊), is the elite tactical unit of the Hong Kong Police Force tasked with countering terrorist attacks, hostage rescue, underwater search and r ...

. * : Used by

MARCOS Marcos may refer to: People with the given name ''Marcos'' *Marcos (given name) * Marcos family Sports ;Surnamed * Dayton Marcos, Negro league baseball team from Dayton, Ohio (early twentieth-century) * Dimitris Markos, Greek footballer * Né ...

commandos, Garud Commando Force and Paras in jungle operations. * : Army Ranger Wing operators are being issued with Multicam as of July 2023. * : A variant based on US Army OCP with local DPM color palette Used by

Indonesian Army The Indonesian Army ( (TNI-AD), ) is the army, land branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It has an estimated strength of 300,400 active personnel. The history of the Indonesian Army has its roots in 1945 when the (TKR) "People's Se ...

known as Loreng Angkatan Darat. A Desert/Arid variant intended to replace the older local Desert DPM Variant are also Present. * : Used by Jordanian special forces units as the ''M2015 JSOC'' pattern. * : Operational Camouflage Pattern (based on MultiCam predecessor), Standard issued uniform for all branches replaced U.S. Woodland on 21 November 2017. * : Replacing the woodland pattern with Mutlticam uniforms from Crye for the Maltese military. * : Standard uniform of the Montenegro military. Made by YDS Textiles with a Montenegrin motif in the camo print. * : Korps Commandotroepen (KCT) and the

Netherlands Marine Corps The Royal Netherlands Marine Corps () is the elite naval infantry corps of the Royal Netherlands Navy, one of the four Netherlands Armed Forces, Armed Forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The marines trace their origins to the establishme ...

used it on tour in Afghanistan. The Dutch-made MultiCam camo is made by NFM Group. * :

New Zealand Army The New Zealand Army (, ) is the principal Army, land warfare force of New Zealand, a component of the New Zealand Defence Force alongside the Royal New Zealand Navy and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Formed in 1845, as the New Zealand Mil ...

Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF; ) is the aerial warfare, aerial military service, service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed initially in 1923 as a branch of the New Zealand Army, being known as the New Zealand Perm ...

, For use by the Special Operations Forces (NZSOF) in Afghanistan and Iraq. * : First seen during a parade in October 2020 wearing supposed Multicam clones by the Korean's People Army. * :Norwegian Special Operations Command forces: Special Operations Command and

Naval Special Operations Command The Naval Special Operations Command (NAVSOCOM) is a separate command of the Philippine Navy trained in special operations, sabotage, psychological warfare, psychological and unconventional warfare and is heavily influenced by the United States Na ...

and 339 Special Operations Aviation Squadron use multicam. * : Crye Precision and commercial clone copies used by numerous Special Forces units in the

Armed Forces of the Philippines The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) () are the military forces of the Philippines. It consists of three main service branches; the Philippine Army, Army, the Philippine Air Force, Air Force, and the Philippine Navy, Navy (including the P ...

. * : Polish Jednostka Wojskowa GROM,

Agencja Bezpieczeństwa Wewnętrznego The Internal Security Agency (ISA or ABW; ) is Poland's domestic counterintelligence and security agency. The ABW is responsible for analyzing, reporting and preventing threats to Poland's internal security, including terrorism, foreign espionag ...

, Biuro Ochrony Rządu and Jednostka Wojskowa Komandosów units uses "Suez", a slightly modified MultiCam pattern. * : Used by

Portuguese Armed Forces The Portuguese Armed Forces () are the military of Portugal. They include the General Staff of the Armed Forces, the other unified bodies and the three service branches: Portuguese Navy, Portuguese Army and Portuguese Air Force. The Presi ...

( Portuguese Paratroopers,

Commandos A commando is a combatant, or operative of an elite light infantry or special operations force, specially trained for carrying out raids and operating in small teams behind enemy lines. Originally, "a commando" was a type of combat unit, as opp ...

Special Operations Troops Centre The CTOE - Centro de Tropas de Operações Especiais (Special Operations Troops Centre), based in Lamego, is a unit of the Portuguese Army with the mission of instructing troops in unconventional warfare and counter-terrorism. Until 2006, it wa ...

, NOTP and Special Actions Detachment). * : UF-Pro-made MultiCam uniforms used by Romanian special forces. * : Russia's FSB Alpha Group and

Vympel Directorate "V" of the FSB Special Purpose Center, often referred to as Spetsgruppa "V" Vympel ( pennant in Russian, originated from German , and having the same meaning), but also known as KGB Directorate "V", Vega Group, is a stand-alone su ...

and the MVD's

SOBR The Special Rapid Response Unit or SOBR (), from 2002 to 2011 known as OMSN (''Otryad Militsii Spetsial'nogo Naznacheniya'', Special Police Unit), is a spetsnaz unit of the National Guard of Russia (Rosgvardiya).With their military equipmen ...

Group. Russian Special Forces in Syria were also seen using MultiCams. Zaslon forces use them on occasions when needed. * : Used by the RS' Special Anti-Terrorist Unit. * : Used by Special Operations Force and Naval Diving Unit of the Singapore Armed Forces and also by the STAR unit and Gurkha Contingent of the Singapore Police Force. * : SLOCAM. * : South Korean UDT/SEAL operators. * : Spanish Army's Special Operations Group and Special Naval Warfare Force personnel. * : Used by the SOG and special forces support units as well as UH-60M crew members. * : Combat Control Team Special Operation Regiment Royal Thai Air Force, Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters's Counter Terrorist Operations Center. * : Seen used by USGN in Raoued operation. * : Used by some units within the Turkish Special Forces. * : Used by various Ukrainian special forces units. Some regular Ukrainian military and

National Guard National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. ...

units were also seen wearing MultiCam. Territorial Defense Forces volunteers are sometimes issued or buy their own MultiCam uniforms. * : ** MultiCam: Seen in use by

personnel. *** Used by Royal Marines to replace MTP. **

(MultiCam coloration but not pattern):

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

and

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

from 2011 onwards. * : ** MultiCam:

, U.S. Navy EOD,

United States Special Operations Command The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM or SOCOM) is the unified combatant command charged with overseeing the various special operations component commands of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force of the United States A ...

, and

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 ...

. *** Hostage Rescue Team **

(based on MultiCam predecessor): Adopted by the US Army, Air Force, and Space Force as standard issue. * : Uzbek-made version used by the Uzbek military. * : Adopted Multicam-based designs in 2020. They consist of Trópico multicámara (Tropical Multicam) and the Negro multicámara (Black Multicam) under the El Uniforme Patriota Tiuna Camuflado (Tiuna Patriot Camouflage Uniform).

Future

* : A French-developed camouflage inspired by MultiCam, called Bariolage Multi-Environnement (BME), is due to become the standard camouflage pattern of the French Armed Forces from 2024 onwards. * : An Irish version known as Irish Transitional Multi-Cam Pattern (ITMCP) is being developed by the Irish military to replace in their DPM camouflage uniforms with the ITCMP pattern designed by Crye Precision. ITMCP will be part of the upcoming DF Combat Clothing System, which would cost €40 million.

Former

* : Worn by Afghan National Army commandos. Known to be used by operators of Crisis Response Unit 222. * : An "all-terrain" MultiCam-influenced pattern camouflage that debuted during the 2015 Victory Day Parade. It was intended to replace

Type 07 Type 07 () is a group of military uniforms used by all branches of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the paramilitary Chinese People's Armed Police Force. Introduced in 2007, the Type 07 uniforms repl ...

uniform. Ultimately it was not adopted by PLA.

Non-state users

Al-Nusra Front Al-Nusra Front or Jabhat al-Nusra or Jabhat Nusrat Ahl al-Sham, also known as Front for the Conquest of the Levant, and also later known as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham was a Salafi-jihadist organization that fought against Ba'athist Syria, Ba'athist ...

Sham Legion The Sham Legion (, ''Faylaq al-Shām'' lit. Levant Legion) was an alliance of Sunni Islamist rebel groups formed in March 2014, during the Syrian Civil War. The alliance was formed from 19 different groups, some of which were previously affil ...

Turkistan Islamic Party The Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) is an Uyghur Islamic extremist organization founded in Pakistan by Hasan Mahsum. Its stated goals are to establish an Islamic state in Xinjiang and Central Asia. The Chinese government asserts that the T ...

* Ajnad al-Kavkaz * Mandalay People's Defense ForceMandalay PDF: Regime Responsible For Nawngkio Conflict
Shan Herald Agency for News. November 21, 2022.

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

MultiCamPattern.com

Crye Precision
* United States patent, numbe

for MultiCam

''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'', 20 December 2009.
"British Army to get new camouflage uniform

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

, 20 December 2009. * , DefenseTech 29 December 2009.
English Translation of Hebrew article on MultiCam

Multicam & Multi Terrain Pattern (MTP) compared
{{Camouflage 2002 in military history United States military uniforms Camouflage patterns Products introduced in 2002 Military equipment introduced in the 2000s