Operational Camouflage Pattern(OCP), originally codenamedScorpion W2,is a militarycamouflage patternadopted in 2015 by theUnited States Armyfor use as the U.S. Army's main camouflage pattern on theArmy Combat Uniform(ACU). This pattern officially replaced the U.S. Army's previousUniversal Camouflage Pattern(UCP) as the official combat uniform pattern for most U.S. soldiers at the end of September 2019. The pattern also superseded the closely relatedMultiCam,a pattern previously used for troops deploying to Afghanistan.
| Operational Camouflage Pattern | |
|---|---|
 A swatch of OCP | |
| Type | Military camouflagepattern |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2015–present |
| Used by |  United States Army United States Air Force United States Space Force United States Navy(individual augmentees)  United States Coast Guard(SMTC/DSF)[1] SeeUsersfor non-US users[2] |
| Wars | War in Afghanistan Iraq War Syrian civil war Russian invasion of Ukraine |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Crye Precision and Natick Labs |
| Designed | 2002 (Initial pattern) 2009 (Modified by Natick) |
| Produced | 2015–present |
| Variants | SeeVariants |
TheUnited States Air Forcealso replaced their formerAirman Battle Uniform(ABU) with the ACU in OCP after positive feedback from airmen who wore the uniform while being deployed to Afghanistan with Army soldiers. In 2019, it also commenced use byUnited States Space Forcepersonnel who had transferred from the Air Force to the Space Force.
The original "Scorpion" pattern was developed by a joint venture of the Army'sNatick Labsand Crye Precision as part of theObjective Force Warrior(OFW) program more than a decade prior. Crye then modified it to create MultiCam for commercial sales. In July 2014, the Army announced that OCP could be used in the field by the summer of 2015.
In early April 2015,Army Chief of StaffRay Odiernorevealed that OCP uniforms were beginning to be issued to deployed soldiers going to Afghanistan, Iraq, Europe, and theHorn of Africa.[3]The OCP ACU became available for soldiers to purchase starting 1 July 2015.[4]
Background
editSelection process
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In the early 2010s, the U.S. Army concluded that the UCP did not adequately meet all of the concealment needs for Afghanistan's multiple regions.[5]
In 2010, the United States Army Camouflage Improvement Effort considered 22 entrants. The Army eliminated the patterns down to five finalists who exceeded the baseline patterns and Scorpion W2 was among them in the Army's in-house submission (the Army later withdrew their submission leaving the four commercial vendors).[6]The finalists in the Army's Phase IV camouflage testing were Crye Precision; ADS Inc. and Hyperstealth Inc.; Brookwood Companies Inc.; and Kryptek Inc.[7]
The2014 National Defense Authorization Act(NDA or NDAA), prevents any service from adopting a new camouflage pattern not already in inventory before the NDA, unless they get all other services to adopt the same pattern. As a result, the Army had to consider existing camouflage patterns within the United StatesDepartment of Defense.[6]
Initially, the Army's first pattern choice was the MultiCam pattern developed by Crye Precision, but allegedly due to "printing fees", procurement discussions broke down.[5][6]Crye Precision developed the original Scorpion pattern under a government contract in 2002. The pattern was modified by theUnited States Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Centerin 2009 and named the Scorpion W2 pattern.[6][8]The Army owns the licensing rights for Scorpion W2, which lowers the overall cost, and allows the Army the option to restrict the pattern to service members only.[5]
Rollout
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The ACU patterned in OCP first became available to U.S. Army soldiers on 1 July 2015, at 20 locations in the contiguous United States and in South Korea, with first-day sales exceeding $1.4 million. More installations began sales later in 2015, although soldiers deploying on real-world missions began receiving uniforms and equipment printed in OCP before that date. The color of the T-shirt and belt worn with the OCP ACU are Tan 499, as opposed to the desert sand color for the previous uniform, although soldiers were allowed to continue to wear the older color T-shirts, belts, and boots until October 2019. Body armor, packs, and pouches in previous UCP and MultiCam patterns will be worn until they can be replaced with OCP.[9]
On 14 May 2018, the U.S. Air Force announced that all airmen will transition from theAirman Battle Uniformto the OCP uniform. Airmen were authorized to wear OCP uniforms beginning 1 October 2018. Recruits in basic training, and cadets inAir Force Reserve Officer Training Corps,andOfficer Training Schoolwere issued OCPs beginning 1 October 2019. All airmen were required to own OCP uniforms by 1 April 2021. Unlike the Army, the Air Force uses brown thread for name tapes and rank insignia and have a subdued-color flag patch at all times instead of when on deployment.[10]
TheU.S. Space Forcehas also adopted the OCP uniform, but with navy blue thread for ranks and tapes.[11]
Users
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Australia:US-madeAir WarriorPSGC vests in OCP were worn byAustralian Defence Forceaviation aircrews.[12][13]
Lebanon:Lebanese Armed Forces have worn US Army made OCP ACU uniforms as their standard camouflage uniform since 2017.[citation needed]
South Korea:Worn byKATUSAunits, replacingUniversal Camouflage Pattern.[citation needed]
Ukraine:Used by regular Ukrainian Armed Forces and reservists supplied by U.S. Armed Forces as of 2022.[citation needed]
United States:Current standard camouflage of the U.S. Army since 2015 and U.S. Air Force since 2018.
- United States Army
United States Air Force- United States Space Force
- United States Navy(individual augmentees)[2]
- United States Coast Guard(SMTC/DSF)[14]
- ManyState Defense Forces,military units under the command of individual state governments, utilize modified versions of the OCP uniform for their personnel.[15]
See also
edit- MARPAT,adigital camouflageused by the United States Marine Corps
- Australian Multicam Camouflage Uniform,a similar camouflage pattern issued to the Australian Defence Force from 2014 onwards
- Multi-Terrain Pattern,a similar camouflage pattern issued to the British Army from 2010 onwards
References
edit- ^"SEAC visits USCG Special Missions Training Center at Camp Lejeune".15 February 2024.
- ^ab"The Air Force Is Down With The Army's OCP. The Other Branches, Not So Much".Task & Purpose. 14 May 2018.Retrieved26 August2022.
- ^Tan, Michelle (3 April 2015)."Army chief shares update on new camo rollout".Army Times.
- ^"Operational Camouflage Pattern Army Combat Uniforms available July 1"(Press release). Washington, DC: United States Army. 1 June 2015.Retrieved1 June2015.
- ^abcHarper, Jon (27 May 2014)."Reports: Army selects new camouflage uniform pattern".Stars and Stripes.Retrieved8 June2014.
- ^abcdGould, Joe (23 May 2014)."Army selects new camo pattern".Army Times.Retrieved8 June2014.[dead link]
- ^Cox, Matthew (23 May 2014)."Army Selects New Camouflage Pattern".Military.com.Retrieved8 June2014.
- ^"US Army Selects Scorpion Camouflage Pattern".Soldier Systems.23 May 2014.Retrieved24 August2015.
- ^Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs (8 July 2015)."Soldiers Line Up to Buy New Camouflage Uniforms".Kitup.Military.com.
- ^Cox, Matthew (14 May 2018)."Air Force transitions to a single combat uniform".AF.mil.
- ^Hodge Seck, Hope (17 January 2020)."Space Force Offers First Peek at Camouflage Uniform".Military.com.Retrieved1 October2020.
- ^"Exercise Care Bear taking patients to new heights".Retrieved2 September2022.[failed verification][better source needed]
- ^"Exercise Vigilant Scimitar".16 May 2022.[failed verification][better source needed]
- ^"SEAC visits USCG Special Missions Training Center at Camp Lejeune".15 February 2024.
- ^"About The State Defense Force".StateDefenseForce.com.1 November 2015.Retrieved18 December2023.
External links
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