The new stuff looks pretty cool...but why phase out the no.8 DPM? Why not just add this new pattern to the collection and use it when appropriate?
I like the way it's based on Afghanistan terrain. Looks like we're there for a long time yet, despite what the government tells us. But then again, governments...lies...expenses...scandals...
Agreed - why phase it out. Does the article read like it's being completely phased out or just in Helmand? Look at the person wearing DPM in the still of the video. Seems to blend into the hedge in the background much more than the new design. Would make sense to keep it for temperate regions surely?
I think the new stuff works better against woodland but is it phasing out proper desert DPMs as well or still keeping those?
Think the Desert dress is being kept, but the temperate stuff is being lost. If that turns out to be the case, I think its a bad idea. The existing temperate pattern is clearly better against green backdrops. The Lt Col says as much in the video; the new one being a better all round pattern.
I've never been a great fan of the temperate as it is too dark, and most of the regulars I work with prefer to wear faded old stuff because it matches in with terrain much better. However, not massively looking forward to having to take TRFs and other badges of my current uniforms and transfer them, though I doubt I'll be doing that until at least 2011.
Because that defeats the purpose of why this new uniform was designed in the first place. Of the two currently in use one is great in the desert but poor elsewhere, the other is great in green areas but poor elsewhere. This new pattern is design to provide decent camouflage everywhere, which is especially useful if you're moving between different environments. It seems they want to remove the need of altering the uniforms and instead have a single uniform which provides camouflage everywhere. As the guy in the video says, it's better to have universally good camouflage than having partly great and partly poor camouflage. I guess you could say the current ones (which by the sounds of it are going to be replaced) could be kept for when soldiers are exclusively within one type of environment (not sure how often this happens) but then I would think there would be legitimate economic issues with maintaining/producing those two uniforms when this new multi-terrain uniform pretty much does their job.
By the sounds of it it's not going to happen but I really hope they're not replacing desert DPMs with this. Could work better in trees though. What bugged me with this whole story though is in the bbc article someone (forgot name too lazy to check) said along the lines of "it's not perfect but it's adequate." *facepalm*
What's wrong with that. You're not going to get a uniform that is perfect in multiple environments, and if soldiers move across various environments then they're going to be switching from perfect camouflage to poor camouflage, therefore, it's better to have a uniform which will always provide adequate cover, rather than only sometimes providing perfect cover. What's the use of a pattern if it only gives perfect camouflage half the time? I agree that if they are only within one environment then they should have the most optimal uniform, one that would be poor in other environments, but perfect in the environment they are in.
I agree but if they're phasing out all over camo for this one then doesn't that mean using it when they're not switching terrains? Also I don't see tha tone being much use in the desert its still mostly green. Obviously it works I'm just interested how.
The patterns in the camo break up the lines of the body. Just like a tigers stripes. They could be bright purple and still work to a degree. Although bright purple in Afghanistan might not be such a good idea. People learn to recognise certain shapes as they grow up. And our brains are pre-programmed to look for these shapes. Which is why we see faces in clouds and on the Moon and Mars.
An alternative info link: http://www.army.mod.uk/news/18686.aspx Personally I've only found the old pattern good for dark woodland and mud, the moment you started walking into more open forrest or on grassland you stuck out like a sore thumb if you dropped. This new stuff will work great in treelines and in open terrain. It should also be good for the concrete environment. Looking at the pattern you can see it's like the old one, they've just lightened the green and dark brown and then cut the 'equal' black and pale brown and replaced them with thinner short stripes. If it helps save a life then it's worth it. I just hope that it's not going to reduce expenditure on other equally important things.
Recruiting for the Navy and Air Force will most likely be halved over the next 12-18 months due to budget cuts.
Training is filled to the brim across all 3 services at present due to more people signing up and fewer leaving in response to the economic climate. However, this doesn't make up for shortages in other years, the double loading of some courses that has happened to try and fill the gaps left by droves of people leaving before the recession due to the poor working conditions, or the problem of dead wood staying on.
