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The Army has shipped to the war zone thousands of outer shells for the Interceptor Outer Protective Vest dyed in the three-color pixelated pattern. They’ll go to units that have started receiving the ACU through the Rapid Fielding Initiative but have not yet arrived in theater.

The changes in the ACU were approved April 22 and are part of the Camouflage Transition Program to make sure a soldier’s individual equipment will be the same pixelated pattern as the ACU or one of the three solid colors within the digital design.

Units entering theater wearing the ACU will take the ballistic inserts out of the Interceptor shell they brought with them and put them in the new pixelated shell along with the two ballistic plates. They will also receive a set of matching Deltoid Axillary Protective attachments that protect the shoulder and side along with a matching groin protector.

The plan, however, is much more detailed than just changing the vests.

The ACU itself will soon feature several refinements to the uniform that was unveiled last summer. It involves pattern and color changes.

The name tag and U.S. Army tapes will be changed from olive green cotton twill to the ACU’s 50/50 nylon-cotton blend material, dyed in the matching digital pattern. The change was made after several soldiers complained that the old olive tapes didn’t blend well with the new uniform.

“The need for the change was for a universal appearance,” said Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Myhre, the lead noncommissioned officer in charge of ensuring soldiers’ needs are met on the ACU.

To the soldiers who voiced complaints, using old name tapes that don’t match the new pattern “was just unacceptable,” Myhre said.

The same holds true for the embroidered rank square, which, like the tapes, is attached with Velcro. The new square, which is now 2 inches by 2 inches instead of the original 2 inches by 1¾ inches, will also feature the digital pattern.

Both the tapes and rank square are designed to be pulled off the ACU shirt and placed on Velcro attachment points on the digital Interceptor vests.

When uniform experts designed the ACU digital pattern, they chose three colors that represent the areas soldiers are most likely to fight in: green for forests, tan for deserts and gray for urban areas.

The colors were then altered after numerous tests involving night-vision equipment. The final colors were chosen because they proved difficult to see through night-vision goggles, according to Myhre, who explained that the pattern absorbed the infrared instead of reflecting back as the woodland and desert patterns on the battle dress and desert camouflage uniforms do.

The three colors were then dubbed Foliage Green, Urban Gray and Desert Sand Brown.

A fourth color in this universal camouflage design will appear now on the ACU’s zippers, buttons, Velcro hook and pile, and other refinements. It’s known as Foliage Green 504 — a blend of the ACU’s Desert Sand Brown and Foliage Green.

Matching belt, boots

Other items on the uniform will have a solid color as well.

The black rigger-style belt unveiled in June has been changed, too. It will be Desert Sand Brown to match the boots. The once-black chin strap on the Kevlar helmet will be dyed Foliage Green 504.

The ACU now has two styles of undershirts: a moisture-wicking model in Desert Sand Brown and a cotton version in Foliage Green 504 for soldiers allergic to some synthetics.

The main reason for choosing a solid color for these items is it’s cheaper than coloring everything in a pixelated pattern. “There is no reason to spend the extra money to pixelate a T-shirt because you are never going to see it,” Myhre said.

The Army began looking for a new camouflage pattern in early 2002 to narrow the design to a single look and shed the need for woodland and desert styles.

The patterns were tested by soldiers at Fort Benning, Ga., in August 2002; at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., in October; and at Fort Polk, La., and NTC in February 2003.

Uniform officials found what they were looking for with a digitized version of the “urban track” pattern, minus the highly visible black shade. Testing revealed that the pattern was harder to detect without the black, which stands out during movement, Myhre said.

Testing also found that a digitized pattern worked better in more environments than the BDU’s large color splotches, which tend to work well around large objects such as thick vegetation and trees, he said.

The Army also considered, but rejected, the possibility of adopting the Marine Corps’ digital camouflage uniform because the idea was to select a single camouflage uniform. The Marines have one for woodland and one for desert operations, he said.

Equipping soldiers with all new camouflaged equipment will take some time, Myhre said, adding that the goal is to have it done by the April 2008 wear-out date for the BDU and DCU.

The last items on the list for change, Myhre said are the unit patches and skill tabs. The plan is to change the color from olive green to Foliage Green 504 on the subdued patches and tabs. The black portion of the patches and tabs will remain the same.

The Army wants to time that change so stock of existing subdued patches and tabs in the stores can be sold to make room for the new designs, Myhre said.

One of the biggest challenges to creating a universal camouflage design is that the colors on the equipment and clothing will look slightly mismatched.