The ‘Multicam’ combat uniform, worn by US and British troops, has been trialled over the past year by Australian Special Forces in Afghanistan.
Now, based on their positive feedback, Defence Materiel Minister Jason Clare said at the recent Land Warfare Conference that the trial would be extended for a further 12 months to all Australian troops operating ‘outside the wire’ in Afghanistan.
The Multicam combat uniform is a different camouflage pattern to the current Australian combat uniform and provides troops with greater levels of concealment across the range of terrains in Afghanistan – urban, desert and green.
The Multicam shirt and trousers:
• have elbow and knee pads built in to reduce soft tissue injuries;
• are cooler and designed to be worn under body armour;
• have a padded waistband to make them more comfortable under webbing or a field pack; and
• have more pockets and a stretch fabric at the joints.
Defence had been asked to pursue the purchase of a licence for the Multicam combat uniform, providing the potential to develop this as a new combat uniform with Australia’s unique camouflage pattern.
Comment
While the new uniforms are more expensive than normal cams at $400 a pop (from existing funding), the expanded trial will see another 800 sets delivered to Afghanistan for Australian troops.
These 800 cam sets will be in place by the end of the first quarter of 2011, a rapid acquisition indeed.
Clare also confirmed that Australia was seeking a licence to make the fabric and construct the uniforms here ASAP.
Stay tuned.