June 14, 2004 - The Army today, on its 229th birthday, officially unveiled its new combat uniform designed with major input by the Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) Corps and enlisted Soldiers, and tested by Stryker Brigade Soldiers in Iraq since October 2003.

Army senior leadership introduced the Army Combat Uniform (ACU) during an Army Birthday Pentagon courtyard cake-cutting ceremony. Soldiers displayed and also suited-up in the wrinkle-free uniform with a digitized camouflauge pattern.

Three different versions of the ACU have been developed, and more than 10,000 uniforms have been produced and battle-tested in the sands of Iraq and at Army training centers. Even more are on American production lines to be issued by April 2005 to Soldiers in deploying units. Current fielding plans call for fielding to the total Army by December 2007, said officials from the Program Executive Office, known as PEO Soldier.

“This isn’t about a cosmetic redesign of the uniform,” said Col. John Norwood, the project manager for Clothing and Individual Equipment. “It’s a functionality change of the uniform that will improve the ability of Soldiers to execute their combat mission.”

Every change was made for a reason. The bottom pockets on the jacket were removed and placed on the shoulder sleeves so Soldiers can have access to them while wearing body armor. The pockets were also tilted forward so that they are easily accessible. Buttons were replaced with zippers that open from the top and bottom to provide comfort while wearing armor.

There were 18 changes made to the uniform, to include removing the color black and adapting the digital print from the Marine Corps uniform to meet the needs of the Army, said Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Myhre, the Clothing and Individual Equipment noncommissioned officer in charge.

The Army's Natick Laboratory in Natick, Mass., took the original digital pattern to the next level by developing a pattern for world-wide theaters to encompass both the BDU and DCU requirements.

Black is no longer useful on the uniform because it is not a color found in woodland areas, Myhre said. The current colors on the ACU are green and sandy brown. The pattern is not a 100-percent solution in every environment, Mhyre said, but a good solution across the board.

Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth Preston, is one of the ACU’s biggest supporters. Major command sergeants major a chance to see the uniform and give advice toward the final version.

“We have not made a major change to our uniforms since the BDUs were introduced in the early 1980s,” Preston said. “This new uniform performs well in multiple environments. "Its new pockets and color designs are a result of feedback from Soldiers in combat. Every modification made on the uniform was designed with a specific purpose and not just for the sake of change. It's only fitting that the next generation of Army uniforms be designed to meet actual wartime requirements."

Patches and tabs are affixed to the uniform with Velcro to give the wearer more flexibility and to save the Soldier money, Mhyre said. Soldiers can take the name-tapes and patches off their uniforms before laundering, which will add to the lifecycle of the patches. Also the cost to get patches sewn on will be eliminated, he added.

The ACU will consist of a jacket, trousers, moisture wicking t-shirt and the brown combat boots. It will replace both versions of the BDU and the desert camoflauge uniform. The black beret will be the normal headgear for the ACU, but there is a matching patrol cap to be worn at the commander’s discretion.

At $88 per uniform, about $30 more than the BDU, Soldiers will eventually reap gains in money and time by not having to take uniforms to the cleaners or shine boots.