Why did the US Army change from the BDU uniform to the new ACU ?

Question

What are the adventages of this over the old BDU's?

Answer 1

To be suitable more with enviroment ..personally I hate the ACU

Answer 2

As to the camouflage pattern, it works okay in all environments, but not well in any environment. Soldiers stand out more in ACUs than in any other pattern in the inventory.

ACUs are only designed to have lifecycle of Six Months in field conditions; BDUs had a lifecycle of 12 months in the field.

Velcro on the ACUs, supposedly so everyone can sanitize their uniforms in combat, supposedly save Soldiers money because they don't have to have patches sewn on new uniforms. Of course it also makes it easier for people form other units to take stuff from our motor pool by swapping a nametape and unit patch for ten minutes...Hey where'd my Breaker Bar go? Also, Soldiers need to buy new patches frequently, since the Velcro actually causes them to wear out faster..Oh, and Velcro patches are more expensive than non-Velcro patches! Velcro is also noisy! Ever try to get something out of your pocket in a meeting (or worse yet in a situation where noise and light discipline are crucial to saving your life? Rrrrrrriiiiiiiiippppppp... The Velcro on the cargo pockets isn't strong enough to keep them closed, so you have to use the elastic drawstring (it's pretty fun, BTW, to sneak up behind someone and pull their cargo pocket drawstrings real tight!!) which puckers the entire pant leg and gets Soldiers yelled at by the CSM. It's uncomfortable and impracticable. I used to be able to carry an MRE in my cargo pocket (in BDUs), can't do it with ACUs because of the drawstring.

What good are the itty-bitty pockets at the ankles? The only thing I have found that fit in them are sunglasses, but I have to bend over to put them in or take them out...which means stepping of the side (or making the person behind me happy), and I can't do that on the move (useless pockets when rucking).

I think the ACU is an OK uniform for Stryker crews, but not for anyone else in the Army.

I think the REAL reason the Army switched to ACU is that the Marines switched to Digital Cammies a couple before and the Army had to "keep up with the Joneses."

At least the Air Force didn't totally screw-up the top on their new ABUs...it has the best features of BDUs with the best features of ACUs incorporated...and they have SEW-ON skill badges!

Answer 3

We replaced to the debacle popular simply by fact the ACU in 2005. that is UCP is meant to paintings in all environments. And as predicted does not paintings alright in any environment.. We at present have 3 varieties of favourite container uniforms: a million. The ACU (additionally is supplied in flame retardant version (the FRACU) and a nome aircrew version) 2. The OCP - multicam development used in basic terms in A-stan 3. The ECWCS - a 7 layer chilly climate outfits device utilized in extreme chilly environments which contains white over covers for snow camo. the army is at present comparing a sparkling camouflage device to swap the UCP used in the ACUs.

Answer 4

personally, i hate the uniform. the BDU was much more sturdy, cheaper and looked better. but hey, you dont have to shine boots or use starch anymore, lol.

the acu serves as an all purpose uniform. overseas, in the states, its all the same. the digital pattern is supposed to work better. its created for a more urban style war. they also did away with the warm and cold weather fabrics...

Answer 5

as a army spouse i wwould say the ACU' a re washing and drying no need for ironing and you dont need to sew on everything since its velcro. but i dont like them. when my hubby first came home i was laughing because the looked like jammies. also the velcro is noisy when the walk and move sometimes. also the tan boots look dirt quickly espec on the tip (he drives a motorcycle to work.)
the old BDU's looked better but you had to wash, dry , starch and iron then and sew stuff on and rip it off. you could wear black boots that looked cleaner becayse they are easier to maintain.
both have pros and cons

Answer 6

The tests that the military conducted showed that this uniform was much better at concealing a solider, and could blend in better with the surroundings. And having talked to many soldiers who have been out in the field with these things on, they have told me the same thing.

Answer 7

They changed so that there would be a uniform that fit different enviroments. Woodland Desert and Urban. The uniform works well in these, but it dosent favor just one.

Answer 8

It's better to have a fuzzy profile when someone is looking at you thru a gunsight.

SSG US Army 73-82