Heavenly: Air Force switches to Multicam uniform

David Goldfein, USAF Chief of Staff, and Kaleth Wright, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, have announced in a message to their troops that the Digital Tigerstripe Airman Battle Uniform (ABU) will be transitioned to the Operational Camouflage Pattern (OCP) Uniform.

OCP is already widely used by the US Army and ultimately uses the Multicam camouflage pattern (or the predecessor pattern Scorpion for which the US government holds the licenses). Additionally, OCP is already worn by aircrew in Afghanistan. The motivation for this change is not only the camouflage pattern, which is more versatile and suitable for most deployments, but also that the uniform has a better fit for women. Additionally, cost savings naturally play a significant role.

In the future, thanks to the patch areas of the OCP Uniform, there will be badges in Velcro form for the Air Force. Previously, these had to be sewn on. OCP can already be worn as of October 1, 2018, for those who have it. By 2021, the entire Air Force is expected to have completed the transition. Attached below is the timeline for the change and more details.

US Air Force online: www.airforce.com