Why are all the military branches following the digital trend?

Question

Why are all the military branches abandoning their m81 BDUs, and copying off the marines marpat camouflage scheme and making their own versions. I'm not so sure that the new patterns are all that effective anyway. Do they do this to look cool?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/BDUs-forest.jpg/180px-BDUs-forest.jpg

Old pattern (used by all branches prior to Iraq war)

http://afidie.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/800px-marines_marpat.jpg

Marine Marpat (adopted at beginning of Iraq war)

http://www.soldiersperspective.us/images/December2006/ACU.jpg

Army combat uniform (2006)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Abu.jpg

Airman Battle Uniform (air force 2007)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9e/New_US_navy_Working_Uniform.jpg

Now the Navy in 2008. What next?

http://www.defencetimes.com/photos/data/685/medium/Chinese_Army_digital_camo.jpg

Oh, I forgot the Chinese are copying now!

Answer 1

Copying MARPAT? The very first digital uniform pattern was Canadian CADPAT (which was inspired by German Flecktarn and earlier Waffen-SS patterns). To be more accurate, everyone else is simply developing their own type of digital camouflage.

Simply put, digital camouflage works better than conventional DPM and Woodland style patterns. It comes as a bit of a surprise at first when troops parade around in pixellated shirts, but those pixels give off what is known as a "dithering" effect.

With older camouflage patterns like DPM and M81 Woodland, it's easier to distinguish between the various colors at anything shorter than long ranges, the pattern appears to "blob" and the uniform contrasts from the scenery. The smaller pixels or dots in digital and flecktarn patterns do a good job of tricking the eye at even close ranges.

Answer 2

Called Modernization, everything in the world is going DIGITAL.

Vet-USAF

Answer 3

The new uniforms look pretty cool. They work better, too. When we still lived in Florida, my brother wore an old style army uniform in the woods and I wore U.S. Marine diggie cammies. My brother was spotted and I was not! Ah, those crazy Chinese commies decided to copy now. ^_^ "Nurse Turkleton, tell your husband he needs to show up... NOW!!!"-quote from Scrubs. Alright, Mike the Bike. There's your answer.  

Answer 4

For protection of being seen. I wouldn't say "copying the marines" I think it's just a government issued thing and maybe they had it first but eventually they were all getting it.  

Answer 5

have you noticed that most battles are being fought in an urban environment? acu's are there for that reason. we haven't been to the jungle for a few years nowt. and like i said before most of the fighting is going on in the cities, these patterns are better in these areas.

Answer 6

It makes them more difficult to be seen.

Answer 7

Air force is definitely going digital heavily, in fact a new branch of the armed forces is being formed called Cyber Command, which is currently a part of the Air Force as well.

The world is changing, we're changing with it. Did you know that there are at least 4000 cyber-terrorist acts committed against the U.S. each day?  It takes a good knowledge of how it all works to actually see and understand it, but the Digital age is upon us big time.

Answer 8

haha no they dont do it to look cool. Do you no think that these uniforms haven't gone through endless hours of testing. Their computer generate for optimal efficiency at breaking up the outline of the body. To the guy above , do you really think its only 4000 , thats probably on the low end. This past year the country of Estonia (spelling?) had their internet hub attacked by hackers from I think Russia that completely shut down their access.

Answer 9

no kidding but they are all dumb anyways  

Answer 10

Marpat is better camoflouge. Its been tested and proven. I cant explain the armys at all. Its like a big rip off of both of the marines jungle and desert cammies mixed! i dont get it.