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AFGSC Security Forces to field new camo, gear

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Joseph Raatz
  • Air Force Global Strike Command Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  Security Forces Airmen at three Air Force Global Strike Command bases, as well as those in the 620th Ground Combat Training Squadron serving at Camp Guernsey, Wyoming, will soon be fielding new personal gear and sporting a new camouflage pattern uniform.

The need for the new equipment and camouflage was most recently identified through AFGSC's Force Improvement Program, a continuing initiative that focuses on resolving issues faced by the Air Force's nuclear mission.

"What we were trying to do with this was build the best system for our nuclear defenders and the environment they operate in," said Gregory Simpson, resource advisor for Security Forces contingency and requirements at AFGSC.

The Operation Enduring Freedom Camouflage Pattern, called OCP and commonly referred to as MultiCam, is currently used by U.S. troops deployed to Afghanistan and will become the standard pattern used by Security Forces at AFGSC's missile wings and Camp Guernsey. OCP, which uses smooth lines and a six-color palette, has been identified by the Department of Defense as being more effective in a variety of environments than the four-color, pixelated camouflage patterns currently in use by the Air Force and Army.

"If you get in a firefight in the field and you're laying down fire, who are you going to see first? Obviously that guy [in ABUs,]" said Chief Master Sgt. Scott Daigneault, senior enlisted manager for the Force Improvement Program at AFGSC. "The difference is almost night and day. Your eyes skim right over the guy in OCP and zone in on the guy in ABUs. He just doesn't fit in in that [missile field] environment."

Security Forces Airmen at Minot AFB, North Dakota, Malmstrom AFB, Montana, F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming, and Camp Guernsey will be sporting this new camouflage pattern with matching personal gear, Daigneault said. These items include generation III cold-weather gear, which provides seven levels of protection against the extreme conditions encountered at northern-tier bases, as well as new duty gear and personal protective equipment that has been redesigned with the missile field mission in mind.

This equipment will operate together as part of a system known as Model Defender. These units spend much of their time out in the field, rather than on base, which necessitates using the new system, Daigneault explained.

"We are putting together this system for our Security Forces Airmen to operate and survive, both on base and in the missile complex at our northern tier bases," Simpson said. "The system we have currently, although it's good, doesn't all work together as a single system; it's a hodgepodge of cold weather garments from different vendors used in conjunction with approved duty gear. The complete system we're building incorporates cold weather and duty gear, and is more efficient and conducive to the type of environment these troops are operating in."

Troops deploying overseas have priority on securing OCP uniforms and equipment, , Simpson said, so these items will be delivered to AFGSC units over the next several months, estimating the final items to be delivered near the end of the January.

Rather than issuing items piecemeal as they arrive, full kits will be issued once all items have been received.

"We don't want them getting a shirt today, a vest next week and a pair of pants sometime next month," Daigneault said. "We want this to be as seamless a transition as possible."

Wear guidance on the new uniforms is currently being written and will be released before the kits are distributed, Daigneault said.

More details will be released as they become available.