Namibia

Republic of Namibia

The Republic of Namibia is the current name of the nation formerly called South West Africa and administered by the government of South Africa. During the 19th century the territory became part of the German Empire, but came under South African control during the First World War. Between 1966 and 1989, a guerilla war was waged against South African military and police forces by the People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN), the military wing of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO). A transitional government was formed in 1989, followed by independence in 1990.

The Namibian Defence Force was created in 1990 by combining elements of the SWATF and PLAN. Ground, Air and Naval elements comprise the 8,000 active duty personnel. The Namibian Police Force (NAMPOL) was created from elements of the old South West African Police (SWAPOL), and includes the Special Field Force (SFF), a paramilitary unit charged with border and VIP protection.

Namibian Camouflage Patterns

• Early elements of the Namibian Police Force (NAMPOL) and the Defence Force wore standard British DPM pattern camouflage uniforms sourced through the United Kingdom.

• Adopted shortly after the Namibian Defence Force was formed in 1990, a unique lizard camouflage design incorporating horizontal stripes of green and brown on a tan background has been associated with this nation for more than thirty years. Introduced in 1991 and originally produced in Bophuthatswana, the design remained virtually unchanged until a digital variation was adopted in the 2010s. Early versions of the camouflage were printed on a cotton-blend poplin type fabric, while later versions from China appeared in ripstop cotton-blend fabric and utilize a much darker color palette.

• The Special Field Force (SFF) of the Namibian Police Force was created in 1995 as an auxiliary, specialized unit of the regular Police Force. The unit's primary duties are designated as border protection, VIP protection, and installation security, with sub-units delegated to each specialized task. The Special Field Force adopted a variation of DPM utilizing a color palette appropriate to the arid climate of the country, consisting of black, russet, and dark ochre disruptive shapes on a sand-colored background. At least two color variations are known to exist, with one having much less constrast between the russet and ochre shades.

• The Namibian Police Special Task Force (STF) was originally formed in 1995 from elements of the PLAN (People's Liberation Army of Namibia) and the old South West African Territorial Force (SWATF), and modeled after the Special Task Force of the South African Police. Its purpose was as an adjunct to the Special Field Force (SFF) but by 1996 the unit was disbanded. In 1999 the unit was reformed as the Special Reserve Force (SRF), with the primary duty of special tactical operations (SWAT) such as dealing with violent crimes, terrorism, and insurgency. The pattern below, another DPM derivative with a very sandy-colorway, is worn by members of this unit, where it is known as the No. 6 Working Dress Uniform.

• A new pixelated camouflage design was fielded by members of the Special Operations Command in 2013. The new design featured dark green, ochre, reddish brown, and black shapes on a light sand background, but apparently was never fully integrated. Members of Special Operations have continued to wear the standard uniform of the Namibian Defense Force into the present era.

• The Namibian Air Force adopted a variation of the standard "lizard" pattern in 2015, having a blue colorway rather than brown.

• Initially formed in 2011, the Namibian Marine Corps is a Naval Infantry unit of the Namibian Navy headquarters at Walvis Bay. Graduates in 2014 received a new pixelated camouflage design, no doubt influenced by the patterns worn by many other Naval Infantry units around the world. The design consists of black, brown and green patches on a sand-colored background. This camouflage design is also worn by some members of the Namibian Navy.

• Shortly after the Namibian Marine Corps were issued their own pixelated camouflage design, the Army and Air Force adopted pixelated versions of their lizard camouflage designs. The Army version retains its arid coloration of mid-green and brown on a sandy-based, whilst the Air Force version replaces the green with a blue-grey color.

• In 2018, members of the Namibian Marine Corps appeared in a second pixelated camouflage design incorporating medium green, olive green and sand colors. This design has been worn concurrently by both the Namibian Navy and Marines, alongside the early digital pattern from 2011.