Uzbekistan

Republic of Uzbekistan

The Republic of Uzbekistan (O‘zbekiston Respublikasi) is an independent Central Asian republic, formerly a part of the Soviet Union. The nation declared itself independent in August of 1991, during the collapse of the USSR.

The Armed Forces of Uzbekistan were largely inherited from the Turkestan Military District of the USSR, but have been restructured and re-fitted in the years since the country was declared independent. Comprising the Army (ground forces), Air and Air Defense Forces, National Guard, Ministry of Internal Affairs Internal Troops (including a number of special operations units), National Security Service and the Border Guards, it is rumored this the largest armed force in Central Asia.

Camouflage Patterns of Uzbekistan

• A variation of the Soviet 1988 TTsKO tricolor pattern was developed for Uzbekistan and was first issued in 1994, this being the first "indigenous" camouflage pattern developed for Uzbekistan. The pattern is essentially a varied colorway using the standard Soviet drawings, although many color variations have seen production since it was originally introduced. The pattern is known as "mountain desert" colloquially, and has been worn variously by personnel of the Army, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Department of National Security, and the Border Guards. Since the mid-2000s, the pattern has essentially been phased out of service and replaced by a host of other camouflage designs.

• The Russian Armed Forces (VSR) dubok (little oak) pattern has been worn by some National Security Service elements since the late 1990s, although it has largely been phased out.

• Since the late 1990s, special troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and National Police have worn variations of the Russian "blue reed" camouflage pattern (called "shadow"), locally produced from imported fabrics. Some variations appear more blue while others seem to be more grey dominant.

• Since 2001, the Frontier Guard (Uzbekistan Border Guards) have worn a unique tricolor pattern incorporating large organic blotches of lime green and earth brown on a sandy background. This remained the standard camouflage design for these personnel until around 2014, although the coloration has varied in fabrics produced over the course of its use.

• Large quantities of surplus East German strichtarn (rain pattern) camouflage uniforms and fabric were at one point obtained by the Uzbek government through German sources. These uniforms were refitted to Soviet/Uzbek standards and were worn by Airborne and Special Task Force personnel of the Army from approximately 2002-2006.

• An "arid" or brown variation of the Russian-designed "reed" pattern has been in service with Ministry of Interior Affairs Guard troops and National Firefighters since approximately 2004. The pattern features vertical jagged stripes of reddish-brown & olive green on an orange-tan background.

• Since 2006, a DPM variation in grey tones known as "mountain stone" has been worn the the Armed Forces. This replaced the early "mountain desert" pattern worn by all the armed services.

• Another desert DPM variation, having mid-brown, golden brown & yellow-tan disruptive shapes on a sandy background was also adopted in 2006. This pattern is called "mountain-sand."

• In 2009, a pixelated camouflage design was introduced for the Uzbekistan Armed Forces. This will replace previous patterns and has been documented in a number of color variations, probably results of poor quality control.

• The pixelated design seen here has been issued to the Border Guards, and appears to be a copy of the Kazakh Armed Forces design.

• Circa 2012-13, the special troops of the Ministry of Interior Affairs appear to have replaced its previously issued "blue reed" camouflage pattern with the pixelated variation seen here. The design does appear to have essentially the same colorway and is likely an attempt to bring the entire armed forces into the "pixel generation."

• Additionally, the "brown reed" pattern has been replaced by a pixelated variation using the same color palette. This design is now worn by the National Security Service, Ministry of Interior Affairs Guard troops, and the National Firefighters.

• A variation of Multicam is now being worn by some personnel of the Uzbek Armed Forces, as seen here in this photograph from 2018.

Unconfirmed Uzbek Camouflage Patterns

• The design seen here is likely to have been worn by military or paramilitary personnel in Uzbekistan based on the source of extant samples. Thus far, no photographic documentation has been produced of its use, so researchers can only conclude it is "likely." Possibly based on the Soviet "splatter" or "splotch" design of the 1960s era KLMK uniforms, this pattern features large patches of green "splotches" with much smaller brown "worm-shaped" designs on a khaki-background.