Australia

Commonwealth of Australia

Although Australia did field some airborne and commando units during the Second World War, there is no evidence suggesting they were issued with any type of camouflage uniform. Whereas most Commonwealth units fighting in the European theater wore the British-made Denison smock, this was probably deemed too heavy and hot for use by units operating in the Pacific.

Australia became involved in the Vietnam War in part because of its membership in SEATO (South East Asia Treaty Organization), sending in advisors to the ARVN in 1962. By 1967, Australian forces included a detachment of the Special Air Service Regiment (SASR). Largely tasked with reconnaissance and intelligence gathering, the junglecraft of the Australian SAS was so highly developed that the enemy credited them with being able to appear out of nowhere, thus earning the unit the nickname Ma Rūńg (Phantoms of the Jungle). Althoguh the standard combat uniform of the Australian soldier at this time was jungle green, most SAS preferred to wear the US manufactured M1968 ERDL jungle uniform, or locally-produced tiger stripe jungle fatigues. Australia did produce a thin waterproofed camouflage smock and hat, however, which were issued to most military personnel serving in Vietnam; this can be considered the first truly Australian-designed camouflage pattern.

Olive green remained the standard uniform of the soldier for several years after the war. However, in 1982-83, the Australian Department of Defense began testing camouflage designs suitable to the local geography with an eye towards adopting a standard issue combat uniform for the entire Australian Military Forces (AMF). The pattern approved in 1984, Australian Disruptive Pattern Camouflage, became standard issue up until the turn of the 21st century, by which time Australia succumbed to a growing fascination with camouflage designs based on or influenced by Multicam. Several desert variations of the pattern have also been issued, as well as a unique reddish-coloration that has been reserved for Australian soldiers acting as enemy troops during military exercises. Later, a colorway for the Australian Navy was also adopted, although this, too, was later dropped in favor of a blue-tinted variation of Multicam.

The term Australian Military Forces (AMF) was originally adopted in 1916 and remained an official term for the ground forces until 1980, when it became known simply as the Australian Army. Initially formed as the Commonwealth Naval Force in 1901, the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) was established in 1911 by the government of Australia and remains a critical branch of service for defence of this island nation. Formed out of a militia unit known as the Australian Flying Corps (AFC) in 1914, the Australian Air Corps came into being in 1920, and in the following year became a separate branch of service, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Together, the three branches of service form the Australian Defence Force (ADF).

Australian Camouflage Patterns

• The very first camouflage design produced for the Australian Military Forces (AMF) arose during the Vietnam War. Consisting of black smudges on an olive green background, the pattern was printed on a waterproofed rain cap and thigh length smock designated the "psychological smock." Other articles of clothing may also have been issued. This was produced between 1971 and 1992, but eventually was replaced by a DCP pattern rain smock.

• First field-tested in 1980, and later by the Special Air Service Regiment in 1984, the Australian Disruptive Camouflage Pattern (DCP) was officially introduced in 1985. The original colors of the test patterns were slightly different from that ultimately released, as were the fabrics, which included a ripstop design and two poly-cotton blends. Uniforms are known officially as DPCU (Disruptive Pattern, Combat Uniform), and for this reason the term is also often applied to the pattern as well. Although there are some slight color differences depending on the manufacturer and the fabric, in general the pattern features orange, brown, dark olive & lime green spots on a khaki background. Several nicknames have also been applied to the pattern, including AUSCAM, "bunny cam" (as some of the shapes in the design look like rabbit caricatures), and OzCam.

• During the mid-1990s, the Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) began considering the idea of issuing a desert camouflage uniform for deployments to very arid regions. The pattern initially chosen was a locally-produced copy of the US tricolor desert pattern. Although never adopted by the Regiment, the uniforms were retained for a number of years and worn by Australian OPFOR (Opposing Forces) units during wargames.

• Various elements of the Australian Armed Forces portray the military forces Musoria (a fictional "enemy" nation) during exercises by taking the OPFOR (Opposing Forces) role. A special variation of the Auscam pattern was introduced in 1987 for these forces. Nicknamed "enemy cams" or "Red AUSCAM," the pattern is a re-coloring of the standard DCP with rust, medium brown, dark brown, light brown & deep red spots on a tan background. Striking in appearance, the pattern was only produced in limited numbers and the supply had dried up by 1995. The design was discontinued and replaced by the previously issued three-color US desert pattern for the OPFOR role.

• By the time deployments to Afghanistan were being considered (circa 2001) the SASR still had not adopted a distinctive desert camouflage uniform. A rushed through trial pattern was issued while the unit was at a forward base in Kuwait where the arid country was very light colored. This three-color variation of the standard Disruptive Pattern Camouflage is often called Mk 1 (or Series 1) Desert AUSCAM, and features sand & brown colored spots on a tan background. The uniform itself is officially designated Desert Pattern Disruptive Uniform (DPDU) and hence that term is also often applied to the desert camouflage pattern. Ideal for the deserts of Kuwait, the colors of the Mk 1 desert pattern were deemed "too yellow" for use in Afghanistan by the SASR, so a second trial pattern was considered shortly thereafter.

• The second version of desert AUSCAM (Mk II or Series 2) arrived in Afghanistan in mid-2002 for a second rotation by the SASR. This version featured mint green, grey, brown & light grey spots on a pinkish background, and saw service with the SASR and their Army and RAAF support elements deployed to that theater.

• Approved in 2003, a third version of the desert AUSCAM (Mk III) was initially issued to Australian personnel deployed to Iraq, where it earned the nickname "Iraq Desert Pattern." Featuring pale green, brown & grey spots on a yellow-tan background, this color combination was deemed the most effective and ultimately approved for general issue to the Australian Armed Forces. It continued to serve with Australian personnel various arid theaters of deployment and the design itself has remained relatively unchanged despite at least one complete uniform overhaul (from the standard DPCU to the Land 125 system). This design was retired in 2010.

• Released in 2008, an alternative colorway of the standard Disruptive Pattern Camouflage was issued for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Featuring light grey, med grey, dark grey & olive green on a very light grey background, the pattern is issued on the Disruptive Pattern Navy Uniform (DPNU).

• In November 2010, the Minister of Defence Materiel announced that all Australian personnel deploying to Afghanistan would all receive US-produced Multicam pattern camouflage uniforms, as it was determined this design had a higher performance rating than the DPCU. Prior to this, Australian Special Operations personnel had been wearing Multicam and given it very positive reviews. A variation of the pattern, developed specifically for Australian military personnel by Crye Industries and incorporating many of the "bunny" and "jellybean" features found in the standard DPCU (although reduced in size), began replacing commercial Multicam for troops in late 2015. The pattern also has a miniature Australian Military Forces (AMF) logo embedded into the design. The Australian Army website refers to this design as Australian Multicam Pattern (AMP), and the uniform itself as Australian Multicam Pattern Operational Combat Uniform (AMP OCU). This uniform only saw issue for approximately two years, and was replaced by the Multicam-hybrid uniform seen below.

• In March 2014, it was revealed that the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) would shortly begin issuing a General Purpose Uniform (GPU) for personnel not deployed to the combat theater or those employed in humanitarian service abroad. The pattern is essentially just a color variation of the AMF-issue Multicam hybrid, with a primarily blue colorway, and was designed with the involvement of Bruck Textiles.

• In mid-2014, it was announced that the Australian Army would officially adopt a new camouflage uniform that would replace both the Disruptive Pattern Camouflage Uniform (DPCU) and the Australian Multicam Pattern Operational Combat Uniform (AMP OCU). The camouflage design is a hybrid and modification of the earlier Crye-designed Australian Multicam Pattern. Developed by the Defence Science and Technology Group, the pattern incorporates the original six-color palette of the DPCU plus one extra colour. This new pattern is called Australian Multicam Camouflage (AMC), and the uniform is the Australian Multicam Camouflage Uniform (AMCU), which began to replace older uniforms in October 2014; full integration is expected by 2019.

• The Royal Australia Navy ultimately discarded its DPNU and replaced it with a Multicam-hybrid developed specifically for the service (resulting from a survey conducted in 2015). The new uniform is known as the Maritime Multi-cam Pattern Uniform (MMPU). Designed and implemented by Australian Defence Apparel (ADA), the fabric incorporates fire-retardant properties. The pattern blends olive green with dark blue and shades of grey to create a distinctive look for the Australian Navy and began to enter service in the fall of 2021.

Unofficial and Experimental Camouflage worn by Australia

• Australian Special Air Service (SASR) units operating in South Vietnam wore the US M1948 ERDL camouflage pattern jungle uniforms whenever they could be obtained.

• South Vietnamese produced "tiger stripe" camouflage uniforms were also popular with the SASR and with some Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV) members during their time in Southeast Asia. In the case of the SASR, evidence indicates they did not see as much service as the ERDL pattern, the AATTV members more commonly wore Australian issue Jungle Green (JG) uniforms or US produced M1964 olive green battle dress. As with their American counterparts, there was no particular pattern associated with the Australian forces, and individuals wore whatever variants could be obtained at the time.

• Commercial tiger stripe pattern camouflage has been worn by some Australians serving in OPFOR roles, circa 2008.

• Members of the Australian SAS operating in Afghanistan (ISAF) have been documented as wearing the commercially available Multicam pattern made in the USA under license by Crye Precision.

• A pixelated variation of Auscam (DPC) was developed in the early 2000s and initially tested by Police Tactical Units, but never officially adopted. In 2008, the Special Operations Task Group (SOTG) -- a small, specialized unit consisting of approximately 300 personnel from the 1st and 2nd Commando Regiments, the Special Air Service Regiment, the Special Operations Engineer Regiment, the Special Operations Logistic Squadron, and various other services, units and commands around Australia -- tested several different types of combat clothing in this pattern while deployed to Southern Afghanistan on counter-network operations Australian DOD website. Although effective and popular, the pattern was beat out for Afghanistan deployment by the Crye-developed version of Multicam. Surviving samples of the issue uniforms identify the design as Platacam, and within the pattern can be made out a miniature platypus skull that is part of the company logo.

• A variant of the DPCU design was slated for introduction to Australian Military Forces operating in Afghanistan circa 2010. Designated the Disruptive Pattern Mid-Point Uniform (DPMU), the design retains the essential shapes of the DPCU but with a changed colorway incorporating light grey, sand, olive-green and reddish-brown shapes on a yellowish sandy background. This combination of colors was envisioned to perform optimally in semi-arid regions. Initially issued as uniform trials to the 6th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment (6 RAR), the design apparently failed to perform up to expectations. Later tests were conducted by imprinting the pattern on field equipment pouches, but these also were rejected. At this stage (2013) the DPMU remains only a trial design.

• Another DPCU variant seen here was reputedly tested for use by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), but was never adopted. The working name for the uniform was the Air Force Disruptive Pattern Uniform (AFDPU).

Australian Civilian Camouflage

• A locally-produced version of woodland camouflage was produced in the 1980s and 1990s by a company called "Commando Australia." Uniform design was based on the Vietnam War era olive green "pixie suit."

• Seen here is a commercial copy of the 2nd pattern desert camouflage design that was available on the civilian market. Although labels were marked with a broad arrow, there is no evidence to suggest this uniform was ever contracted for or issued by the Australian Military Forces.