1. The Army is issuing Multicam to people going to Afghanistan now.
2. Don't forget the Air Force having their own uniform. Very similar to ACUs, but not.
Not to mention that Generals seem to come up with these pet projects of their own, which do not mean anything for the entire branch of the military, but the press tends to run with the story (their own Army Times being the worst offender it seems) as if it were a whole branch-wide change.
As a total outsider, I've come to a conclusion that who
actually does have the power to create universal standards in a soldier's basic gear like an adopted camouflage standard, or basic weapon to say... replace the M4/M16 family is hideously complicated, and changes from day to day with whoever's stock over in the DoD/Pentagon is riding high at the moment.
I suspect that only the POTUS himself, or DefSec actually has the kind of power to decide something like that and
actually make it so with an order/penstroke, at least in the way the media comes out with a story that excitedly decrees that "THIS IS YOUR NEW RIFLE" (nope) and "THIS IS EVERYBODY'S NEW UNIFORM!" (nope)...
And even then, I'm getting the sense that when such a change does come down the pipe, it's as likely as not to be wrong, like the too-light/blends with nothing ACU's, and the "Derp... We's ALL Speshul Forces Now!" berets..
Right way, wrong way, Army way.
