S&S - Congressmen look to pressure DOD to act on Japan child abductions

From my archive of press clippings:

Stars and Stripes

Congressmen look to pressure DOD to act on Japan child abductions


By Charlie Reed, Stars and Stripes

Pacific edition, Friday, May 7, 2010


YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — A congressional resolution introduced Tuesday is calling on the secretary of defense to alter the status of forces agreement with Japan to assist servicemembers whose children have been kidnapped and taken to Japan.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"The proposed resolution also calls for the United States to enact agreements with Japan to resolve the mounting cases of parental child abduction involving U.S. citizens, who now have few legal options in Japanese courts."

"Kidnapping your own child is not a crime in Japan, and the country’s family law is based on the tradition of sole-custody divorce, leaving noncustodial parents without legal recourse to pursue visitation rights."

&

"The United States and seven other countries are pressuring Japan to sign a treaty that would help resolve the cases by obligating Japan to comply with provisions that protect the rights of both parents.

But even if the country adopts the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction it would not apply to the current cases, a caveat American lawmakers and diplomats aim to shore up with side agreements such as the one proposed Tuesday.

More than 100 American-Japanese children are considered abducted, 2009 State Department records show.

The U.S.-Japan Status of Forces Agreement defines how the U.S. military operates within Japan, including legal consequences for troops who break Japanese laws while stationed here."

S&S - Still playing the name game with Navy and Marine Corps

From my archive of press clippings:

Stars and Stripes

Still playing the name game with Navy and Marine Corps


By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes

Stars and Stripes online edition, Wednesday, May 5, 2010


WASHINGTON — Rep. Walter Jones never expected changing the Department of Navy’s name would be a decade-long fight.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"But each year since 2001 — the first year he proposed adding the Marine Corps to the official title — the North Carolina Republican has found himself on the House floor making an impassioned plea for the simple three-word change. And each year the measure has failed in the Senate."

&

"The bill deals only with the formal title of the department, and would not change command structure or the missions of the Navy and Marine Corps."

S&S - Struggle over Iran's nuclear capabilities playing out in courts, intelligence centers

From my archive of press clippings:

Stars and Stripes

Struggle over Iran's nuclear capabilities playing out in courts, intelligence centers


By Warren P. Strobel, McClatchy Newspapers


Stars and Stripes online edition, Sunday, April 18, 2010


WASHINGTON — The shadow war between the U.S. and Iran was briefly visible last week at an extradition hearing in a Paris courtroom, where an Iranian engineer was answering U.S. charges that he'd illegally shipped U.S. technology to Iran.

Read the whole article here.

S&S - Congress wants troops to focus on academics. Study advocates emphasis on officer education.

From today's news:

Stars and Stripes

Congress wants troops to focus on academics

Study advocates emphasis on officer education

By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes

Mideast edition, Sunday, May 9, 2010


WASHINGTON — A new congressional study calls for more emphasis on professional military education in officers’ careers, saying such experience helps create the great battlefield strategists of the future.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Members of the House Armed Services Committee who worked on the study, released Thursday, said scholarly work is still not widely regarded as advantageous to the career of a potential flag or general officer. In fact, trading warfighting missions for higher education can often be a detriment to promotions."

"The study advocates senior officers should be afforded more opportunity to pursue higher degrees, both at Defense war colleges and outside institutions.

Today, those programs are mostly reserved for future faculty members, not potential battlefield strategists.

Lawmakers mentioned that one notable exception is U.S. Central Command commander Gen. David Petraeus, who earned his master’s and doctorate degrees while serving. They credited his leadership in Iraq at least in part to lessons he learned earning international relations degrees."

"The study authors said they believe most senior leadership is willing to support scholarly pursuits among select officers, but the demands of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have limited those opportunities."

&

"In recent years, the Army War College has developed an exchange program with the State Department, allowing a small number of soldiers to train with workers with the U.S. Agency for International Development or similar agencies while some members of the diplomatic corps attend military classes alongside officers.

The program has drawn high marks from both sides, but when lawmakers asked if similar programs were at work in the Navy and Air Force, they found officials there had no knowledge of it."

S&S - USAREUR cuts back summer training exercises in eastern Europe

From my archive of press clippings:

Stars and Stripes

USAREUR cuts back summer training exercises in eastern Europe


By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes

European edition, Sunday, April 18, 2010

Seth Robson / S&S


Spc. Brett Gardner, 25, of Las Vegas, with Company B, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, prepares to ambush a group of Romanian soldiers during an exercise at Babadag Training Area in Romania.

GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — Combat deployments and limited resources mean fewer U.S. military personnel will train in eastern Europe this summer compared with last year, according to U.S. Army Europe.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"About 1,000 personnel are expected to train in Romania and Bulgaria, down from the 3,200 who deployed there last summer, said Lt. Col. Daniel Herrigstad, a USAREUR public affairs officer.

In recent years, the U.S. has conducted regular training aimed at building relationships with both militaries, which have fought alongside U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan."

S&S - GIs retrain Congo troops known for being violent

From my archive of press clippings:


Stars and Stripes


GIs retrain Congo troops known for being violent

By John Vandiver, Stars and Stripes

European edition, Sunday, May 2, 2010


STUTTGART, Germany — At a remote military base in the jungle city of Kisangani, an elite team of U.S. troops is attempting to retrain a battalion of Congolese infantrymen to serve as a model for an unruly force that has a reputation for using rape as a weapon of war.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"In a region where intimidation is used by soldiers and the rebels they fight, the U.S. Special Operations Command Africa troops offer plenty of traditional soldiering instruction. For now, the team of about 25 Americans is focused on small-unit tactics, medical care, logistics support and communications. Soon they also will enlist alternative methods to reform a military in disarray.

U.S. Africa Command is drafting curriculum for dealing with the sexual violence issues that plague the Congolese military and will incorporate those findings into training this summer."

&

"AFRICOM has deployed an expert in sexual violence to the Congo to conduct interviews and help develop the sexual violence program for military leaders who are untrained in this area, according to Special Operations Command Africa.

AFRICOM, along with contractors hired by the U.S. State Department, began working with the Congolese battalion in March as part of an evolving six-month program. The hope is to field more than 700 Congolese troops capable of deploying as part of a quick-reaction force to protect the country’s borders and the people who call those volatile regions home."

S&S - Afghan militants increase attacks on contractors

From my archive of press clippings:

Stars and Stripes


Afghan militants increase attacks on contractors


By Joshua Partlow, The Washington Post

Online Edition, Saturday, April 17, 2010


KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — The Taliban has begun regularly targeting U.S. government contractors in southern Afghanistan, stepping up use of a tactic that is rattling participating firms and could undermine development projects intended to stem the insurgency, according to U.S. officials.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Within the past month, there have been at least five attacks in Helmand and Kandahar provinces against employees of U.S. Agency for International Development contract companies who run agricultural projects, build roads, maintain power plants and work with local officials.

The USAID implementing partners, as the contract companies are known, employ mainly Afghans, who are overseen by foreigners. The their role is becoming increasingly important as more aid money floods into southern Afghanistan as part of a dual effort to generate goodwill and bolster the Kabul government.

A suicide car bomb that exploded Thursday evening outside a compound used by Western contractors in Kandahar was the latest and deadliest attack. The Associated Press reported that the blast killed at least six people wounded 16 other people, including at least two Americans, along with South African and Nepalese employees."

"At least one company working in Kandahar, Bethesda, Md.-based DAI, evacuated some employees to Kabul after the attack, the officials said."

&

"Thursday’s attack came two days after Hosiy Sahibzada, 24, an Afghan who worked for DAI, was gunned down in Kandahar City. On Tuesday, an Afghan employee of Arlington-based International Relief & Development, was shot and killed in Helmand province’s Garmsir area.

The U.S. official in Kandahar said it would be foolish to think that the attacks were independent of one another. “This can’t be coincidental,” he said. “This is what they’re doing now.”"

S&S - Ex-Blackwater employees indicted for violating federal firearms laws

From my archive of press clippings:

Stars and Stripes

Ex-Blackwater employees indicted for violating federal firearms laws

By Joseph Neff and Warren P. Strobel, McClatchy Newspapers


Stars and Stripes online edition, Saturday, April 17, 2010


RALEIGH, N.C. — Five former employees of the private security firm formerly known as Blackwater violated a series of federal firearms laws to give the company a leg up in the military contracting and training business, a federal indictment charged Friday.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Blackwater officials falsified federal paperwork to conceal a gift of firearms to Jordan's King Abdullah II, whom Blackwater was courting as a client, the indictment charges.

Former company president Gary Jackson used the tiny Camden County, N.C., sheriff's office as a front to buy AK-47 automatic rifles that Blackwater wanted for its training facility in Moyock, N.C., and the company illegally possessed short-barreled rifles that Blackwater officials thought were useful for winning security contracts."

"Friday's indictment is the latest bad news for Blackwater, which changed its name to Xe in 2009. The company burst into the spotlight in 2004 when four of its contractors were massacred in Fallujah, Iraq, which triggered two attacks on Fallujah by U.S. Marines.

The indictment highlights how Blackwater marketed its personal protection and military training services to countries worldwide, and investigators examined numerous allegations — not all of which are covered in the indictment — that the company exported firearms and other weapons without a license.

King Abdullah visited Blackwater's headquarters in March 2005 along with his two sons, according to government investigators. To curry favor with the king, Blackwater made a gift of five weapons etched with the Blackwater logo — three Glock pistols, an M4 Bushmaster rifle and a Remington shotgun.

Afterward, Blackwater employees realized that they couldn't account for the weapons, and falsely completed federal forms stating that Jackson and a second person had purchased the weapons, the indictment said."

"In February 2006, the company sought a State Department license to export more than $30,000 worth of weapons, including Bushmaster rifles, to Abdullah's private security detail. The State Department approved that export, but denied the company's bid to sell silencers for the weapons."

&

"Friday's charges stem from a wide-ranging federal investigation of Blackwater's weapons dealings that began in February 2006, according to officials and documents. The investigation involved agents from the Treasury Department's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; the Department of Homeland Security's Immigrations and Customs Enforcement bureau; the Commerce Department; the State Department inspector general's office; and other agencies. At times, the team had up to 20 federal agents."

_____

Strobel reported from Washington. McClatchy Newspapers correspondent Jonathan S. Landay in Washington contributed to this report.

S&S - Stop-loss pay problems persist

From my archive of press clippings:

Stars and Stripes

Stop-loss pay problems persist

Posted April 16th, 2010 by Jeff Schogol
in
Stripes Central

It’s been six months since the Army started accepting retroactive stop-loss pay claims, and despite addressing much of the initial confusion with the program people are still having lingering problems getting their money.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"In most cases, the application process takes less than eight weights, but the pay office gives people a “conservative estimate” of how long the process will take to “set expectations.”"

S&S - Germany housing shortage stalls moving plan

A recent press clipping:

Stars and Stripes

Germany housing shortage stalls moving plan

By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes

European edition, Monday, April 26, 2010

GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — Plans to consolidate the 172nd Infantry Brigade in Grafenwöhr, Germany, will stay on hold pending a decision expected late this year on whether to keep four U.S. Army brigade combat teams in Europe.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Housing shortages at Grafenwöhr — home to the 172nd’s headquarters and many of its troops — have forced U.S. Army Europe to postpone the movement of three of the brigade’s battalions from Schweinfurt this summer.

The 172nd and the Baumholder, Germany-based 170th Infantry Brigade were slated to return to the U.S. in 2012. But in February the Department of Defense’s Quadrennial Defense Review backed retention of the brigades in Europe pending a review of NATO’s Strategic Concept and an accompanying assessment of its European defense posture network."

&

"Other units that were slated to swap places with the 172nd in Schweinfurt — comprising almost 750 soldiers and about 1,120 family members — will stay in Grafenwöhr for now. These include the 18th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 23rd Ordnance Company, 574th Supply Company, 5th Maintenance Company, 1st Cargo Transportation Company, and the 71st Preventive Medicine Detachment, Henderson said.

If the Defense Department decides to retain the four combat brigades, approximately 40,000 soldiers will remain in Europe, facilities in Schweinfurt and Bamberg will stay open, and USAREUR will proceed with the 172nd consolidation at Grafenwöhr, she said.

However, it might take two years to identify developers and build homes for the 172nd soldiers.
That would require 300 more leased housing units and another 100 existing private rentals, Henderson said."

S&S - MP unit tarnished by Abu Ghraib scandal returning to Iraq

From my archive of press clippings:

Stars and Stripes

MP unit tarnished by Abu Ghraib scandal returning to Iraq


By David Dishneau, The Associated Press

Online Edition, Saturday, April 10, 2010


HAGERSTOWN, Md. — The Army Reserve unit tarnished by the Abu Ghraib detainee-abuse scandal has been mobilized to return to Iraq in its first deployment since photographs of naked, humiliated prisoners surfaced more than six years ago, the Army said Friday.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"The 372nd Military Police Company of Cresaptown will leave April 29 for one to three months of training at Fort Bliss, Texas, followed by a planned deployment to Iraq, said Sgt. Darius Kirkwood, a spokesman for the 200th Military Police Command at Fort Meade. Few members of the unit remain from when the detainee photographs were taken, due to normal turnover, he said."

S&S - Haitian immigrants' filings for protected status lag projections

From my archive of press clippings:

Stars and Stripes

Haitian immigrants' filings for protected status lag projections

By Trenton Daniel and Alfonso Chardy, McClatchy Newspapers

Stars and Stripes online edition, Friday, April 9, 2010

MIAMI — When U.S. officials granted temporary protected status to Haitians in the United States days after the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti, they expected as many as 200,000 applications. But nearly three months later, federal officials say 42,942 Haitians have filed for TPS.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"On March 16, more than 500 Haitians, including several children, showed up at the Miami field office of USCIS to be fingerprinted and photographed — part of the processing of their applications for TPS.

TPS shields undocumented immigrants from detention and deportation. In the case of Haitian TPS, the protection from deportation will last 18 months, though the benefit is expected to be renewed as TPS has been renewed repeatedly for Central Americans.

Applicants can also request work permits, which immigration officials say they plan to start issuing soon. Immigration advocates say the work permits are critical because they allow Haitian nationals here to wire remittances to family members back in Haiti whose homes were wrecked in the quake."

"The total cost of a TPS application is $470, which includes $50 for the application itself, $340 for a work permit and $80 for "biometrics," the fingerprinting and photographing process."

&

"The main reasons for rejection include not enclosing the correct filing fee, not completing forms, failing to include biographical information and not signing forms."

S&S - Kidnapped Army linguist returns home to San Diego

From my archive of press clippings:

Stars and Stripes

Apr 4, 2:57 AM EDT

Kidnapped Army linguist returns home to San Diego

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- A U.S. Army linguist returned to his family in Southern California Saturday after more than two months in captivity in Baghdad, according to a National Guard spokeswoman.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Issa Salomi arrived home in San Diego and was "resting and beginning his adjustment back to normal life," Maj. Kimberly Holman said in an emailed statement."

S&S - Flight surgeon threatens to refuse deployment over Obama birth certificate flap

From my archive of press clippings:

Stars and Stripes

Flight surgeon threatens to refuse deployment over Obama birth certificate flap

By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes

Mideast edition, Saturday, April 3, 2010

WASHINGTON — An Army flight surgeon could face reprimand or dismissal from the service after stating in an online video that he’ll refuse deployment to Afghanistan because of concerns he has about President Barack Obama’s birth certificate.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Lt. Col. Terrence Lakin, chief of primary care for the Pentagon’s health clinic, released a statement through the American Patriot Foundation saying his decision is based on “pursuit of the truth about the president’s eligibility under the constitution to hold office.”

Army officials said Lakin has not yet violated any direct orders, but his statements have been brought to commanders’ attention for review."

&

"Lakin, an 18-year soldier, last served overseas in 2005 during a tour with the 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Squadron, 25th Infantry Division in Afghanistan.

Questions surrounding Obama’s birth certificate surfaced during the 2008 election, but were largely put to rest after Hawaii officials confirmed his American citizenship and the campaign released a copy of the document."

Guys, he was nominated, he ran, he won. The only way he's leaving office now short of completing his term is if he resigns or is impeached.

This is not a hill to die on, a sword to fall upon, career-wise.

_____
(Yeah, I know there're at least two other ways but spelling them out will only encourage the unruly.)

S&S - Iraq visa requirements may push U.S. interpreters out the door

From my archive of press clippings:

Stars and Stripes

Iraq visa requirements may push U.S. interpreters out the door

By Michael Gisick, Stars and Stripes

Stars and Stripes online edition, Friday, April 2, 2010

BAGHDAD — As the Iraqi government pushes for more control over the tens of thousands of American contractors still in the country, some high-level U.S. interpreters say new visa regulations are pushing them to leave.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"The interpreters, Arab-Americans who work in sensitive areas such as intelligence or as liaisons between senior American officers and Iraqi officials, worry that submitting the details of their identities to the Iraqi government could endanger themselves or family members living in Iraq or elsewhere in the region.

“Working for four years doing intel, pretty much I know how corrupt things are,” said one former Iraqi-American interpreter who quit her job and returned to the U.S. last month after her company notified employees they would need to apply for a visa. Like other interpreters interviewed for this story, she spoke on the condition of anonymity."

_____
Stars and Stripes reporter Jeff Schogol contributed to this report.

S&S - Rebuilding Haiti’s demolished port is no small task for U.S.

From my archive of press clippings:

Stars and Stripes

Rebuilding Haiti’s demolished port is no small task for U.S.


By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes Mideast edition, Sunday, February 28, 2010


PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Rebuilding the piers, cranes, warehouses and other facilities at Port-au-Prince — the seaport that the Haitian capital is named for — will be a key factor in the reconstruction of this earthquake-shattered nation, according to U.S. military personnel working there.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"When U.S. Army and Navy personnel began operations at the port on January 20, they found a facility in ruins."

"Military operations at the port have been overseen by Lt. Col. Ralph Riddle, 45, of Luray, Va., commander of the 832nd Transportation Battalion. Riddle is a member of Joint Task Force Port Opening, which activated as soon as the earthquake struck and arrived in Haiti on two LCUs (landing craft utility ships) a week later.
I
t’s a little-known fact that the Army runs seaport operations worldwide, mostly using commercial contracts, on behalf of the Department of Defense, he said Thursday."

"When the team arrived, there were no landing points among the ruins so the task force discharged equipment onto a nearby beach using the LCUs. The shallow-drafted vessels shuttle out to cargo ships, then pull up to dirt ramps bulldozed out into the surf so that the cargo can roll off, he said."

"In the weeks since the disaster, the port has been a point of entry for humanitarian aid, food, water, rice, beans, oil, MREs (Meals, Ready to Eat), USAID food packages, construction materials and tents, he said.

Six weeks after the disaster, the captain of the USAV Hobkirk, the first LCU to hit the beach was still at the port moving cargo."

"The port still employs its original Haitian workforce driving stackers, forklifts and loaders and the military is working with commercial terminal operators who continue to do business there, Riddle said."

&

"Most of the traffic has been imports although there have also been exports leaving the country, which is a big producer of mangos for overseas markets. For example, the port received a shipment of lumber and the cargo ship Tharinee Naree out of Bangkok was in port on Thursday, delivering an entire power plant that will run on heavy oil or coal and power an industrial park in Port-au-Prince. The car transporter Viking Princess was to arrive Saturday carrying 240 vehicles, Hahne said."

S&S - Judge dismisses Ind. Guard suit against KBR over chemical exposure

From my archive of press clippings:

Stars and Stripes

Judge dismisses Ind. Guard suit against KBR over chemical exposure

By Travis J. Tritten, Stars and Stripes

Stars and Stripes Online Edition, Friday, February 26, 2010

A federal judge on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit brought by 47 Indiana National Guard soldiers who claim the military contractor KBR failed to protect them from exposure to a potent carcinogen during a 2003 deployment to Iraq.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"The case was dismissed in the Southern District of Indiana because the court does not have jurisdiction over KBR, which is headquartered in Houston and has no offices in the state, U.S. District Court Judge Richard Young wrote in his ruling, a copy of which was obtained by Stars and Stripes.

Young’s ruling did not address the validity of claims the contractor hid the existence and risks of hexavalent chromium at the Qarmat Ali water treatment facility from Guard members, who provided security during restoration of the facility.

The claims will be filed soon in another federal court jurisdiction, plaintiffs’ attorney Mike Doyle said in a statement."

"Hundreds of Guard members from Indiana, Oregon, West Virginia and South Carolina were notified last year that they might have been exposed to the carcinogen while securing Qarmat Ali during summer 2003, according to the U.S. Army."

&

"Guard members said they came down with chronic bloody noses and sickness while at Qarmat Ali and still suffer illnesses.

KBR denies it hid the existence and health hazards of the anti-corrosive, which is being phased out by the Department of Defense in coming years due to health and environmental risks."

S&S - Army to start direct mailings to 50,000 people eligible for retroactive stop-loss pay

From my archive of press clippings:

Stars and Stripes

Army to start direct mailings to 50,000 people eligible for retroactive stop-loss pay

Posted March 5th, 2010 by Jeff Schogol in Stripes Central

More than four months since the Army started accepting retroactive stop-loss pay applications, nearly 100,000 eligible soldiers and surviving spouses have yet to apply.


Read the whole article here.


Snippet(s):


"That’s prompting the Army to start sending direct mailings this to 50,000 people believed to have been stop-lossed, said Maj. Roy Whitley, project manager for the compensation program.
The mailings will have passwords that allow recipients to access a Web site that can expedite the claims process, Whitley said."


&

"So far, 10,000 claims have been sent to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service for payment. Another 1,400 claims have been deemed invalid because the applicants received a bonus while being held under stop-loss."

So where's my money?

S&S - Sergeant major in Europe faces sexual assault trial

From my archive of press clippings:

Stars and Stripes

Sergeant major in Europe faces sexual assault trial


By Nancy Montgomery, Stars and Stripes


European edition, Friday, March 5, 2010


HEIDELBERG, Germany — One of U.S. Army Europe’s highest-ranking sergeants will be court-martialed on charges of aggravated sexual assault and maltreatment of a young specialist, according to military officials.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"The case of Sgt. Maj. Garry Tull was referred on Wednesday to a general court-martial by the V Corps commander, Brig. Gen. Michael Ryan, a month after the sergeant major’s Article 32 hearing, according to public affairs officials. Article 32 hearings are held to determine whether enough evidence exists to prosecute a case."

&

"According to the charge sheet in the case, Tull caused the specialist to “engage in sexual intercourse … by abusing his military position, rank and authority to affect the military career” of the woman."

S&S - Army picks MultiCam as new camo for Afghanistan

From my archive of press clippings:

Stars and Stripes


Army picks MultiCam as new camo for Afghanistan

By Dan Blottenberger, Stars and Stripes

Mideast edition, Thursday, March 4, 2010

Courtesy of U.S. Army
The MultiCam pattern has been selected by the Army to replace the Army Combat Uniform.

Mark Abramson / Stars and Stripes
The Army Combat Uniform, which is being replaced by the MultiCam pattern in Afghanistan.

BAMBERG, Germany — The Army has selected the MultiCam as its new uniform for soldiers heading to Afghanistan, the Defense Department announced, following four months of testing by units in the combat zone.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"MultiCams will be issued to units heading to Afghanistan starting in July."

"During the test phase, soldiers wore the current Army Combat Uniform, a variation of the ACU that contained “coyote brown” splotches, and the MultiCam, which has been touted as a multi-environment camouflage pattern."

&

"In efforts to improve the original ACU that was fielded to troops in 2004, more than 26 improvements have been made to the uniform, according to the press release announcing the DOD decision to begin fielding the MultiCam uniform."