MARPAT (short for Marine pattern) is a
multi-scale camouflage
Multi-scale camouflage is a type of military camouflage combining patterns at two or more scales, often (though not necessarily) with a digital camouflage pattern created with computer assistance. The function is to provide camouflage over a ra ...
pattern in use with the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
, designed in 2001 and introduced from late 2002 to early 2005 with the
Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform
The Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform (MCCUU) is the current battledress uniform of the United States Marine Corps. It is also worn by Navy personnel (mostly corpsmen, Seabees, chaplains, and their bodyguards) assigned to Marine Corps un ...
(MCCUU), which replaced the
Camouflage Utility Uniform. Its design and concept are based on the Canadian
CADPAT
Canadian Disruptive Pattern (CADPAT; french: links=no, dessin de camouflage canadien, DcamC) is the computer-generated digital camouflage pattern developed for use by the Canadian Armed Forces. Four operational variations of CADPAT have been use ...
pattern. The pattern is formed of small rectangular pixels of color. In theory, it is a far more effective camouflage than standard uniform patterns because it mimics the dappled textures and rough boundaries found in natural settings. It is also known as the "digital pattern" or "digi-cammies" because of its micropattern (pixels) rather than the old macropattern (big blobs).
The United States government has
patent
A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...
ed MARPAT, including specifics of its manufacture.
By regulation, the pattern and items incorporating it, such as the MCCUU and
ILBE
The Improved Load Bearing Equipment (ILBE) is a United States Marine Corps program that had included individual load carriage equipment, individual hydration systems ( Source One Hydration) and individual water purification.
Since the rucksack ...
backpack, are to be supplied by authorized manufacturers only and are not for general commercial sale, although imitations are available such as "Digital Woodland Camo" or "Digital Desert Camo".
MARPAT was also chosen because it distinctively identifies its wearers as Marines to their adversaries, while simultaneously helping its wearers remain concealed. This was demonstrated by a Marine spokesman at the launch of MARPAT, who stated: "We want to be instantly recognized as a force to be reckoned with. We want them to see us coming a mile away in our new uniforms." As such, the U.S. Marine Corps restricts use of the camouflage, preventing its use in most other divisions of the United States military with the exception of some elements of the U.S. Navy.
Development
![Unif703](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Unif703.jpg)
MARPAT was designed by
Timothy O'Neill, Anabela Dugas,
[ Kenneth G. Henley,][ John Joseph Heisterman, Jr.,][ Luisa DeMorais Santos,][ Gabriel R. Patricio,][ and Deirdre E. Townes.][
The concept of using miniature swatches of color as opposed to large splotches is not new. In ]World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
troops used various patterns similar to the current German ''Flecktarn
''Flecktarn'' (; "mottled camouflage"; also known as ''Flecktarnmuster'' or ''Fleckentarn'') is a family of 3-, 4-, 5- or 6-color disruptive camouflage patterns, the most common being the five-color pattern, consisting of dark green, light green ...
'', which involved similar small dabs of color on a uniform to provide camouflage.
The Canadian Forces originally developed the pattern called CADPAT
Canadian Disruptive Pattern (CADPAT; french: links=no, dessin de camouflage canadien, DcamC) is the computer-generated digital camouflage pattern developed for use by the Canadian Armed Forces. Four operational variations of CADPAT have been use ...
, on which MARPAT was based. Timothy O'Neill's USMC design team in charge of this process, initially with the assistance of Kenneth G. Henley and then John Joseph Heisterman, Jr. (both active duty U.S. Marine Scout Snipers), went through over 150 different camo patterns before selecting three samples that met their initial objectives. These were two versions of tigerstripe
Tigerstripe is the name of a group of camouflage patterns developed for close-range use in dense jungle during jungle warfare by the South Vietnamese Armed Forces and adopted in late 1962 to early 1963 by US Special Forces during the Vietnam ...
and an older design of Rhodesian Brushstroke
The Rhodesian Brushstroke is a brushstroke-type camouflage pattern used by the Rhodesian Security Forces from 1965 until its replacement by a vertical lizard stripe in 1980.
It was the default camouflage appearing on battledress of the Rhodesi ...
. The influence of tigerstripe can still be seen in the final MARPAT. These three samples were then reconstructed using new shapes and unique color blends that would allow a more effective uniform in a great range of environments.
The new patterns were then field tested in different environments, day and night, with night vision and various optics. MARPAT did exceptionally well in their wet uniform test when viewed with night vision while illuminated with IR, where normally patterns appear as a solid. The MARPAT patent lists U.S. Army research into fractal
In mathematics, a fractal is a geometric shape containing detailed structure at arbitrarily small scales, usually having a fractal dimension strictly exceeding the topological dimension. Many fractals appear similar at various scales, as illu ...
pattern camouflage as the basis for MARPAT.
The MARPAT pattern was chosen in a run-off against seven other patterns at the USMC Scout Sniper
United States Marine Corps Scout Sniper (MOS 0317, formerly 8541) is a secondary MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) designator of U.S. Marine Corps infantrymen and reconnaissance Marines that have graduated from a U.S. Marine Corps Scout Snip ...
Instructor School.
Preliminary development of MARPAT began in April 2000, with field testing of the pattern and the MCCUU beginning in 2001. The patent for the MARPAT pattern was filed on 19 June 2001, whereas the patent for the MCCUU uniform was filed on 7 November 2001. Early prototypes of the MARPAT desert pattern from 2001 featured grey, whereas the finished product did not.
In 2001, Marine Forces Pacific Lt. Gen. Frank Libutti and Sgt. Maj. Stephen Mellinger were the first Marines to publicly wear the uniform before the uniform made its official debut at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune () is a United States military training facility in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Its of beaches make the base a major area for amphibious assault training, and its location between two deep-water ports ( Wilming ...
on 17 January 2002. In February 2003, MARPAT-patterned helmet covers began to be produced. The replacement of the BDU and DCU by the MCCUU was completed on 1 October 2004, a year ahead of the original requirement date set in 2001 of 1 October 2005.
The MARPAT uniform was officially fielded as standard issue to the officer candidates of OCC-181 at MCB Quantico and the recruits of 3rd BN Mike Company at MCRD San Diego in late 2002;It continues to be the USMC's standard issue uniform pattern to date.
In all, the MARPAT development process from concept to completion took 18 months, the fastest time for a U.S. military-developed camouflage pattern to be produced.
Design and colors
Different ratios and variations of colors were tested before final candidate patterns were actually printed to textile for field trials. A modified version of Vietnam War–era tiger stripe also made it to final trials but was eliminated due to MARPAT being superior in all environments. The purpose of the digitized pattern is to create visual "noise" and prevent the eye from identifying any visual templates. Thus, the pattern is intended to not register as any particular shape or pattern that could be distinguished.
There were initially three MARPAT patterns tested: Woodland, Desert, and Urban. While keeping the rights for Urban, only the Woodland and Desert patterns were adopted by the Marine Corps for general issue, replacing the U.S. Woodland pattern and the U.S. Three-Color Desert pattern. Webbing and equipment worn with MARPAT Woodland and MARPAT Desert is produced in Coyote Brown, a mid-tone color common to both the woodland and desert patterns. Although a digital snow pattern has also been adopted on cold-weather training over-garments, this uses a different pattern from the Canadian company Hyperstealth.
Authentic MARPAT material is distinguishable by a miniature "Eagle, Globe, and Anchor
The Eagle, Globe, and Anchor (commonly referred to as an EGA) is the official emblem and insignia of the United States Marine Corps. The current emblem traces its roots in the designs and ornaments of the early Continental Marines as well as the ...
" emblem incorporated into the pattern above the letters "USMC", in both the woodland and desert patterns.[Eagle, Globe and Anchor](_blank)
example, Magna Fabrics.
File:3MCCUU.jpg, The three tested MARPAT patterns: Desert, Urban, and Woodland pattern
File:MARPAT MCCUU Prototypes Removable Sleeves.png, Two U.S. Marines test out early prototypes of the MCCUU in 2001. The two prototypes feature removable sleeves, a feature that was later abandoned on the finished production version. The uniform on the left features an early version of woodland MARPAT.
File:USMC M249 SAW PIP.jpg, Woodland
A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...
variant of MARPAT
File:TANKSaimingin2041102.jpg, Desert
A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...
variant of MARPAT
File:Scout sniper snow MARPAT.jpg, U.S. Marines wearing snow-patterned MARPAT overgarments at the Mountain Warfare Training Center
The Mountain Warfare Training Center (MWTC) is a United States Marine Corps installation located in Pickel Meadows on California State Route 108 at above sea level in the Toiyabe National Forest, northwest of Bridgeport, California. The train ...
Similar designs
MARPAT is aesthetically similar to Canadian Forces
}
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force.
...
CADPAT
Canadian Disruptive Pattern (CADPAT; french: links=no, dessin de camouflage canadien, DcamC) is the computer-generated digital camouflage pattern developed for use by the Canadian Armed Forces. Four operational variations of CADPAT have been use ...
, which was first developed in the 1990s.
The United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
used the same shapes in designing its Universal Camouflage Pattern
The Universal Camouflage Pattern (UCP) is a digital military camouflage pattern formerly used by the United States Army in their Army Combat Uniform. Technicians at Natick Soldier Systems Center attempted to devise a uniform pattern that wou ...
, which uses a much paler three-color scheme of sage green, grey and sand for use on the Army Combat Uniform
The Army Combat Uniform (ACU) is the current combat uniform worn by the United States Army, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Space Force. Within U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force, it is referred to as the OCP (Operational Camouflage Pattern) Uniform ...
. After major questions about its effectiveness arose, the Army adopted the "Scorpion W2" Operational Camouflage Pattern
Operational Camouflage Pattern (OCP), originally codenamed Scorpion W2, is a military camouflage pattern adopted in 2015 by the United States Army for use as the U.S. Army's main camouflage pattern on the Army Combat Uniform (ACU). This pattern ...
in 2015, which was fully phased in by 2019.
The United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
designed its own Airman Battle Uniform
The Airman Battle Uniform (ABU) is a U.S. camouflage combat uniform formerly worn by members of the United States Air Force, United States Space Force, and some civilian employees of the U.S. Department of the Air Force until April 2021. It repl ...
(ABU) using a standard tiger stripe pattern and slight variation on the color scheme of ACU. It was also phased out by the OCP uniform by 2021.
The United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
announced approval for a digital "BDU-style" work uniform in late 2008. The Navy Working Uniform
The Navy Working Uniform (NWU) is a series of military uniforms that are currently used by the United States Navy (and some elements of the U.S. Coast Guard) for wear by its members. The NWU is a "working" uniform, which means that it is made to ...
(NWU) was chosen by surveyed sailors for consistency and longer life, while the blue-grey-black Type I pattern was designed for aesthetic purposes rather than camouflage to disguise them at sea. In January 2010, the Navy began considering new Navy Working Uniform patterns modified from MARPAT, with a Type II desert pattern and Type III woodland pattern. The Woodland pattern was actually an earlier coloration of the MARPAT scheme, not adopted following USMC trials. These patterns are overall darker than their respective MARPAT equivalents, modified with different color shades. They were introduced because the blue and grey Type I pattern was not meant for a tactical environment (the Battle Dress Uniform in M81 woodland
The U.S. Woodland is a camouflage pattern that was used as the default camouflage pattern issued to the United States Armed Forces from 1981, with the issue of the Battle Dress Uniform, until its replacement in the mid to late 2000s. It is a four ...
and Desert Camouflage Uniform
The Desert Combat Uniform (DCU) is an arid-environment camouflage uniform that was used by the United States Armed Forces from the mid-1990s to the early 2010s. In terms of pattern and textile cut, it is identical to the U.S. military's Battle Dre ...
were still used for this purpose until the Type II and III patterns were introduced). Backlash from Marines, including an objection from former Commandant
Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...
Conway, led to restrictions when NAVADMIN 374/09 was released: Type II pattern is restricted to Naval Special Warfare personnel while deployed, while the NWU Type III is the standard shore working uniform for all Naval personnel effective 1 October 2019. The blue and grey Type I uniform was discontinued .
ARMPAT, an Armenian version of the MARPAT pattern, is currently used by the Armenian Armed Forces
The Armed Forces of Armenia ( hy, Հայաստանի զինված ուժեր, Hayastani zinvats uzher), sometimes referred to as the Armenian Army ( hy, Հայկական Բանակ, Haykakan Banak), is the national military of Armenia. It consist ...
, and the Artsakh Defense Army
The Artsakh Defence Army ( hy, Արցախի Հանրապետության պաշտպանության բանակ, Artsakhi Hanrapetut’yan pashtpanut’yan banak) is the defence force of the breakaway Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). Est ...
. It has the same design as the MARPAT, but with different color sets.
Users
*
* :
* : Used by RBDF soldiers.
*
* : Used by BOPE in woodland operations.
* : MARPAT clones (Temperate/woodland versions) used by Chadian troops.
* :
* : Woodland clones used by Cypriot special forces.
* : Was the standard issue camouflage of the Georgian military from 2007 to 2014 with temperate and desert versions used, used on US-made uniforms, when it was replaced by MultiCam. Still in limited use by Georgian Police and paramilitaries as of 2017.
* : Used by Garud Commando Force
The Garud Commando Force is the special forces unit of the Indian Air Force. It was formed in September 2004 and has a current strength of over 1500 personnel. The unit derives its name from ''Garuda'', a divine bird-like creature in Hindu cultur ...
and Para SF
Para (Special Forces), also known as Para SF, are a group of special forces battalions of the Parachute Regiment in the Indian Army. These units specialize in various roles including hostage rescue, counter-terrorism, unconventional warfare, ...
in jungle operations.
* : Temperate MARPAT clones used by IRGC Sepah forces.
* : Woodland MARPAT worn by Commando Regiment and desert MARPAT worn by Airborne Regiment.
* : Clones of MARPAT used by the 084th Special Task Battalion.
* : Used by some PDF
Portable Document Format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems. ...
units as of 2022.
* : Used by Special Task Unit "Tiger".
* : MARPAT clone used by Royal Saint Lucia Police Force units.
* : Clones of the desert MARPAT seen with Saudi troops. Used by Al-Afwaj Regiment, Ministry of Interior (Saudi Arabia)
The Ministry of Interior (MoI; Arabic: وزارة الداخلية) is one of the governmental bodies of Saudi Arabia responsible for national security, naturalization, immigration, and customs in Saudi Arabia. It was founded in 1926 by King Abdu ...
.
Non-state actors
* People's Protection Units
The People's Defense Units (YPG), (YPG) ; ar, وحدات حماية الشعب, Waḥdāt Ḥimāyat aš-Šaʽb) also called People's Protection Units, is a mainly-Kurdish militia in Syria and the primary component of the Syrian Democra ...
Gallery
MARPAT desert camouflage swatch, 24.55".jpg, A -wide fabric swatch of MARPAT desert pattern
File:1stMarineDivision ChangeofCommand May2007.JPG, Two generals wearing woodland MARPAT at a ceremony
File:IR NavPat vs Marpat.JPG, Near-infrared (low light night vision device) comparison of a Navy Working Uniform
The Navy Working Uniform (NWU) is a series of military uniforms that are currently used by the United States Navy (and some elements of the U.S. Coast Guard) for wear by its members. The NWU is a "working" uniform, which means that it is made to ...
blouse to MARPAT trousers
File:MARPAT comparison.PNG, MARPAT compared to NWU Type II and Type III prototypes
File:Air Marshal Fahad Al-Amir speaks to a group of US Marines.jpg, Air Marshal Fahad Al-Amir, the Chief of Staff of the Kuwaiti Armed Forces, speaks to Marines of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit
The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (26th MEU) is one of seven such units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. It is an air-ground task force with a strength of about 2,400 personnel when at full strength during a deployment. ...
wearing a camouflage similar to MARPAT
File:CARAT 2009 Singapore Guardsmen and U.S. Marines.jpg, Camouflage comparison between a Singaporean guardsman and a U.S. Marine.
References
Bibliography
*
Further reading
*
*
*
External links
Photos of USMC-issued MARPAT
{{Camouflage
2001 in military history
American military uniforms
Camouflage patterns
Military camouflage
Products introduced in 2001
United States Marine Corps equipment
Military equipment introduced in the 2000s