The M-1965 field jacket (also known as M65, M-65 field jacket, and Coat, Cold Weather, Man's Field), named for the year it was introduced, is a popular field

jacket A jacket is a garment for the upper body, usually extending below the hips. A jacket typically has sleeves and fastens in the front or slightly on the side. Jackets without sleeves are vests. A jacket is generally lighter, tighter-fitting, and ...

initially designed for the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

under the ''MIL-C-43455'' standard by Alpha Industries. It was introduced into U.S. military service in 1965 to replace the previous

M-1951 field jacket The M-1951 field jacket was a U.S. Army four pocket jacket made of 9-ounce wind resistant, water repellent treated cotton sateen cloth in OG-107, Olive Green Shade 107 (OG 107). It was redesignated as the M-1951 field coat in November 1956. Descr ...

, itself an improvement on the M-1943 field jacket introduced during World War II, although the M-51 continued to be issued for quite some time. The M65 field jacket was widely used by United States forces during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

in which the jacket became useful for troops serving in the Central Highlands of

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...

due to its wind and rain resistance, especially in the monsoon season and after. It was a standard issue to US troops in several other wars all around the globe as well, due to its long service life. Variations of the jacket are used in countries like Austria or South Korea. The jacket has also been produced for civilian use since at least the early 1970s, and has been available in many different colors and patterns, many of which were never used by the United States Army or any other armed service. The front portion of the jacket has two large hip pockets and two medium-sized breast pockets. The collar of the jacket features a zipper which houses a protective hood. The M-1965 field jacket can be combined with a button-in insulated lining for cold-weather wear, as well as a button-on fur trimmed winter hood. The jacket is fastened with a large aluminum (later brass, then nylon) zipper, with a storm flap fastened with snaps covering it. The jacket is constructed of a durable cotton or cotton-nylon or cotton-polyester blend sateen fabric, which was windproof due to its tight weave and water-resistant due to that and chemical treatment, originally in

OG-107 The OG-107 was the basic work and combat utility uniform (fatigues) of all branches of the United States Armed Forces from 1952 until its discontinuation in 1989. The designation came from the U.S. Army's coloring code " Olive Green 107", whic ...

. Like many other uniform items at the time and in the past, Marine Corps examples were stamped with "USMC". As late as 1989 versions were manufactured with a 50/50 Cotton/Nylon (Nyco) outershell, in OG-107, models of that year were used quarpel chemical treatment. Later, the jacket was issued in the brown-dominant

Woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with woody plants (trees and shrubs), 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 sunli ...

camouflage pattern beginning in 1981, coinciding with the introduction of the

Battle Dress Uniform The Battle Dress Uniform (BDU) is a camouflaged combat uniform that was used by the United States Armed Forces as their standard combat uniform from the early 1980s to the mid-2000s. Since then, it has been replaced or supplanted in every bra ...

(BDU). Later versions were made using the camouflage patterns of the Desert Battle Dress Uniform (DBDU), the

Desert Camouflage Uniform The Desert Camouflage Uniform (DCU) is an arid-environment camouflage uniform that was used by the United States Armed Forces from the early-1990s to the early 2010s. In terms of pattern and textile cut, it is identical to the U.S. military's B ...

(DCU), and the

Universal Camouflage Pattern The Universal Camouflage Pattern (UCP) is a digital camouflage pattern formerly used by the United States Army in their Army Combat Uniform. Laboratory and field tests from 2002 to 2004 showed a pattern named "All-Over Brush" to provide the ...

(UCP). The final variant - (Coat, Cold Weather, Field Universal Pattern) was made in the UCP pattern, and had the addition of

hook-and-loop fastener Hook-and-loop fasteners, commonly known as Velcro (a Generic trademark, genericized trademark), hook-and-pile fasteners or touch fasteners are versatile fastening devices that allow two surfaces to be repeatedly attached and detached with ease ...

s for name tape, rank insignia and unit patches, with the shoulder straps used in the previous versions removed and also had a redesigned collar. This version was also made with waterproof material and from the introduction of the UCP pattern until the late 2000s it was standard issue along with other clothing. Commercial versions have also been made in the

MultiCam MultiCam is a Military camouflage, camouflage pattern designed for use in a wide range of environments and conditions which was developed and is produced by American company Crye Precision. The pattern has found extensive adoption globally. Var ...

pattern. The M65 has since been replaced by the Gen II Extended Cold Weather Clothing System (ECWCS).

References

{{Reflist United States Army uniforms Jackets 1980s fashion Military equipment introduced in the 1960s

See also

References