Photo by: MC2 Josue Escobosa /Navy
Ok, I’m as sick as most of you are about talking about the multiple service solutions for camoflauge (all terrible except Multicam in my opinion). Navy “Aquaflauge” is no different. Talk about a uniform that rivals the Dungaree bell bottoms for tastelessness. Why are the Devil Dogs one of the only services to get the uniform all kinds of right? I guess if you fall over the side of the ship, there are advantages in blending. And maybe not.
Anyway, now sailors can sport these bad boys off base. Read more below.
Brandon out.
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Navy News
WASHINGTON — The Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Jonathan Greenert announced expanded occasion for wear and updated policies for the Navy Working Uniform (NWU) Type I, II and III in NAVADMIN 366/11, released Dec. 2.
There has been a lot of interest throughout the fleet regarding expanding the locations that Sailors can wear the Navy’s working uniform. Several weeks ago the CNO asked Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mark Ferguson and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Rick West to take a look at the Navy Working Uniform policy.
“Following their review, I am proud to report that we are extending the wear policy of the working uniform to improve the practicality while ensuring professionalism and maintaining its value,” said Greenert. “I want my shipmates to look sharp, be uniform and have the quality they deserve.”
The NAVADMIN expands the authorized stops for which NWUs may be worn when commuting to and from home and work, and to allow wear of the NWU during selected events when authorized by regional commanders or commanding officers.
These policies will take effect Jan. 1 for all continental United States, Hawaii and Guam commands.
NWU wear is authorized for commuting and all normal tasks, such as stops at child care centers, gas stations, off-base shopping, banking, at the DMV, and dining before, during and after the workday. Since NWUs are not a liberty uniform, consumption of alcohol while off-base in the NWUs is not permitted. Area or regional commanders may further restrict this policy within their geographic limits.
Click Here to read the rest on Military.com
{ 73 comments… read them below or add one }
Ooh-Rah!
Marines are not known for being the “smartest” branch, but we aren’t completely out of our minds. :)
You don’t have to be smart if you get it right the first time – even if it was luck!
Just another step as the Navy progressively lowers their standards. Worst MCPON ever!
Agreed, this MCPON is a tool.
The question of course is do they really want to? If I was dressed as a pixellated smurf I would make a brown paper bag my unofficial cover the brass be damned.
It is a pattern design not to hide them but instead to hide grease stains WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT!! Personally if I was in the navy and assigned to a ship I would want my uniform to be hunter orange with an attached whistle and a salt water activated flashing strobe. Last thing I would want is to blend into the water when i fall in. Besides your on a freaking boat in the middle of the ocean, is cammo that important where you need to drop a bunch of money on it? Dear Navy… Slap yourself.
I think the type 1 NWUs were a step in the right direction. Most of the people I know like the fact that they can at least now wear a military uniform. It helps a lot to be able to make quick stops in more places and for special events, but roaming around is not a good thing. I am for getting back to common military uniforms for all, Navy included. For the Marines, I still cannot get over the green t-shirts under their desert uniforms.
You’ve got to have that “Marine Green” somewhere. Besides, it’s not visible in combat. It’s either covered by the flack or not worn with frog jacket.
Lolz! The frog jacket?????
Flame Resistant Organizational Gear
Sailors wear dungarees WITH the white hat on ship/squadron. Period. These new uniforms are stupid. Too many kids want to look the part of the video games. They want to look like fighters and such. We wore our either working whites/blues or dress whites/blues out in town if needed. I agree this MCPON caters to the kids. If you want to wear fatigues in the Navy then put in for BUD/S, SWCC or EOD.
NAVY divers also wear camo.
The Seabees wear camouflage. Of course, Big Navy won’t let them wear the NWU type II for whatever reason, they must still wear DCUs in the desert.
The Civil Engineer Corps used to wear camouflage, now they have to also wear this stupid uniform.
What is even worse is that the NWU type I is worn on Navy Bases in the deserts of California or on tropical islands, like Guam. Geez, just let us wear freakin’ camouflage like the Type III.
Not everyone in the Navy is on a ship; some of us never touch one. Why should we wear this stupid uniform?
“I guess if you fall over the side of the ship there’s advantages in blending, and maybe not.”
That’s funny, I guess Now you have a good excuse for not saving that jerk that ‘accidentally stumbled’ over the side.
Anyone else reminded of the blue camo Van **** wore in “Street Fighter” movie? No? Did I just out myself as a geek?
Everyone plays or played video games nowadays, you’re not alone :)……
I saw a few of these uniforms walking around San Diego a few months ago. They looked like something from a sci-fi movie. Space Marines perhaps.
Wait a minute. Does the Navy still wear black boots? Shining boots is the biggest waste of time the military has ever come up with. Instead of trying to make new policy for the actual uniform, they need to change the standard issue boots to tan suede. Come on people! Shining boots? Really?
If the whole purpose of the NWU1 is to hide grease and dirt stains then a tan suede boot would be the last thing you’d want. A black suede might be better although I’m not sure how well the suede would do around all of the grease and other stuff found on Navy ships, it might be too absorbent although that might be solvable by a special treatment or lining.
I never understood how some guys got their boots so freakin’ dirty. You’re right that some jobs would require a certain type of boot depending on level of safety and how dirty they might get. But, its easy to have a pair of boots for work, and a pair of boots for garrison. I’m not claiming to have some ingenious way of solving the issue I brought up. I just think that shining boots is a waste of everyone’s time. Black boots, tan boots, they need to figure it out.
Why not Black boot looks alot better than tan boots look.
Actually, you can choose to wear black suede or polished black boots if you’re not working on a flight line or have some other need for safety toes.
Black suede is a no go because it absorbs oil and such, its a fire hazard. And tan boots would look retarded with the blue costume…never go full retard.
Well looks comfy on ship where camo isn’t needed so not a bother.
Said it before, here it is again.
EIGHT uniforms is ridiculous (UCP, OCP, Marpat Desert, Marpat temperate, AOR 1, AOR2, NWU, ABUs). THAT is a huge waste! We need two patterns for EVERYONE in the service. A nametape (or an EGA on the left chest pocket) worked to differentiate services for 60 years (we were doing it in WWII).
BTW Brandon I agree that the Marines got camo right but they got “team player” wrong. The Marines adopted the Army’s OG107s, ERDLs and BDUs (even more examples if you go back to WWII & Korea) and then said “NO” when it had an opportunity to return the favor with MARPAT. That directly resulted in UCP, AOR1 & 2 and probably to the three “new patterns” the Army is looking at. Great move and all the time avoiding blame for causing the problem!
“… the Marines got camo right but they got ‘team player’ wrong.”
Bingo. Best summary of the last then years of camo nonsense I’ve read yet.
Yeah, it’s the Marines fault that the Army couldn’t figure it out and the Air Force and Navy went “Me too!”. Just like spoons made Rosie O’Donnel fat.
The Marines have always done more with a teeny tiny budget while the other branches waste their budgets on stupid stuff like blue camoflauge. If The other branches are such team players, why don’t they cough up some of their budgets and make things a lil more fair. I did three deployments as a Recon Marine and had to make my own claymore mines because the budget didn’t allow us to have any. As a Recon Marine, only one in three could actually go to schools like jump school. The rest of us were trained by them when they got back. I walked point on my first patrol with an M79 because we didn’t have the funding to have M203′s. I can remember being in a mechanized unit and having to train on foot because there wasn’t enough budget for gas! General Krulak had to fight with the budget committee just to get money to get us new designed boots in ’98. All he asked for was boots and they said no. What a joke. And now that the Marines did something like figure out cammies, the other branches with all of their budgets and resources want a handout? I think not.
Yes, keep that “team player” thing going despite the fact the Corps used Army uniforms for decades… I think that earns a “Prima Donna” battle streamer.
Tom – FUNNY! Lack of exercise made Rosie fat. Kind of like 7 month combat tours vs 12 months. Heck, who’s counting?
Recon – See Tom reference spoons. The Marines decided where to spend their money. F18′s are expensive!
As a former Marine I feel your pain although I served as a Reservist towards the end of the Clinton years and got to see the beginning of new stuff trickling in I do agree that, traditionally, the Corps has always been underfunded and had make do with less. However, I really do blame the Corps for this whole mess of everybody having their own camo pattern these days. If we hadn’t let our egos get in the way and not copyrighted MARPAT it’s quite likely that MARPAT, in desert & woodland, would have been the standard pattern for all branches with perhaps each branch having their own particular cut of uniform; MCCU’s for the Corps, ACU’s for the Army, etc.
Thanks for seeing the bigger issue Riceball. That’s commendable. I find it a fascinating irony on how marines practice combined ops but that same culture is so destructive to a joint or combined success.
We would have saved TONs of cash (gov’t and personal) and kit would be so easy to use across branches. On the downside, I like MARPAT but I wouldn’t have liked wearing it. Marines love to toot their own horn. We would be hearing how the Corps invented everyone’s uniform for the next 20 years (totally forgetting they’ve been wearing army invented uniforms for 60 yrs).
We had to walk both ways to the Chief’s Mess in the snow and it was up-hill both ways. Quit ******** get over the PC crap and just do your job – and that goes for all services.
You’ve got to hand it to the USN for taking the futility of camo to the next level, even surpassing the Air Force.
Are you saying that the AF Maui-Cam isn’t effective? there are palm trees that would disagree. Where’s my mojito!?
Martin M- No kidding right?!
Yes, I’m an AF vet who wore woodland camo, while working on nukes under the snow covered plains of North Dakota. AF and Navy camo makes me laugh.
This new Navy uniform looks even worse up close. I gives me a headache…
Bottom line: if you’re on a ship, you’re not camouflaged, you’re a target. You can wear the latest Lady Ga-Ga outfit and it won’t matter. Yer on a pile of steel in the ocean ffs!
Now, if you’re going to leave that pile of steel and go do bad stuff to bad people, then adopt the appropriate camo, and… kids… this ain’t it. You couldn’t hide in a dark corner from a pack of blind squirrels wearing this nonsense.
For Navy shipboard use, I think the reimagined Battlestar Galactica got it right more than anyone else: Orange coveralls with reflective strips sewn in. For shipboard use, that makes sense –for damage control, firefighting, etc. And just acknowldge that some of your people work for a living, and can’t always be perfectly clean.
If not, just go with the coveralls. Those were/are the best uniform for ship board use. They would be equally good for other shore-based work as well.
Except you look dirty. Gods forbid a sailor working on a ship underway should get dirty. Oh, no, you might get a fleck of paint on you from painting the P-way. Gods forbid.
Yeah, I got in trouble all the time because I worked for a living –cleaning Motor Generators isn’t exactly like manning sweepers on a surface ship (target).
Some rates can get by with clean uniforms… others… not so much.
Here is the thing, if a ship ever gets in enemy action close to shore, and God forbid, the sailors have to bail out, then they should be wearing a real camo uniform. Otherwise, just let them wear coveralls. The freakin’ Coast Guard wears their coveralls on shore all the time, what is the big deal?
To add more to this idiocy, they make some of us onshore that never touch a ship, but are still in the Navy, wear the daggone thing. This uniform, I kid you not, was forced upon Navy personnel at China Lake in the California desert. It has even been spotted in Afghanistan.
Navy is ridiculous. Why can’t we just be normal, like the Coast Guard? It’s not just the NWU, it’s a lot of stupid b.s.
EM2-
I think The Lords of Kobal would agree…..-BW
The new NWU’s the Navy is allowing its members to wear is completely ridiculous. There was nothing wrong with the way the uniforms were. Hence if it is’nt broken lets just screw everything up because we can! MCPON, please fix this politically correct uniform malfunction!
I’ve seen em wearing these off base since they came into service. Down at NAS Pensacola especially.
I always thought that the bell bottoms were ugly & rediculas. But the Navy has out done itself this time. I’m a Marine, an I thought all green jungle combat uniform counter productive. But this one the Navy has come up with is a first. I don’t ever want to hear any Navy personal ever commenting any Marine Corps uniforms again! It’s going to take a hundred years for them to live this down.
Why are Marines so sensitive?
Back up in the rigging with you, Marine! The ship doesn’t need you pot-shoting on the main deck… ;-) I do have to agree that there has been way too to do about the various uniforms worn by Sailors. Officers and enlisted men had been pretty satisfied for two-hundred years with what they had then along came Admiral Zumwalt and the “Z-Grams” and “it ain’t been right since.”
Why can’t we have stayed with Dark Navy Shirt and Pants if we want to get away from Bell Buttoms? The Navy had so many changes to uniforms….the Navy has new Working Dress Uniforms and the officers now have Khaki Dress uniforms? What happened to traditions? I agree with majrod…. “EIGHT uniforms is ridiculous “!! What a waste of money.
While NWU Type 1 is not the pattern I would have chosen, the uniform as fielded is utile, versatile, safe and comfortable. All my Sailors have a parka, fleece, boots, watchcap, etc that they need to launch/work on jets, depart and execute their daily business in town if needed. Prior to NWU, Sailors would come to work in civvies, wear coveralls to do work and have to change if they were leaving the flight line. Seafarers sucked to work in. We haven’t issued dungs in over a decade. The dark NWU pattern suits the nature of an industrial type environment (ships, aircraft) far better than any of the 38 other DoD sanctioned patterns. Next in line would likely be MARPAT Woodland or the USCG ODU.
I think a dark blue uniform would have been sharp. Everyone I know that is active duty feels goofy wearing the Aquaflauge. I’m with you on the practicality aspect but, why would you have a goofy camo pattern? People want to feel good and proud in a uniform. Not so here I think.
Concur. When asked in my survey, I advocated two basic sacalable uniforms – a ceremonial/office uniform and a utility uniform. I recommended Service Dress Blue in a year-round weight with short and long sleeve shirt dress down options, and a navy blue MCCU cut utilities with the appropriate foul weather gear. All else would be organizational clothing issued by the command to fit the tactical environment, as needed.
Task Force Uniform had a different plan.
Sounds like what the Brits do
The the uniform was based on a military cut navy blue, but the uniform program’s main concern was to take away as many unnecessary uniforms and to ease cost to sailors. The NWU I uniforms were given the camo not as a way for concealment, but as a cost cutting tool for the sailors. Wet paint is always EVERYWHERE on a ship, especially the smaller ones. Replacing dark blue uniforms because of small gray paint smudges costs a lot of money. You cannot even wear a “working uniform set” around the ship unless you are actively painting or doing other dirty work. The govt already owns or has permission to use the digital pattern, so they used it. A gray uniform would get dirty too fast on a ship, so I think that is the reason where we are at today. The Coast Guard has had a stream lined setup for a long time. Simple navy blue uniforms and all uniforms are all the same for officer and enlisted, just different insignias. All of the recent uniform changes have been a great benefit for sailors no matter the look. The best thing I am proud of is having a military cut uniform. The Chiefs and Officers may not like it much (not being so distinguishable), but all of the new boots and pipeline students like them and are proud of them. I do not have an answer for what looks the best, but looking at it in terms of the work environment, they make more sense. EM2 has a good idea about the reflective bands being sewn on the arms and the orange. The Australians have had that feature in the past. I just do not think that that would fly as a daily uniform off ship. Personally, I still would like all of the military in the same uniform with different branch IDs and maybe unit IDs. Got a few questions in general: 1. Why not just use MARPAT and DESERT PAT, and throw in multicam colored PAT for arid and all use dark earth PII? 2. Does all of the camo even really matter? Would just solid colors work fine? 3. Are all of these smaller digital patterns really effective at longer ranges? It seems that they would just blend into a large predominate color. If the enemy is that close to actually see it, is it not too late? The Woodland and DCUs used larger patterns that were said to be better at the longer detection ranges. So what is the best?
Looks like cammo I thought was awesome back when I was playing with my G.I.Joe toys….
What doesn’t make sense to me is why the Navy is reserving one of their NWU’s or AOR patterns exclusively for use by Naval Special Warfare personnel only? Iirc, it’s the desert pattern that’s NSW exclusive with anybody else getting deployed off ship to a desert environment getting issued DCU’s. Is this new desert uniform so expensive to make that they only afford to issue them to SEALs and the like and then only while on deployment, no wearing stateside/in garrison. Seems unnecessarily complicated to me but what do I know.
Brandon – Did you invent the term Aquaflauge? It’s catchy!
I wish I could take credit for it but I can’t! I heard it from an active duty Navy officer friend of mine (yes, there’s a few good ones!)
Riceball – Did I miss something? Is there somethine ELSE besides AOR1 & 2?
Brandon – The Aquaflauge comment was supposed to be a stand alone post. Not a response to Riceball. My bad. Would have been coolo to see what others thought of the term. Might catch on?
No, I don’t think that there’s anything else besides AOR 1 & 2 but I remember reading that the desert version is restricted to Navy Special Warfare personnel only and was to be worn on deployment. This means that if, as a sailor, get deployed on shore in a desert environment, it doesn’t matter how far outside of the wire you job may take you if you’re not NSW then your stuck wearing DCUs unless embedded with another branch. Then, even if you’re part of NSW there’s no wearing it unless you’re deployed or in garrison which, I presume, to mean that you can’t unless you’re on an actual op and can’t wear it to train if you’re in the US.
Various sailors at the Navy command at my location wear these things and they look absolutely silly. The working denim and khaki’s were fine (and you could see the insignia clearly). Now they khaki’s are replaced with black trousers and khaki shirts or something.. The USCG -Yes Coast Guardies at my site wear some pretty cool and decent looking blue BDU style utilities – Color looks good and actually makes sense. Although I suspect teh Coasties will be in their own camo soon too. I was always taught the bell bottoms were part tradition and part practicality (easily removed with shoes on in water).. I’d rather wear the bell bottom jeans and work shirt.
Again, not happy with the NWU. As someone mentioned above, why didn’t we go with a dark Navy BDU? The Camo is what makes it silly. What happened to Navy Traditons? I was proud wearing Cracker Jacks and Bell Bottoms as I know my fore fathers wore the same thing. Ovet the last 10 years, I think our military procurement system has gone out of control.
Agreed.
Finally, a camo pattern that bumps the USAF ABU up a notch to second to worst pattern!
Except that the Navy “aquaflage” and NWU isn’t meant to be an actual field uniform where as the AF’s digital tiger and ABU’s are.
What is really in play here, with Navy and AF camo, is it’s all about marketing. The idea that somehow if you aren’t in camo, you aren’t a warfighter. Camo and kit are hip and trendy, and nobody want’s to be un-hip or un-trendy. With the ground wars of the past decade, I think both the USN and AF are struggling to attract recruits. The USAF in particular (I’m former AF) continues to wrangle with it’s own identity. As anyone worth their salt knows, function should be first and foremost when it comes to clothing and uniforms, but sadly there are elements in the DoD who treat this more like a fashion, PR, and marketing tool. Come to think of it, tool is the perfect word.
Martin-
I agree with you in part however, this I not fashion. Good uniforms and PR sells, the USMC does this best. This is a classic case of too many cooks in the kitchen bureaucracy. Ultimately it ends up with too many uniforms that are neither practical or attractive to wear. And more importantly a HUGE waste of tax payer money. We need less not more.
I think the Marine Corps should have the widest array of uniform because bar none, they are the standard bearers in both care and wear.
Look around at the BDU/ODU/ABU and some have so much stuff jammed in the side pockets, to where it’s almost a purse!
Whether it be the 8 point or baseball cover, many wear it off the back of their heads as if they’re selling hot dogs at the local game.
They do it the best and should remain the standard bearers in appearance.
I really like all of the discussion on the Navy uniforms, but what I see missing is that the original working uniform was chosen for function, not fashion. If the work has not changed, so why has the uniform changed? I can see a cammo uniform designed for the theater of ops, when assigned off of the ship, but not for regular shipboard use and not for wearing out and about except to and from said duties. The blue shirt and jeans do not “stand out” when over board, but do show dirt when not cleaned properly, and were are easily cleaned, and are rugged enough for the heavy abuse of the shipboard laundry. Steel toed leather boots are very safety minded and can easily be shined to show pride and professionalism in one’s appearance. The Marine Corps uniform are respected because the men are respected. The Corps honors tradition and this includes their uniform. I think the Navy should go back to the WWII style proven uniform, and stick with it. Respect will come when the Navy respects its self. Ohh, and while I’m on here, the brown kaikii uniforms were choosen to seperate the the enlisted work force, you have supervisors and workers. The brown uniform makes it easy to spot the supervisor, a Chief Petty Officer. The rank of Chief is a very special rank, mostly because Congress designated exactly how many their were, ie… a Congressional Appointment of sorts. It was a sad day in my book when they dishonored the Chiefs uniform.
Senior,
Khakis first showed up in the Navy as an Aviation specific working uniform in 1912. During the 1914 Vera Cruz operation, members of the landing party dyed their whites khaki with coffee or rust, as a form of camouflage. Khakis remained an Aviator uniform until the ’30s, when Submariners picked it up. Chiefs didn’t get it until ’41, so the tradition of chiefs and khakis is only slightly older than the US Air Force – so it couldn’t possibly be considered a tradition!
Ah geez…..the Navy in cammies. I totally agree with a few others here who say that all the other services cried..’me too, I want one!” Makes no sense at all putting sailors, airmen into cammies when their jobs do not necessitate wearing such a uniform. I’ve fought this uphill battle in a hurricane for over 15 years…..the let’s get a common sense uniform battle. The Iraq War brought all of this on full steam. Desert Storm was the spark. The Marine Corps has had their act together on uniforms since WW2, probably before then, how come the other three services haven’t figured their’s out yet??!! Army had their right during WW2, then ‘progressivism’ happened. Who knows, someday…maybe, they all might finally get it right.
BpSitRep – The Iraq war had nothing to do with this mess.
MARPAT is a HUGE success! You do know the USMC has been using mostly Army uniforms for 60 of the last 70 years? Might note that the first and only time a service copyrighted its uniforms and specifically prohibited other serrvices from wearing it (though they’ve been using other services uniforms for decades) everything went to crap? Obviously each branch has made its own mistakes but the Marines aren’t spotless in this whole fiasco.
I like the distinction of services and the Navy pattern is kind of cool. Being a former Marine that went through the uniform change, you are right, they are the best.
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