JDF Unveils New Uniform
By: , January 15, 2015The Key Point:
The Facts
- The Chief of Defence Staff noted that the old material was becoming more difficult to acquire as most militaries have phased out its use.
- The new uniform, which will have both land and naval variations, is up to 50 per cent more effective at camouflaging troops than the outgoing DPM, as it blends more easily into both the urban and jungle-type terrain and coastal conditions in which the JDF operates.
The Full Story
The Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) on Wednesday, January 14, unveiled a new Digital Combat Uniform (DCU) to replace the Disrupted Pattern Material (DPM) camouflage that soldiers have worn since 1992.
In an interview with JIS News, Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Antony Anderson, said that this is the third change in uniform for the JDF.
He said the new uniform has security features, which will ensure that it does not end up in the hands of criminals.
“In built in this (new uniform) are certain security features as more and more, we are finding that the old uniform we are about to change, can be bought at any surplus store around the world. This new uniform, you cannot get, it is proprietary to the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF),” Major General Anderson said.
The Chief of Defence Staff noted that the old material was becoming more difficult to acquire as most militaries have phased out its use.
As it relates to the cost, Major General Anderson explained that “the cost of the new ones is really our normal replacement cost, so there is not really an additional cost to get these uniforms when compared with the cost of the old ones.”
The new uniform, which will have both land and naval variations, is up to 50 per cent more effective at camouflaging troops than the outgoing DPM, as it blends more easily into both the urban and jungle-type terrain and coastal conditions in which the JDF operates.
The new digital camouflage pattern is comprised of a number of small rectangular pixels of colour instead of the old macro-pattern (big blobs) of the DPM. This makes for better camouflaging properties as it more closely mimics the dappled textures and rough boundaries found in natural settings.
It displays the national flag, which is usually used when persons are deployed overseas.
“We think it (flag) really needed to be a part of our everyday uniform as we are Jamaica’s defence force, not a separate entity,” the Chief of Defence Staff said.
The new digital uniforms will become standard issue on January 15, 2015.