Army to spend up to €40m on new uniforms which will offer greater concealment and comfort

A €40 million project to replace the Irish Army’s uniforms will offer greater camouflage and comfort for personnel, particularly women soldiers.

The current uniform, which was introduced in 2000, is to be replaced with an entirely new system, comprising everything from underwear to rain coats. The most visible part will be a newly-designed camouflage pattern designed by the Irish Army, called the Irish Transitional Multicam Pattern (ITMP) and based on modern camouflage used by the US military.

Lieut Col Brendan Weld, who leads the project, told The Irish Times that, in his experience, the feedback on the current uniform “has always been negative” due to its poor materials and unsuitable camouflage pattern.

The current green-dominated camouflage pattern is well suited to northern European wooded landscapes, but offers little concealment in the areas, such as the Middle East and Africa, where Irish troops typically serve overseas.

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The ideal solution would be to have a different uniform for each theatre of operations but “there is only one organisation in the world with that capabilities, the US military”, said Lieut Col Weld.

“What we wanted is something that can operation pretty well across all terrain.”

The new pattern is specially designed to provide some level of concealment in the environments in which the Army might serve while not being “exceptional” in any of them, he said.

In development since 2021, the new uniform will look similar to those used by the US, UK and other European militaries. However, hidden in the pattern is a distinguishing detail, the letters FF which stands for Fianna Fáil (a reference to the military organisation of Irish legend rather than the political party).

Unlike the current uniform, the new system will be gender specific, a reflection of the Defence Forces’s goal to significantly increase the number of women serving from the current figure of 7 per cent.

“Suppliers prefer not to go down that route because its more work for them. But it’s something we’re definitely insisting on,” Lieut Col Weld said.

The new uniforms will also be specifically made to fit Irish soldiers. Manufacturers will measure the body sizes of a selection of personnel and size the clothing accordingly.

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It will have three or four layers which can be mixed and matched to suit various climates, he said.

The contract of the uniforms’ manufacture is currently out to tender and is open to businesses across the EU. It will last 10 years and cost between €30 and €40 million.

The Army Reserve will also receive the new uniform while the Naval Service will be included around year six, Lieut Col Weld said.

He said soldiers are excited for the new uniform and it will help boost morale. However, he conceded, there will inevitably be some nostalgia for the old design.

It will not be scrapped entirely, however. The old uniforms will likely to be used during war games by the teams playing the enemy forces, the colonel said.