Looking beyond desert patterns: military considers urban camouflageVancouver Sun: Future Canadian soldiers could be wearing new uniforms designed to provide camouflage on the streets of our largest cities. The Defence Department will know by March what designs are to be based on the 'unique requirements' of the urban settings of Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto, according to an outline of the project co-ordinated by scientists at Defence Research and Development Canada in Suffield, Alta. Ottawa was left off the list because it doesn't rate as a major metropolitan centre.
'We're not trying to slight any city in the country,' explained Scott Duncan, head of the soldier and systems protection group at DRDC Suffield. 'We chose the three largest urban centres to have baseline data in this early development project.' He said information gathered on what patterns might work best in those three cities could also have applications for other urban areas in the country.
Duncan said the $25,000 study to come up with camouflage patterns does not necessarily mean a new uniform will be produced for the Canadian Forces anytime soon. Once the patterns are determined, the results will be presented to the Canadian military and it will be up to the leadership on how to proceed...
'If you were to refer back to the Canada First Defence Strategy, one of the principal mandates that has been given to our military is that they must provide protection to the citizens of Canada and help exercise Canadian sovereignty,' Duncan explained. 'Given our large urban population, should any operations be required, there's a good probability that some of them will be taking place in urban environments.'
