The Army spent years issuing a pattern that failed in the field it was built to cover.
Universal Camouflage Pattern was the digital print on the first Army Combat Uniform. The Army adopted it in 2004 and began issuing it in 2005 as a single pattern for woodland, desert, and urban terrain. The palette was foliage green, urban gray, and desert sand. Black was left out. The intent was one uniform for every environment after the Marine Corps fielded MARPAT.
Testing and combat use showed poor concealment. At distance the low-contrast colors often blended into a pale shape. MultiCam was issued as a wartime replacement for Afghanistan in 2010. Operational Camouflage Pattern replaced UCP as standard issue, with mandatory Army wear on 1 October 2019. UCP is retired and is widely remembered as a costly failure.