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British Royal Marine, from the elite Commachio Group (now Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines), fills out a casualty card following the 1999 Urban Warrior exercise. He wears the American Urban Camouflage Pattern, which apparently was worn only during Urban Warrior 99 (15–18 March 1999). [Image: Elite UK Forces Web site.]

Urban Camouflage Pattern
United States of America

In March 1999, the United States Marine Corps (USMC) staged the 'Urban Warrior' exercises, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Officially, these exercises represented a major effort, on the part of the U.S. military, to refine its strategy for an increasingly urbanised world. According to Col. Mark Thiffault, who was at the time Director of the Joint Information Bureau, Urban Warrior:

Our enemies, having watched Desert Storm on CNN, know they cannot engage the United States with conventional methods. These potential foes view cities as a way to limit the technological advantages of our military. They know that cities, with their narrow streets, confusing layout and large number of civilian non-combatants, place limits on our technological superiority and especially our use of firepower. We have to develop technologies that allow us to win while minimizing collateral damage.

However a United States Marine (name withheld by request), who participated in 'Urban Warrior', has indicated that the exercises were also intended to serve as a Public Relations event.

For the occassion, the USMC fielded an experimental camouflage pattern designed for use during Military Operations on Urbanised Terrain (MOUT). Also known as T-Pattern, Marines T-Pattern, USMC T-Pattern, T-Block, Marines Urban Trial and Tpat, the Urban Camouflage Pattern is a three-colour camouflage comprising large, regular medium grey and distinctive angled black elements on a grey background.

U.S. Soldiers, who participated in 'Urban Warrior", were issued a BDU jacket and pants, a boonie hat, a helmet cover, and a flak vest cover patterned in Urban Camouflage Pattern and instructed to wear it for the duration of the exercises — 15–18 March 1999. After that, it was never used again.

kamouflage.net is grateful to Gregory Elliot and Henrik Clausen, for their invaluable contributions to this article.

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