Indian Army’s New Combat Uniform

January 17, 2022

The Indian Army is to provide new uniform to more than 12 lakh military personnel. Unlike the old uniform, the new uniform has a combat T – shirt underneath.

About the new uniform

The previous uniform has been in use since 2008. The new uniform has the same colour of the older one. That is, earthen shades and olive green colour. The pattern is digital. The new uniform is made of light, sturdy and more breathable fabric. The fabric was chosen considering the different terrains the army men have to cross and serve. The cotton to polyester ratio of the fabric is 70:30. This makes it more comfortable to wear in hot and humid conditions. As compared to the old uniform, the new uniform is 15% lighter and 23% stronger.

Components of style

The army men will not tuck in the new uniform as that of the older uniforms. The shirt to be worn over the T-shirt is called jacket. The jacket has top angular pockets. It also has lower pockets with vertical opening. There is one another pocket on the left sleeve. The knife pleats are located in the back. The jacket also has improved quality buttons and a pen holder on the left fore arm. The trousers of the uniform are double layered at the groin. They are adjustable at the waist with buttons and elasticity. The girth of the caps is adjustable. The army logo printed on the caps is of better quality as compared to the previous uniform.

Women uniforms

No separate uniform for the women officers. However, the uniform has been designed considering the requirements and comfort of the lady personnel. This is the first time such considerations are being made in designing and developing army uniform.

Who designed?

It was designed by a team of twelve designers from National Institute of Fashion Technology. It included seven professors and three students and also two alumni.

4Cs adopted in the design

While designing and developing the uniform, the designers adopted a 4C approach. The approach is Comfort, Climate, camouflage and confidentiality.

Uniform comes with QR code

The major drawback of the older uniform is that its material was common and easily available in the market. Therefore, the army men can easily buy from outside the market. This introduced security breaches. Any common man can easily forge like an army man. The new uniform carries a QR code and also a barcode. This maintains the uniqueness of the uniform.

Not all uniforms are changed

The other army uniforms such as ceremonial uniforms, peace area uniforms are not being changed.

Unveiled during Army Day

The new uniform was unveiled by the Chief of Indian Army General F R Roy bucher. It was unveiled during the army day celebrations. Every year, the Indian Army Day is celebrated on January 15. On January 15, 1949, General KM Cariappa took over as the first Indian Commander – in – chief of Indian Army. The Army Day is celebrated in the country to honour this event. Also, it is celebrated to honour the courageous army men like Cariappa serving the country.

Importance of Army Uniform

It is a unique identifying feature. It differentiates them from the civilians very easily. It brings togetherness, discipline and conformity among the personnels.

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