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But Cramer noted NATO testing has shown CADPAT to be still a highly effective camouflage, even though the pattern was developed almost 20 years ago.

Pat Finn, the Defence Department’s procurement chief, said it is still too early to determine how the military will proceed on the issue of uniforms. Various options are being examined, he added.

It is possible the military will purchase small quantities of new uniforms and test them sometime this fall, Finn said. “We’re looking at different patterns (and) configurations,” he added.

Half a billion dollars can be used in many other areas other than trying to improve on something that doesn’t need improvement

Canadian Army commander Lt.-Gen. Jean Marc Lanthier said the process is to examine whether the army has the right equipment for evolving environments. He noted that Vance asked him to look at various options but the chief did like MultiCam. “What he likes is the colour pattern, the mix of colours, the predominance of brown,” Lanthier explained.

According to the July 11 briefing note signed by Vance’s senior staff officer, Lt.-Col. Geoffrey Mundy, and special adviser Col. Jamie Speiser-Blanchet and obtained by the National Post, Vance told personnel in Nova Scotia that the arid pattern CADPAT he saw on soldiers arriving in Mali was so worn it will “likely have to be disposed of.”

Vance, the note said, wants to see the whole Canadian Forces adopt the special forces’ “MultiCam.”

But Cramer said just because uniforms are worn doesn’t mean a country has to switch to a new camouflage pattern. Instead, it creates new uniforms using the same effective patterns it has developed, he added.