Pentagon Spent Extra $28M on Proprietary Uniforms for Afghan Army

The Pentagon spent an extra $28 million on special camouflage uniforms — designed for a forest, but to be worn in the desert — because an Afghan defense minister "liked what he saw," Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said in a report.

Further, SIGAR found the U.S. could save up to $71 million over the next 10 years if the Afghan National Army (ANA) reverted to wearing a "non-proprietary camouflage pattern" that's more appropriate for the country's dry climate.

"The current ANA uniform specification still requires the use of a proprietary camouflage pattern," SIGAR wrote in its 19-page report.

"Given the lack of evidence showing that the proprietary pattern is more effective in Afghanistan than lower cost nonproprietary patterns, we suggest that a DOD organization with appropriate expertise in military uniforms conduct a cost-benefit analysis of the current ANA uniform specification to determine whether there is a more effective alternative, considering both operational environment and cost, available," SIGAR wrote.

The special uniforms were made for the ANA because Afghanistan's defense minister at the time, General Abdul Rahim Wardak, saw uniforms on a website he thought looked good.

"The minister liked what he saw. He [the Minister] liked the woodland, urban, and temperate patterns," SIGAR said.

The Combined Security Transition Command–Afghanistan then "decided to adopt the camouflage pattern containing a 'forest' color scheme for ANA uniforms, despite the fact that forests cover only 2.1 percent of Afghanistan's total land area."

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