Stock not exhausted, Army extends deadline on use of old combat uniform by a year

To prevent misuse, the new uniform is only issued to the troops through ordnance chain as against the previous combat uniform which is available in the open market.

According to sources in the Army, the existing stock of the old disruptive pattern combat uniform was supposed to be exhausted by June 2025. However, the latest assessment conducted by the Army suggests it would not be possible to exhaust the entire stock by June 2025 as the life of a combat uniform is 15 months.

The sources said it was found that several Army units stopped seeking the old disruptive pattern combat uniform thinking that the new digital print uniform will be made available to them post June 2025.

To avoid wastage of the existing stock of old combat uniform and to check any loss to state and objection by auditors in the later years, the Army has issued new guidelines which state that the existing stock of the old combat uniform will be in service till June 2026, as against the earlier deadline of June 2025.

Under the new guidelines, all units will have to put in their demands to get the old disruptive print combat uniform from their respective ordnance echelons or the various ordnance units and supply chains for the troops and receive them when ready.

Sources said Army formations have also been told not to put pressure on troops to wear the new combat uniform, while ordnance echelons will have to keep issuing the old combat uniform to troops even if they receive the new combat uniform through central procurement.

The old combat disruptive print uniform will have to be issued to Defence Security Corps (DSC) troops as they are not authorised to get the new digital print combat uniform. Additionally, the Army has stated that no regional procurement of new digital print combat uniform will be carried out by ordnance echelons till the existing stock of old combat uniform is exhausted.

Any other stock of combat uniform in the old pattern would be first offered to other government departments such as Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and charitable trusts, the rest will be disposed of through official channels.

What’s unique in the new uniform?

Since the old pattern of combat uniform was readily available in the market, one of the challenges was to create a unique and multi-terrain pattern. The new digital print combat uniform, designed and developed by NIFT and introduced in January 2022, is said to be lightweight, robust and quick drying and thus more comfortable for the troops during operations. It is available in 13 different sizes and the fabric is a combination of cotton and polyester in a ratio of 70:30.