Environmental Clothing Systems

War is about being cold, tired, and hungry but the military has striven to mitigate these factors as much as possible to allow the American Warrior to concentrate first and foremost on the fight.  One solution has been the development and fielding of specialized clothing items but military cold weather clothing systems really aren’t anything new.  Formal systems have been with us since before World War II but saw little refinement in the Post-War demobilization.  Unfortunately, the Korean War saw American troops unprepared for the harsh environment in that first winter of 1951 and since then the Army has worked to provide modernized clothing and equipment.

All cold weather clothing, including the latest modern clothing systems with slight modifications, has adhered to the tried and true principles of the key word “C-O-L-D”.

C is for “cleanliness and care — feet, socks and clothing are warmer when clean.”
O is for overheating — don’t overdress — you’ll perspire and become cold.
L is for “layers and looseness — loose layers allows air spaces to hold body heat,” Also adjust for comfort in order improve circulation and insulation.
D is for dampness — wet garments are cold — repel water, and if you get wet, change to dry clothing.
-Extracted from GTA 8-6-12

In the current fight in Afghanistan the US military has fielded Special Operations Command’s Protective Combat Uniform (PCU) as well as the US Army’s Generation III Extended Cold Weather Clothing System (ECWCS) and Fire Retardant Environmental Ensemble (FREE).  While there are a few other systems out there this article concentrates on these three as they represent the vast majority of systems fielded.

The Extended Cold Weather Clothing System is considered the first of the modern environmental clothing systems and developmental systems date from the early 1980s.  This layered system was the first to rely on modern synthetics such as GORE-TEX and Polypropylene.  Up to that point virtually everything had been manufactured from natural fibers and in most cases, previously issued designs dated back to before World War I.  A design feature that first appeared with ECWCS was that the Battle Dress Uniform was not a component of system as it was manufactured from a cotton-based fabric which in cold weather could retain moisture and result in injury or death.  This same design philosophy has followed to PCU and GEN III although PCU is undergoing an upgrade with the addition of a performance combat uniform.

The most ambitious of the currently fielded systems is without a doubt USSOCOM’s PCU. It is the clothing system that changed everything.  Naval Special Warfare personnel had been testing commercial outdoor clothing in various combinations at Det-Kodiak in Alaska as part of the Personal Environmental Protective Survival Equipment (PEPSE) program to see if they would provide an edge in performance, weight, and space.  When SOCOM called upon Natick to develop a lightweight cold weather clothing system after 9/11, they asked for input from one of America’s premier mountaineering experts, Mark Twight.  He helped them develop a seven level clothing system that would protect our Special Operators in extreme environments.  The new “Twight System” adapted from the European climbing community and codified in Twight’s seminal work, “Extreme Alpinism” differed from the layer system previously relied upon by the US military.  In this new scheme, different levels were worn alone or combined for use in a wider range of climatic conditions offering a great deal more flexibility, enhanced performance, and comfort range to the wearer.