When deployments to Afghanistan were being planned around 2001, Australia’s Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) had yet to adopt a dedicated desert camouflage uniform. The answer was the Disruptive Pattern Desert Uniform (DPDU), a desert adaptation of Australia’s established Disruptive Pattern Camouflage.

The first version, Mk I (Series 1), was a rushed trial pattern issued while the unit was staged in Kuwait. It featured sand and brown shapes on a tan base, but was judged too yellow for Afghanistan. The Mk II (Series 2), shown here, introduced a pinkish-grey base with mint green, grey, brown and light grey shapes. It arrived in Afghanistan in mid-2002 for the SASR’s second rotation, earning its association with the early Afghanistan campaign.

The uniform retained the cut of contemporary Australian field clothing. The shirt has long sleeves reinforced between the elbow and wrist, four expanding buttoned pockets, and breast pockets angled downwards from the shoulders. The matching trousers have reinforced knees, pleated thigh cargo pockets and ankle openings for adjustable elastic cords.

The DPDU was not limited to the SASR. It was also worn by Army and RAAF support elements in Afghanistan, and Australian War Memorial records preserve Mk II examples worn by Royal Australian Navy personnel in the Persian Gulf.

The Mk II’s service life was short. In 2003 a third version, the Mk III or “Iraq Desert Pattern”, was approved and later adopted for general issue, serving until 2010. That November, Australia announced that all personnel deploying to Afghanistan would receive US-produced Multicam, and from October 2014 the Australian Multicam Camouflage Uniform (AMCU) began replacing older uniforms.

Sources: Australian War Memorial, Camopedia

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