Battle Dress Uniform
The Battle Dress Uniform (BDU) is a camouflaged combat uniform that was used by the United States Armed Forces as their standard combat uniform from the early 1980s to the mid-2000s. Since then, it has been replaced or supplanted in every branch of the U.S. Armed Forces.
| Battle Dress Uniform | |
|---|---|
U.S. Marine Corps BDU blouse in woodland pattern, wearer's nametape removed. The ironed-on "EGA" on the breast pocket is barely visible due to wear. | |
| Type | Combat uniform |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1981–2008 (U.S. Army) 1981–2005 (U.S. Marine Corps) 1981–2011 (U.S. Air Force) 1981–2012 (U.S. Navy) |
| Wars | Cold War Yugoslav Wars Global War on Terrorism |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1980 |
| Manufacturer | Propper |
| Unit cost | $50 (MSRP in February 2001) |
| Produced | 1981–2012 |
| Variants | Desert Camouflage Uniform, Desert Battle Dress Uniform |
BDU-style uniforms and derivatives still see widespread use in other countries (some of them being former U.S. surplus stocks transferred under U.S. security assistance programs), while others are still worn by some U.S. federal, state, and local law enforcement agents who may work in tactical situations, such as the DEA FAST and SWAT teams. The uniforms are also used by urban search and rescue groups such as FEMA USAR task force teams and firefighting agencies when conducting technical rescues or other special operations.
As late as 2014, BDUs were worn by officers of the U.S. Public Health Service as the prescribed uniform for deployment, but have since been replaced by a variant of the U.S. Coast Guard's Operational Dress Uniform.