The Norwegian Armed Forces (Forsvaret) have just introduced a major innovation for their soldiers: a new uniform system.
The current field uniforms of the Norwegian Armed Forces are of the M98 type (below). They are made of ripstop fabric and feature a camouflage somewhat reminiscent of the Mk VIII Groundsheet camouflage scheme introduced by the British Army in the 1930s and used by British and Polish paratroopers in World War II.
This new system, called M23 or Nordic Combat Uniform (NCU), was developed in 2023 and consists of "a complete uniform system with all garments from the inside out. From wool underwear such as boxers, bras and T-shirts, wool leggings and wool terry cloth, to combat uniforms and two different sets of insulated jackets and pants, as well as rainwear and winter camouflage", says Forsvaret.
The Norwegian Armed Forces rate the new uniform system as follows: "Compared to the old uniform, it provides more protection, greater comfort and better functionality."
One of the most notable new features of this new uniform is a new camouflage pattern, very similar to the M98 currently in use. The old camouflage is made up of a combination of three colours (dark green, medium green and light khaki) with rounded shapes. The new camouflage is like a mottled variant of the M98, which further blurs the rounded shapes of the camouflage pattern used until now by the Forsvaret.
Following the example of other armies, NCU jackets and trousers are made of fireproof fabric. Most fastenings are made with Velcro. As a curious fact, the trousers can be fastened with suspenders or a belt.
As for the trousers, the main novelty is that they include integrated knee pads, similar to the garments used by many special operations groups. This avoids the problems of traditional knee pads that are held in place by elastic bands on the trousers and tend to slide down.
Another new feature is the addition of a new combat shirt, with the torso part made of soft knit fabric and the sleeves made of more resistant fabric. It is the same system used by special operations groups and which has been extended to other military units in various armies.
Given Norway's very cold climate, the new uniform also includes warm clothing for winter environments. Just this week, Forsvaret began distributing the new uniform to soldiers deployed in Finnmark, the northernmost territory of mainland Norway. These soldiers are the ones guarding Norway's border with Russia.
These winter garments include a snow-camouflage pattern, which is another novelty, since until now Norwegian soldiers wore completely white uniforms in this type of environment. The new pattern includes grey spots on the white background.
Additionally, the new M23 system includes a warm jacket and pants, which are water and wind resistant and feature the new NCU woodland scheme, and a snow jacket and pants, featuring the new white and grey camouflage scheme.
In addition to the camouflage uniforms, Forsvaret has also introduced new underwear made of merino wool, produced by a Norwegian company that manufactures it in Latvia and Estonia. This type of wool, which will be used to make both men's and women's underwear, is very warm and at the same time very soft. The uniform is completed by new T-shirts, made with a soft fleece inside.
Interestingly, Forsvaret has not announced any desert version of this uniform, which seems entirely geared towards cold weather. In 2003, during its deployment in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Norwegian Armed Forces introduced an arid camouflage, the M03, which combines the shapes of the M98 camouflage with khaki, brown and light green colours. It can be assumed that, when the time comes, Norwegian soldiers will continue to use this type of desert pattern, unless a different one based on the M23 is introduced.
Finally, it should be said that the name Nordic Combat Uniform is due to the fact that this uniform system will not be exclusively Norwegian. According to Camopedia, the system will be shared by Denmark, Finland and Sweden, probably using their own camouflage patterns.
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Photos: Forsvaret.no.
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