Editing Army Combat Uniform (section)

===Initial fielding===
The process of replacing the U.S. Army's [[Battle Dress Uniform|BDUs]] and DCUs with the ACU was set to begin in April 2005. However, the fielding process began two months earlier through the Rapid Fielding Initiative. Soldiers from the Georgia Army National Guard's [[48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (United States)|48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team]] were the first in the U.S. Army to receive the ACU, subsequently deploying with them into Iraq in May 2005.<ref name="ajc.com">{{cite news |url=http://www.ajc.com/news/content/custom/blogs/guard/entries/2005/07/17/some_ga_troops.html/ |title=Some Georgia Troops Blister Tattered Desert Uniforms |last=Hirschman |first=Dave |newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |date=17 July 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050720011601/http://www.ajc.com/news/content/custom/blogs/guard/entries/2005/07/17/some_ga_troops.html |archive-date=20 July 2005 |access-date=16 January 2016}}</ref> Early ACUs can be distinguished by OG-green name tapes, combat and skill badges, and shoulder sleeve insignia. Due to the increased use of [[Improvised explosive device|Improvised Explosive Devices]] (IEDs), a flame-resist version of the ACU was developed for soldiers deploying overseas, especially to Iraq.

{{multiple image
|width = 135
|image1=Acu ir closed.jpg
|image2=Acu ir open.jpg
|footer=The ACU's [[IR flag|infrared tab]], closed (left) and opened (right)}}