"[...] deployed troops were given desert camouflage. While this concealed the soldier, their additional equipment made them more noticeable as it was darker tha

"[...] deployed troops were given desert camouflage. While this concealed the soldier, their additional equipment made them more noticeable as it was darker than the camouflage." My reading is that they found camouflage clothing isn't sufficient, and they wanted a pattern that could be applied to all equipment, which is where the cost of multiple patterns would go up.