The ACU was introduced in 2004 as a replacement for the old Battle Dress Uniform and Desert Camouflage Uniform. Its primary purpose was to provide soldiers with a more versatile and adaptive uniform for various combat environments.

The Army Combat Uniform (ACU) defines the uniform, not a particular camouflage pattern. While the Army has transitioned from the Universal Camouflage Pattern (UCP) to Operation Enduring Freedom-Camouflage Pattern (OEF-CP) to the Operational Camouflage Pattern (OCP), regardless of the pattern, the uniform is still known as the ACU.

The Army Combat Uniform (ACU) is the current combat uniform worn by the United States Army, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Space Force and some elements of the U.S. Coast Guard. Within the Air Force and Space Force, it is referred to as the OCP (Operational Camouflage Pattern) Uniform, rather than the Army Combat Uniform.

Primarily used in the U.S. Army's Combat Uniform (ACU), the Universal Camouflage Pattern (UCP), also known as ACUPAT or "digicam", was developed as a "universal camouflage" that works equally well across various environments, be it desert, woodland/jungle or urban settings.