June 15, 2006: A new generation of camouflage material is making life more difficult for American intelligence officers. The new nets provide a degree of concealment from infrared, thermal and radar sensors. The U.S. Department of Defense is buying lots of this stuff. But the new camo material, used in netting and material for vehicle soft tops, is relatively cheap. Anyone can buy it. The fear is that terrorists, and hostiles in places like Iraq and Afghanistan will get their hands on this stuff. The result will be enemy positions that are more difficult to spot via airborne or satellite sensors. Enemy irregulars have been known to get a hold of high tech gear, like night vision sights or encrypted radios, and use them to their advantage. Of course, terrorists with commercial infrared sensors would find their gear less effective if they scanned the hills of Afghanistan one night, and missed the Special Forces team out there, hiding beneath their new ULCAN camouflage net.
