system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: When and why did the US military change their camouflage to the more "pixelated" design that soldiers currently wear?

Was it just a stylistic decision or does it serve a more pragmatic function?
gpt
The objective (and it can be argued whether or not it was met) was that the new uniform be functional in more environments. The older uniforms were good for Woodland OR Desert. The newer uniform was meant to work in Woodland AND Desert.

The digital pattern was meant to help achieve this pattern.  If you remember the older uniforms, there were large blobs of color, and large blobs don't usually happen in nature. The digital patterns are more broken up and help to achieve a more natural camouflage.