Crye Precision was founded in New York City in 1999 by Caleb Crye and Gregg Thompson, both graduates of
Cooper Union. Its original office/production studio was in
Chelsea Market. They expanded rapidly following
9/11 and the passage of the
Berry Amendment which required the Department of Defense to give purchasing preference to apparel and accessories made in America from American components. First unveiled in 2002,
MultiCam was designed for the use of the
U.S. Army in varied environments, seasons, elevations, and light conditions. It is a seven-color, multi-environment
camouflage pattern developed by Crye Precision in conjunction with the
United States Army Soldier Systems Center. MultiCam was officially re-commissioned by the U.S. Army in 2010, replacing UCP for units deploying to fight in the
War in Afghanistan, under the designation "Operation Enduring Freedom Camouflage Pattern0 (OEF-CP). It had already been used by some
American special operations units and civilian law enforcement agencies. On 25 November 2013, Crye Precision unveiled a family of MultiCam variants, which they claim can reduce the visual and
near-IR signature of a person operating in different environments. In 2013 the company had 150 employees spread over 56,000 square feet in
New York and
New Jersey. In 2020 Crye was awarded a contract to produce a new family of uniforms for the British
Royal Marines. In April 2020, Crye collaborated with the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the NY Economic Development Council (NYEDC) and fashion house
Lafayette 148 to manufacture surgical gowns for New York's front line medical workers during the
coronavirus pandemic. As part of the introduction of the Belgian Defence Clothing System, it was announced that the
Jigsaw camouflage pattern would be phased out by the
Belgian Armed Forces in favour of Multicam from November 2022. The contract was awarded to Sioen and Seyntex with Crye Precision under a budget of €410 million. In 2024 Crye and another defense contractor's operations at the
Brooklyn Navy Yard were the subject of protests from pro-Palestinian groups. == Legal issues ==