MAKING THE ARMY GREAT AGAIN.

The service equivalent of Old Look uniforms?

The United States Army wanted a spiffy new service uniform, one that would stand out in a tough recruiting environment and polish the Army’s image after a generation of grinding and divisive wars.

So it turned the clock back. Way back.

It chose a new uniform that looks almost exactly like the old green gabardine wool field coat and khaki trousers that officers wore in World War II. Probably not by coincidence, that’s what the Army was wearing the last time the nation celebrated total victory in a major war.

Perhaps it's a signal that business casual has gone too far.

Army Greens will be the military equivalent of a business suit, which the Army largely stopped using during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Just as civilians have been dressing more casually in professional and social settings, troops have been wearing camouflage fatigues in situations that used to call for a jacket and tie, like office work or travel between bases. Even in the Pentagon, officers spend a good deal of their time in combat boots.

Soldiers will have the option of purchasing a leather bomber jacket. I wonder if the Eisenhower jacket will also be an option.

For formal occasions, the clock is still set at 1865.

In recent years, when the Army has wanted to look sharp, troops have been wearing blue. The current dress uniform (which will be retained for ceremonial use) includes a dark blue coat with light blue trousers or skirt — colors chosen to evoke the Continentals who fought under George Washington and the Union Army of the Civil War.

If that uniform has not caught your eye, it may be because Army Blues can be hard to distinguish, not just from similar Navy and Air Force uniforms, but also from a sea of blue-clad civilians: police officers, firefighters, commercial pilots, even doormen, said Kenneth O. Preston, who served as Sergeant Major of the Army from 2004 to 2011.

“People think you’re a cop,” Mr. Preston said. “They are always stopping you and asking you for directions.”

That's less of a challenge for general officers, as those Sam Grant style shoulder stars aren't likely to be mistaken for anything else.