Why is it that military uniforms from different nations seem to resemble each other?

For Gunnar Roscoe: With regards the Romanian uniforms, the ones worn in Iraq and Afghanistan are made in Romania to Romanian design, the material the uniforms are made from is British, the reason being before Romania became part of NATO they had no desert pattern uniforms, for local use in Romania the Romanian Military has 5 distinct types of camo.

The Bulgarian pattern is not the same as the Romanian or British either in pattern or style.

Well, the basic principles involved in covering a Soldier with a uniform that has enough utility pockets, fits the human form, has camoflage capabilities, takes the wear and tear of combat, and many other factors don't really change that much because one user might be European, another a South American, a third Asian, or a fourth African.

The basic principles are the same no matter where you're from. The individual details come from specific local requirements.

And most nations do not make their own uniforms -- typically they find one that works well and buy it from a commercial supplier.

Often for the sake of having the most effective camouflage. Getting a good balance between camouflage and being able to identify your own troops is very, very tricky indeed. Sometimes the uniforms are merely donated or sold at low prices - Romanian and Bulgarian soldiers deployed in Iraq, for instance.

Look at where uniforms originated from. They've changed over time and became more fancy. Then when the U.S. became its own nation, we still used the same style of dress uniforms. We alter and change them as time goes on, but still link them back to their roots.

Often, countries model their uniforms after those of countries that they like.

A10 pilots seem to feel the same way