GORE-TEX Military Fabrics

C&H Precision Partners with Walther on Limited Time Promotion

November 6th, 2024

RICHMOND HILL, Ga. – November 1, 2024 – C&H Precision, a leading provider of optics and optics mounting solutions, is thrilled to announce a limited-time promotion with Walther Arms. The collaborative efforts pair a free optic with the purchase of specific Walther firearms from November 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024.

Consumers who purchase a Walther PDP F-Series, Compact, Full Size, Pro, Match or Steel Frame will receive a free C&H Precision direct mount optic to match the handgun. The optic is valued at an MSRP of $338 and adds quality and versatility to for new owners of Walther’s trusted PDP family of firearms.

“We are extremely excited to join forces with Walther Arms for this exclusive promotion,” said Buck Holly, owner of C&H Precision. “By combining our expertise in optics and mounting solutions with Walther’s renowned firearms, we are providing customers with an unbeatable package to enhance their shooting experience.”

The Walther PDP is Walther’s premier everyday carry handgun, keeping gun owners prepared for any situation. Specifically designed to maximize readiness for any circumstance, the Walther PDP’s SuperTerrain Slide Serrations and Performance Duty Trigger offer versatile advantages when needed most. The PDP is the ideal firearm for shooters seeking unmatched versatility, dependability and effectiveness in concealed carry and conventional service situations.

C&H Precision’s direct mount optics require no adapter plate, mounting directly to the optics-ready Walther PDP. This rugged, compact pistol optic is ideal for concealed carry and excels in duty, home defense or range applications.

The partnership between C&H Precision and Walther Arms exemplifies a shared commitment to customer satisfaction and product excellence. Both companies are dedicated to providing shooters with the highest quality firearms and accessories, ensuring optimal performance and reliability. Full details and an ability to take advantage of this offer are available at www.waltherarms.com.

More information about this promotion and C&H Precision’s range of optics and mounting solutions is available at  www.chpws.com on C&H Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

THRIL FN TAC-3 Complete Rifle Kit Giveaway

November 6th, 2024

THRIL is excited to announce our FN TAC-3 Complete Rifle Kit Giveaway going on now until December 1st.Partnering with FN, Lead & Steel, Cloud Defensive, Brave Castle, Blackarc Munitions and SKB Cases, this kit is over $3,500 worth of products. 

First place prize includes

FN15 TAC-3 16” 5.56 Rifle

THRIL CCS AR Furniture Kit + NSVFG + 10 G2 PMX AR Magazines

Lead & Steel PB3 Optic + Mount

Cloud Defensive Rein 3.0 Weapon Light

Brave Castle “Slang”

SKB i-Series Rifle Case

Blackarc Munitions – 500rds Training ammo

Second Place Prize:

THRIL CCS AR Furniture Kit

THRIL NSVFG

10 G2 PMX AR Magazines

Third Place Prize

10 G2 PMX AR Magazines

This is the link to register: thril.com/fntac3-kit-giveaway

VORTEX to Donate All Dog Collar Proceeds to the United States War Dogs Association

November 6th, 2024

Show your support for military working dogs with the online purchase of a Vortex™ dog collar November 1st to November 30th, 2024.

BARNEVELD, Wis. – Anyone who has visited our headquarters or follows us on social media knows we are a dog-friendly company. That deep love of dogs combined with our commitment to supporting men and women in uniform is behind an exciting charitable initiative happening in November.

Your purchase of a Vortex™ Adjustable Waterproof Dog Collar ($24.99), standard Vortex™ Adjustable Dog Collar ($19.99) or Vortex™  Padded Dog Leash($29.99) via the Vortex® website during this special charitable promotion will directly support the work being done by the United States War Dog Association. All proceeds will go directly to USWDA to support their work with the military K-9 community.
 
Collars and leashes will be available for purchase throughout the month of November 2024 or until inventory is depleted. Hurry and click here to make sure you get yours. 

“When you come to Vortex® HQ, you’re not only greeted with smiling faces, but you’re also greeted with wagging tails. Our furry friends add joy and companionship to our lives – both inside and outside of our building,” said Joe Hamilton, Vortex® CEO. The Vortex® campus has been dog friendly since opening its doors in 2018. “That’s why we couldn’t be prouder to partner with the US War Dogs Association and their work within the active and retired military working dog community. Through funding K-9 memorials, sending care packages to K-9 teams currently deployed, facilitating free prescriptions for retired military working dogs, and so much more, the US War Dogs Association is doing amazing work in supporting the military working dog communities.”   

Listen to the Vortex Nation™ Podcast, #10MinuteTalk – Honoring Our Nation’s War Dogs and Their Handlers – the US War Dogs Association, to listen to Chris Willingham from USWDA talk about their organization and the incredible work they do.

Go to uswardogs.org to learn more about the United States War Dogs Association.

To see more from Vortex®, visit VortexOptics.com or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, X, and TikTok.

Gridtech Storm Hood Gloves from Black Diamond Equipment

November 6th, 2024

Black Diamond’s GridTech Storm Hood Gloves are made with thermal insulating fleece and feature a stowable, waterproof outer mitt for additional cold weather protection which will get you down below freezing.

In addition to a touchscreen compatible forefinger and thumb, there’s a wristwatch opening and soft nose wipe.

Available in sizes XS – XL in Carbon-Glacier colorway.

www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en_US/product/gridtech-storm-hood-gloves

Five Questions for Spectra Group CEO Simon Davies

November 6th, 2024

We had a chance to ask five questions of Simon Davies, the CEO of the UK-based communications company Spectra Group.

Q – Perhaps you could begin by giving the readers a sense of what Spectra does and how it applies to war fighting.

A – Spectra Group is a specialist provider of secure voice, data and satellite communications systems. Established over 20 years ago, Spectra Group is a veteran-led organisation that prides itself on designing and manufacturing specialist high-quality communications equipment and systems that have been operationally proven to meet the needs of the modern warfighter, in the most demanding operational conditions.

For example, SlingShotTM was conceived and designed to meet Special Forces requirements and, now with over 7000 units sold worldwide, has been operationally proven with both specialist and regular forces globally. SlingShot is a unique, low-size, weight and power (SWaP) system that enables existing UHF and VHF tactical radios to extend their reach into the realm of strategic communications, providing true Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) and Communications on the Move (COTM), without purchasing new radios. All Spectra Group products are designed with the soldier in mind and are therefore easy to use, secure and have a low probability of intercept or detection.

Tropo

The Troposcatter Family of Systems (FoS) is designed to provide high-bandwidth battlefield data links between key headquarters down to Company level in a modular and easy-to-transport system. With low latency and high bandwidth, the systems are simple, intuitive and easy to set up.  Also, due to its architecture, Troposcatter works in a GPS/GNSS denied environment, so can operate at the poles, and is equally difficult to detect or intercept.

Q – What is your latest product?

A – Spectra Group launched our new radio concept GENSS, in January 2024, and it is now in the final stages of prototype testing. GENSS builds on the foundations of our award-winning SlingShot system, embodying Spectra Group’s vision of producing ultimate radio systems that capitalise on technological advances, adapt to the evolving demands of military operations and simplify the user experience.  It has been designed and developed through a collaborative effort of tactical communication experts, seasoned military specialists and top-tier U.K. scientists and engineers.

GENSS is a significant advancement in the field of tactical radio communications, due to its modular core framework and software-defined flexibility, heralding a new era in communication technology. It is a modular, agnostic hardware radio system designed to be agile and provide the ultimate interoperability through straightforward software reprogramming to adapt quickly and easily to meet the diverse needs of its users. Capable of operating across HF, VHF, UHF, and satellite bands, GENSS is engineered to conquer Beyond Line-of-Sight (BLOS) barriers and support Communications on the Move (COTM), delivering a robust and agile solution for voice and high-bandwidth data transmission across all domains — land, sea, and air.

Q – What lessons is Spectra learning from the conflict in Ukraine, and how are you applying them to your systems?

A – Modern-day conflict against a determined and advanced adversary is having many effects on communications equipment, its bearers but also the operators who use it. Spectra are conscious of the need to keep radio systems and their representative IT solutions as simple as possible for the operator whilst when needed being able to work in contested spectrum environments.

The GENSS product has been designed to be able to operate within the noise floor if needed to avoid detection. It also has an automatic adaptive coding and modulation capability that removes the need for constant ‘link engineering’ by the operator allowing the radio to adapt to tactical conditions and guarantee message delivery. The burden on the soldier is ever increasing not only the amount of technology that one must carry, and the power needed, but also the cognitive burden of becoming an expert on all systems. GENSS has been designed to provide simplicity at the point of use, whilst the unit manages internal processing and power management effectively and efficiently using the best software initiatives available.

Q – To follow up, based on what we are seeing in Ukraine, do you see NATO and in particular, the Five Eyes alliance, cooperating more now on communications systems and standards.

A – Data interoperability and open standards have always beencrucial in the NATO alliance to allow tactical data links to interact effectively with one another. However, with the rapid development of more advanced and complex communications systems and increasingly sophisticated digital and cyber threats to such systems, close cooperation between allies is increasingly important. Spectra Group have worked together with 2iC, a specialist UK battlefield software integration company, to fully integrate the GENSS product with their Lean Service Architecture specification. This is an open schema-based software solution to provide a services-orientated communications integration architecture designedfor mobile, low-powered Internet of Things (IoT) on the battlefield. UK MOD, US SOCOM and many other NATO partners have published under the Open Government license that they are adopting this open architecture.

Q – Artificial intelligence has become all the rage. Just looking around the show floor and AUSA, you see AI enabled systems in every corner. Is Spectra integrating artificial intelligence, and perhaps even machine learning, into its systems, and if so, how?

A – The GENSS radio platform is delivered with an Open API architecture which can be adapted to use AI applications as required.  Whilst Spectra Group does not create AI software applications directly, the GENSS platform can be utilised to allow soldier-based software and AI solutions can be easily adopted to maximise capabilities and features available utilising GENSS.

SSD would like to thank Mr Davies for his time and insight into a rapidly evolving field.

For more information, visit spectra-group.co.uk.

Chinese Way of War vs Military Culture: Topic of Latest CASO Panel

November 6th, 2024

THE ARMY UNIVERSITY, FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kansas – The ongoing Russo-Ukrainian conflict continues to alter the geopolitical situation in Europe and the Indo-Pacific Command region.

The latest Cultural and Area Studies Office panel, recognizing the National Defense Authorization Act’s definition of China as a pacing threat, focused the discussion on the Chinese way of war and the People’s Liberation Army.

Dr. Mahir J. Ibrahimov, CASO Director, set the stage for the session by introducing the topic, and the Brigadier General Mark W Siekman, Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Army Reserve, Combined Arms Center, who provided senior leader opening remarks.

Panelists from various Command and General Staff College and Army University departments, analyzed whether or not a clear Chinese way of war is present within the PLA’s current state of their air, ground force, maritime and even historical background as a pacing threat, or if it is more of a cultural adaptation.

“If you’ve heard GEN Flynn, the current USARPAC commander, he would argue, China is the most consequential threat, in the more consequential theater, and in the most consequential time,” Siekman said.

Chinese recovery from Century of Humiliation 

More than a dozen unsuccessful conflicts, spanning more than 100 years, to include the Century of Humiliation, as discussed by Dr. Geoff Babb, Department of Military History, CGSC, can be described as a prologue to the PLA today.

“The Century of Humiliation does not belong to Chinese Communist Party but rather the people of China and is highlighted by the Chinese Communist Party and Xi Jinping,” he said.

Pre-People’s Republic of China, Babb discussed, faced humiliating defeats to Britain, France, and the United States, the later creating the foundational distrust between the U.S. and China that stands today.

The PRC is primarily focused on protecting borders and sovereignty which drives the military and economic decisions of leaderships like Xi Jinping’s, who faced turning a country’s dismal combat track record around.

The introduction of Communist China to the military environment created, what could be argued, a way of war vice a military culture to rejuvenate the nation.

“The Chinese are, in my opinion, strategically defensive and operationally offensive,” Babb said. “When that might change or is that changing is unclear, but they’re certainly building the military forces to be able to do that.”

The PRC’s influence of the PLA is not something to be overlooked, Babb pointed out, highlighting the New Golden Age with the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative and Treasure Fleet, which combines merchant and military ideals, and the Restored Wall with A2AD.

Each of the three could suggest the PRC’s values and shared understandings, or culture, have created a bridge to the PLA’s way of war.

Three P’s and Two Hows to Understanding PLA’s Ground Force Modernization

Proximity to politics, professionalization, and principles plus how the PLA is seeing itself in modernization and how we make sense of what PLA is trying to do was the framework for understanding the PLA’s modernization efforts presented by Lt. Col. Jason Haub, Advanced Strategic Leadership Studies Program, School of Advanced Military Studies.

The PLA, having seen nearly a dozen major reforms, was brought to its current theater command structure, thanks to Jinping spurring another massive reform in 2016.

Decisions like this for the PLA are dual tracked through the PRC and PLA, Haulb explained, making it difficult for the PLA ground forces’ modernization to remain a headline priority.

The most recent restructuring jeopardized the PLA ground force’s status within the larger PLA, suggesting a military culture shift, that could create barriers to the PLA’s attempted professionalization.

Further, these PRC driven military adjustments continue to cloud the clarity of what the Chinese way of war is.

“PLA ground forces are not the top priority in terms of modernization effort, and probably have some of the largest hurdles as they grapple with what is this new joint structure, joint theater command structure and how the PLA will fight,” Haub said.

Haub described PLA as a problem solving, learning organization, with a ground force that has a breadth of catching up to do to remain a near threat to the U.S.

“I think it is important to have the framework of a Chinese way of war but to also understand, when we put that aside, how we assess things for what they are and not simply limit ourselves to view things only through an overly sensitive cultural lens,” he said.

Air and space Chinese way of war 

China continues struggling with engine manufacturing and modernization, creating disproportionate aircraft improvements, that hold them back from competing equally with the U.S. air modernization effort.

This, however, is not enough to continue the narrative of the exponential U.S. – Chinese air/space gap.

“The capability gap is rapidly shrinking in both the air and space domains. It’s more concerning now in the air domain. Given a bit more time, it is quite plausible that the PLAAF will outstrip the U.S. Air Force in terms of numbers,” Dr. John Modinger, Associate Professor, SAMS, and retired Air Force said.

When it comes to above the ground combat, the Chinese have adopted, what Modinger described, as a “copying and pirating” approach to remaining a competitive threat.

Most air and space craft in the Chinese war portfolio are near identical mimics of American versions.

While not completely aligning with the definition of a Chinese way of war, Modinger offered that the number of crafts and satellites in the U.S. technology constellation is what separates the two nations.

“We see increasing evidence of the Chinese mirroring the United States,” he said. “Not going with their own way of war, but in fact paralleling our developments, if not stealing our technology.”

China goes so far with this technique as to recruit the pilots manning the top-of-the-line U.S. air and space crafts, Modinger explained.

Add to the air and space pot a 550% increase in the number of Chinese launched satellites, the gap above the clouds continues to shrink.

Space and air are competition lanes the U.S. continues to lead not just China, but the world, in terms of technology and use. However,  Modinger pointed out that the closing gaps should be noted.

“China will continue to increasingly drop from ‘near’ peer competitor to pacing threat or peer threat,” he said.

Chinese Maritime Triple Threat 

The Chinese PLA Ground Force is seemingly shackled from rapid modernization due to the cumbersome collaboration with the PRC, and the PLAFF must resort to looking off the U.S.’s paper to remain competitive in the sky.

On the sea, the Chinese way of war is harder to define due to a simple lack of actual combat tested instances.

Dr. John Kuehn, DMH, CGSC, began his discussion suggesting the Chinese fight at sea is primarily defensive.

“It is built on a doctrine of local area dominance, which is extensive anti-access, area denial systems,” he said.

In the way of war vice military culture lens, Kuehn suggested, overall, the Chinese lean culturally, strategically defensive, and operationally offensive.

The Chinese Navy is the most individualized, meaning not mimicking the U.S. counterpart, of those within the PLA in terms of size and regional location.

The Chinese Navy tonnage exceeds that of the U.S.’s but with a majority being surface ships.

The size and variety of maritime presence is largely a question mark of capability, Kuehn said, due to the Chinese naval history being river based.

Outside the riverbanks, the PLA Navy’s contemporary mission is the defense of the first island chain from Hokkaido in the north down to Singapore.

This fits the Chinese approach to security, to strategy, to warfare, which is using the weaker to undermine the stronger,” Kuehn said. “Use of mines. Use of coastal warfare. Use of non-belligerent tactics. Use deception. For the Chinese this looks like anti-cruise ship missiles, anti-ship ballistic missiles. Missile batteries ashore.”

Additional supplements to the Navy are the Chinese’s enormous Coast Guard and “bully” of maritime security, militia.

“The Coast Guard has some of the biggest cutters in the world,” Kuehn said. “They have at least 50 cutters that are big enough to be used as a second Navy.”

This trio of maritime protection using (illegally) water cannons, shouldering, intel collection and missile use makes the PLA Navy an aspect of Chinese combat power worth understanding.

“This is an area, where on continuum of conflict the Chinese has choices and they are already executing them with their very high handed and sort of bullying approach to maritime security especially in the South China Sea,” Kuehn said.

Whether the four areas of PLA modernization are seen as a clear definition of a Chinese way of war or a rather a semi-contemporary adopted military culture, the challenge Chinese military forces present to U.S. national security is one of importance and need of attention.

This panel is part of a seminar series discussing issues of operational and strategic importance to the U.S., which CASO in coordination with CGSC, universities, think tanks, interagency and other partners conduct every two to three months, which is also live streamed on CGSC’s Facebook page.

The full panel discussion can be viewed on the CGSC Facebook here: www.facebook.com/USACGSC/videos/2468414380022454/.

All past CASO panels are available for viewing on the CGSC YouTube page here: Cultural and Area Studies Office (CASO) – YouTube

By Sarah Hauck, The Army University Public Affairs Office

Chemring Awarded Contracts Worth £278m

November 5th, 2024

Chemring is pleased to announce that its Norwegian subsidiary, Chemring Nobel, has signed a twelve-year framework agreement with Diehl Defence GmbH & Co. KG (“Diehl Defence”) for the supply of MCX energetic material. Under this framework agreement Chemring Nobel also signed an initial purchase order valued at €231m; deliveries under this contract will be over a five-year period commencing in late 2026. In 2023, Diehl Defence and Nammo AS created an industrial working group to supply the German Government with 155mm munitions for the German Armed Forces and their allies and in July 2024 they received their initial delivery order.  Under this order, production of 155mm munitions will use Nammo’s munitions technology for which Chemring Nobel is the only qualified supplier of MCX material.

Chemring is also pleased to announce that its US subsidiary, Chemring Energetic Devices (“CED”), has received an order valued at $106m for the delivery of critical components for use in an undisclosed US missile programme. Deliveries under this contract will be over a five-year period commencing in 2026.

Further to the announcement on 17 October 2024, Group adjusted operating profit for the year ended 31 October 2024 is expected to be in-line with consensus expectations of £70.9m.

Michael Ord, Chief Executive of Chemring, commented:

“These significant contract wins illustrate the deep long-term relationships that we have built with our customers.  It is further evidence of the sustained and growing demand for our products and supports our investment decisions to increase the capacity of our three energetics businesses, and reinforces Chemring’s position as a key supplier to NATO.”

Jay Stuart Named Vice President of Commercial Sales for Sierra and Barnes

November 5th, 2024

MONA, Utah. – November 4, 2024 –Sierra Bullets and Barnes Bullets announces Jay Stuart as its new Vice President of Commercial Sales, tasked with leading the sales efforts and securing business opportunities. Stuart joins Sierra and Barnes with an extensive background in the outdoor industry, previously working with leading companies such as Vista Outdoor, Union Sportsmen’s Alliance, Boy Scouts of America and Remington Outdoor Company. Having invaluable experience in sales leadership, Stuart brings a wealth of knowledge in assessing opportunities and cultivating strong client relationships.

“We are very excited for Jay to join our team,” said Sierra and Barnes VP, Marketing and Business Development Andrew Sparks. “He has a wealth of experience in both sales and the outdoor industry and will be an invaluable asset to our Sierra and Barnes team.”

Stuart’s experience and leadership in sales is evident through his success in developing field sales forces, agents and independent representatives throughout the US. He has a proven track record in partner strategy development and client and donor relations. Having most recently served as Director of Sales and National Retail Accounts for Vista Outdoor, Stuart managed and directed sales responsibilities. This entailed developing annual sales plans and securing new product placements for several major retail accounts. His experience is a testament to his ability to create growth and increase consumer brand loyalty.

“Having previously worked with Jay, I am thrilled to have him on board and believe he will play an integral role in propelling our brands forward,” said Jim Bruno, CEO of Sierra and Barnes. “His expertise and passion for this industry makes him the perfect fit for our team.”

In his new role, Stuart oversees domestic and international commercial sales markets, as well as manages and leads the sales teams for Sierra and Barnes. He provides a deeper understanding of market trends and maintains a constant pulse on consumer needs, competition and brand position. Stuart will also play a crucial role in trade show planning and attendance.

“I am looking forward to being part of a great team and iconic American-made ammunition brands. Sierra and Barnes are leaders in the ammunition space, and I see a tremendous amount of pride in the quality and workmanship from the women and men here,” said Stuart. “I am also looking forward to working with Jim again. We have a great relationship and leverage our sets of strengths to support each other. I have a great sense of pride being part of the shooting sports industry, and I’m excited to continue this journey with Sierra and Barnes.”

Jay Stuart can be reached at jays@sierrabarnesbullets.com. More information on the latest new products and offerings from Sierra and Barnes is available at www.sierrabullets.com and www.barnesbullets.com.