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Archive for 2019

Ribbon Cutting for Utah Guard’s New Special Forces Readiness Center

Sunday, August 11th, 2019

CAMP WILLIAMS, Utah —

The Utah National Guard’s 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne) will held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly built Staff Sgt. Aaron Rhett Butler Special Forces Readiness Center, at 10 a.m., Friday, Aug. 9, 2019 at Camp Williams.

This state-of-the-art building has been in the works for the past 10 years, and broke ground for construction on Oct. 17, 2017. It has been built by Jacobsen Construction of Salt Lake City, at a cost of $39 million. The more than 140,000-square-foot facility will serve as the administrative building, classroom building and main training and operations space for the 19th Special Forces Group Headquarters and 1st Battalion, 19th SFG (A). The project will not officially be completed until the end of September.

The building is dedicated to Staff Sgt. Aaron R. Butler who was killed in action on Aug. 16, 2017, while engaging with the enemy in Afghanistan. The loss of Butler reminds us that the focus of the 19th SFG (A) is to provide quality training to each service member, in preparation to defend the U.S. and free the oppressed in far reaches of the world.

The 19th SFG (A) is growing to become one of the largest major commands in Utah. The 19th SFG (A) originally constituted in the Utah National Guard on May 1, 1960 and enjoys a long and successful history as one of only two National Guard Special Forces Groups in the nation. Its unique mission, capabilities and unit cohesiveness have been demonstrated may times around the globe. From its earliest exercises in the Republic of Korea to the continuing War on Terrorism, the Soldiers of the 19th SFG (A) continue to be a relevant asset to international defense initiatives while also being leaders in their respective local communities.

The armory employs approximately 120 full-time personnel and hosts more than 600 Soldiers every month for training.

MAJ D.J. Gibb, the Utah National Guard PAI initially prepared this report as a media advisory.

Posted in Guest Post, SOF | 6 Comments »

SCUBAPRO Sunday – Twin Jet Fins

Sunday, August 11th, 2019

If you have been diving for a while now, you have undoubtedly come across the SCUBAPRO Twin Jet Open Heel Split Fins. They bear a unique patented split fin propeller technology, which provides maximum propulsion with minimal effort underwater. With those main features, they can enhance your dives while avoiding cramped leg muscles and strained ankles.

The revolutionary patented design of the SCUBAPRO Twin Jet Open Heel Split Fins was inspired by the dynamic propulsion of the humpback whale. The blades unique shape and angle provide symmetrical power to help you create a smoother, more stable kicks without wearing you out or causing drag. At the same time, it allows you to move more quickly and effortlessly while swimming at great depths, despite the long blade length—all without sacrificing control.

As a diving fin, the SCUBAPRO Twin Jet is made with both an open-heeled and a full-foot version. The Open Heel comes with a broader foot pockets and offers a more customizable fit for those wearing dive boots for use in colder, deeper waters or boots for over the beach operations/ VBSS. Having strapped fins gives you the chance to adjust the fit as your boots start to compress at greater depths when diving.

The fin straps come with quick-connect swivel buckles, which makes donning and doffing easier. You can also change the rubber heel strap out, to take advantage of the optional spring heel straps. The SCUBAPRO Twin Jet open-heeled fins are one of the most comfortable fins on the market.

They come in different Colors and Buoyancy Options. SCUBAPRO has kept different types of divers in mind when they designed the Twin Jet Fins line. You’ll find that the fins come in multiple color options—black, blue, gray, and yellow—but it’s also important to note that the different colors signify differences buoyancy also.

The black fins are the best, for military divers, as they are negatively buoyant and provide a more traditional fining experience with its rigid blades. But if you’re looking for more flexible blades and don’t mind having slightly positively buoyant fins.

Product Features:

• Monprene® Construction

• Patented Split-Fin Propeller Technology

• Extra-Wide Foot Pocket

• Extended Soleplate

• Drag-Reducing Vents

• Quick-Connect Swivel Buckles

• Compatible with Spring Heel Straps

Key Benefits:

• Powerful Propulsion with Minimal Effort

• Smooth and Stable Kicks

• Preserves Energy

• Reduces Drag

• Fits Boots

• Easy Donning and Doffing

• Highly durable and Will Last a Lifetime

One of the only drawbacks for the Twin Jet fins is if you have to push something thru the water besides just you. But add something like pulling a buddy or ruck. Then you might want to go with a stiffer fin like Jet fin’s or SeaWing Nova Gorilla. The Spilt fin’s are one of the most popular used by the military and countless divers around the world.

Posted in Advertiser, Guest Post, Maritime | 1 Comment »

Sneak Peek – Armor Training Plates From MD-Textil

Sunday, August 11th, 2019

Germany-based MD-Textil plans to offer a new armor training plate that beats the same old rubber coated steel that seems to flood the market.

Made in the UK, these multi-shape plates are SAPI cut (250 x 300mm) and weigh 3,2 kg per plate / 6,4 kg the pair. They feature 12mm thick neoprene coating and priced per set at 90 €.

Posted in Armor, International, Training | 8 Comments »

How To Fight Soviet Airmobile Operations

Sunday, August 11th, 2019

Posted in Cold War | 7 Comments »

Army General, SOCOM Commander Emphasizes Character to New SEALs

Saturday, August 10th, 2019

The legendary toughness of the Navy’s SEAL teams was on display as the general in charge of U.S. Special Operations Command addressed the 57 sailors graduating from SEAL Qualification Training Class 322 in Coronado, Calif.

Socom Commander Army Gen. Richard Clarke opened his Aug. 2 address noting he felt fortunate to be addressing the graduating class.

“I am glad to break the streak as the first U.S. Army officer and the first U.S. Army Ranger to preside over a [SEAL qualification] graduation,” Clarke said.

The class began training 15 months ago with 157 students. The physical and mental challenges the sailors faced whittled down the numbers and polished those who made it through to graduation.

“For each of you preparing to walk across this stage, it is an almost indescribable achievement,” Clarke said.

The new SEALs are a diverse group, hailing from 21 different states, the general said, telling the graduates the only thing they shared when the training began “was a desire to test yourselves, to experience a unique challenge, to be part of something bigger than yourselves and to put the needs of the nation ahead of your own.”

Clarke noted the new SEALs have charged through the surf many times in the past 15 months of training, but the next time they do it, it will be different — it will be as members of operational units.

“Right now, around the globe, Navy SEALs — your teammates — are hard at work,” Clarke said. “SEALs have — and will continue to play — an active and vital role in our national security efforts.”

SEALs continue to quietly and professionally set the conditions for their fellow service members to deter, disrupt and defeat any adversary, the general said. “You can be sure that we will continue to ask our SEALs to accept the most difficult missions,” he said. “This will challenge you in ways you cannot anticipate, and you need to be ready now.”

That these missions will require physical and technical competence is a given. But they will also require the SEALs to demonstrate character, the general told the graduates. “The themes of trust and of teamwork have been a large part of your training,” Clarke said. “Across the [Special Operations Command] enterprise, trust is our currency with the American people. It’s a powerful but fragile credibility that each of us must guard fiercely.”

“The American people trust that you — that we — will take on these challenges,” he added. “That we will not only win, but win with honor [and] with your values intact. Never allow a disordered loyalty to an individual or team to obscure the values, commitment and trust you share with your great Navy service, with Socom and with the nation.”

Clarke said the new SEALs will have lives in their hands, and that how they respond will affect their fellow citizens. Graduating from the SEAL Qualification Course is the first step. “We count your success here as assurance of your courage, your competence and, most of all, your character. I know that all of you are sufficient for the task,” he said.

The next time they have to wade into cold waters, Clarke said, he wants them to “wade into the unknown boldly, and keep your hands steady.”

The new SEALs are now part of this greater team of special operators who “share a common commitment to protect the American people, our prosperity and, most important, our way of life,” Clarke said.

BY JIM GARAMONE, Defense.gov

Posted in Guest Post, Profession of Arms, SOF | 4 Comments »

Red Dawn

Saturday, August 10th, 2019

Today, we’re going to bleed some SolSys Instagram over to the website. 35 years ago this month, the movie Red Dawn was released in theaters. In anticipation, we saw this trailer all summer long.

Posted in Cold War | 13 Comments »

Army Awards Laser Weapon System Contract

Saturday, August 10th, 2019

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. — The U.S. Army issued a contract award to accelerate the rapid prototyping and fielding of its first combat-capable laser weapon system.

This prototype will deliver 50 kilowatt (kW)-class lasers on a platoon of four Stryker vehicles in Fiscal Year 2022, supporting the Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) mission. The directed energy M-SHORAD capability is intended to protect maneuvering Brigade Combat Teams from unmanned aerial systems (UAS), rotary-wing aircraft, and rockets, artillery and mortar (RAM).

“The time is now to get directed energy weapons to the battlefield,” said LTG L. Neil Thurgood, Director of Hypersonics, Directed Energy, Space and Rapid Acquisition. “The Army recognizes the need for directed energy lasers as part of the Army’s modernization plan. This is no longer a research effort or a demonstration effort. It is a strategic combat capability, and we are on the right path to get it in Soldiers’ hands.”

High energy lasers engage at the speed of light and provide a solution to a constantly evolving threat space, while reducing the logistics trail associated with conventional kinetic weapon systems. In May 2019, the Army approved a new strategy for accelerating the rapid prototyping and fielding of a variety of directed energy weapons to enable Army modernization.

As the first step in delivering prototypes with residual combat capability, the Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) has selected two vendors to build the directed energy M-SHORAD mission prototypes in order to foster competition and stimulate the industrial base for directed energy capabilities. Those vendors, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon, are subcontractors in an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement between the Army and Kord Technologies.

Under the OTA award action, issued on July 26 in the amount of $203 million, Kord has teamed with Northrop Grumman and Raytheon to develop the competing prototypes with support from General Dynamics Land Systems, which makes the Stryker, for integration work. Under the terms of the contract, the two laser vendors have approximately one year to produce the required laser subsystems, integrate them onto the Stryker platform, and complete a competitive performance checkout leading into a range demonstration against various threats.

After the Army evaluates the results, it plans to purchase three additional laser-equipped Strykers, for a total of four prototype vehicles that would be fielded to an operational M-SHORAD platoon in Fiscal Year 2022. The OTA award has the potential to increase to $490 million for the delivery of the four prototypes.

The directed energy M-SHORAD prototypes are part of the progression of an Army technology maturation initiative known as the Multi-Mission High Energy Laser (MMHEL).

“Both the Army and commercial industry have made substantial improvements in the efficiency of high energy lasers — to the point where we can get militarily significant laser power onto a tactically relevant platform,” said Dr. Craig Robin, RCCTO Senior Research Scientist for Directed Energy Applications. “Now, we are in position to quickly prototype, compete for the best solution, and deliver to a combat unit.”

The Army is also welcoming participation from additional vendors who were not selected for the OTA awards, but desire to compete for the same M-SHORAD requirement and timeline using their own internal research and development funding.

In a related effort, the Army is also adapting its High Energy Laser Tactical Vehicle Demonstrator (HEL-TVD) system into a prototype program order to increase its combat effectiveness and speed up its delivery to Soldiers.

The Army will adjust the current HEL-TVD, a 100 kW-class laser system integrated on a Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles platform developed by Dynetics and subcontractor Lockheed Martin. Under the new directed energy strategy, the Army is leveraging progress made in that effort in order to merge the HEL-TVD with similar technologies in development by the Navy and the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

This partnership will allow the services to achieve a higher power system, of approximately 250-300 kW-class, that can protect sites from RAM and UAS as well as more stressing threats — significantly increasing the warfighting capability being transitioned on the original timeline. The Army’s goal is to deliver four such prototype lasers integrated on tactical vehicles, for a capability known as High Energy Laser-Indirect Fire Protection Capability (HEL-IFPC), to a platoon by Fiscal Year 2024.

“By teaming with the other services and our industry partners, we will not only save resources, but exponentially increase the power level and get a better system to Soldiers faster,” Thurgood said.

The Army RCCTO, headquartered at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is chartered to develop rapid prototypes and field residual combat capabilities. Its current focus areas are hypersonics and directed energy.

By Claire Heininger, U.S. Army

Posted in Disruptive Tech, Guest Post | 3 Comments »

Triple Aught Design Fall Into Adventure Sale

Saturday, August 10th, 2019

TAD doesn’t do sales often, and their end of season sales are the best opportunities to pick up some premium items for a steal. Almost everything is still made in small, quality controlled batches in California, and they’ve always supported both active duty and veterans with preferred pricing and opportunities.

The sale runs from 8/9 – 8/19, and there are a lot of great opportunities available, across all sizes.

tripleaughtdesign.com/shop/collection/sale

Posted in Sales | Comments Off on Triple Aught Design Fall Into Adventure Sale