This speech by General Petrus J.M. “Peter” van Uhm, Chief of the Netherlands Defence Staff at TEDxAmsterdam gives us a pretty interesting look into the mindset driving the profession of arms in Western European democracies. He exhibits an interesting attitude toward firearms that is foreign in ore ways than one to us here in the US, but his reasons for service are an excellent example for those who must regularly interact with those who do not hold military service in high regard.
What It Is
Everybody knows the popular Christmas Carol, “The 12 Days of Christmas” but what many people don’t know is that it actually starts on the day after Christmas and ends on the 6th of January. Well this year, SSD, in conjunction with BOLO Report and Tactical Fanboy are going to bring you the 12 Days of Tactical Christmas.
How It Works
We have lined up a great list of sponsors and, just like in the song, each day we will give away the requisite number of items. For example on the fist day we will give away a single item to a single winner. On the second day we will give away two of the same item, one each to two different winners. On the third day, three winners will each receive an item and so on, and so on until 78 total prizes have been awarded.
How To Enter
Each day, we will post the days giveaway on one of the three websites. The rules for that day will be included in the post. To enter, you will have to follow the instructions which will consist of responding to a question in the comments section of THAT post. There will be a limited period of time to respond and then the comments will be closed. Once the comments are closed the day’s winners will be randomly selected and contacted via the email provided in the comments. This is why it is imperative that you provide a valid email address. If you don’t, we can’t contact you to tell you you’ve won.
Look for a special surprise at the end of the 12 days. It’s going to blow you away!
No purchase necessary.
Void where prohibited.
Unclaimed prizes will be forfeit.
We get email all of the time from readers asking why we don’t test this or that. There’s two simple reasons.
First, we do the news and we don’t have enough bandwidth to do proper test & evaluations which leads us to the second point. We don’t have the access to the right facilities and equipment to conduct proper tests.
We see folks all over the internet throwing products on their charcoal grills saying they are conducting burn tests or taking their latest gucciflauge out in the back yard to snap a couple of photos and saying they are testing camouflage or worse yet, shooting a ballistic material at a random range with some random gun. In all cases, they are wrong. All they are doing is making noise and, filling their reader’s heads full of nonsense that in some cases is libelous and in others downright dangerous.
Our editor actually conducted test & evaluation for DoD and later, after he retired from the military for commercial companies. Consequently, he knows how it is supposed to be done and, that is why you won’t see us doing it. If we aren’t going to do it right, we aren’t going to do it at all.
So, next time you see an internet “test” conducted by amateurs, ask them what qualifies them to conduct that test. Ask to see their test plan and their data collection schema. Ask them how many times they conducted the test and how they ensured that the tests were conducted properly and consistently. We could go on and on but quite frankly, question one will stump them.
Not only are there folks posting this nonsense on the internet but they are taking money from unsuspecting companies. Before you pay someone to conduct RDT&E for your company ask them what qualifies them to do this. There are tons of former end-users out there but DoD’s T&E community isn’t very big. Verify credentials.
If you’re looking for military books, then Lancer Militaria is for you. They’ve been in business since 1977 and I have personally been purchasing from them for a very satisfying 25 years.
While some of you might not believe it, for the most part we let a lot of stuff fly. However, we do police up obvious shills or those who complain about something with a simple, “This Sucks” without any amplifying information. Otherwise, we let commentors have their say.
Some feel that it is their “right” to post any old thing that comes to mind. If you want rights, go join OWS. This is SSD. If you say something we find particularly silly we will happily point it out to you. Don’t get offended that we point out that you are a toolbag. Which is getting to the real point of this post.
Unlike many other websites, we have made a decision to not discuss certain topics. Generally, these have to do with sensitive warfighting capabilities. Consequently, sometimes we post about gear out of context. For example, we don’t say, this was developed for unit X. Oftentimes, this results in folks commenting about things that they have ZERO understanding of. They don’t ask questions. Instead, they criticize that which they don’t understand. If you see something, and don’t understand it, ask about it. We’ll work to get you an answer.
Next, SSD will publish articles about counterfeit products. However, we will NEVER tell you where to go purchase them. Those parts are dangerous and the thieves steal from legitimate companies. If you want toys, go buy them. However, they have no place in the field so don’t help dirtbags make money off of counterfeits.
And finally, please comment. We enjoy a good debate or a new point of view. All we ask is that you actually read the article you are commenting on and be civil to one another. Don’t say anything on here that you wouldn’t say to a man’s face.
Look for upcoming details on our 12 Days of Tactical Christmas contest and how you can win some of the 90 prizes we will be giving away from the hottest names in industry.
You’ve never seen anything like this!
The NSHQ is the primary point of development, direction and coordination for all NATO Special Operations-related activities in order to optimize employment of Special Operations Forces to include providing an operational command capability when directed by SACEUR.
As such, it is the centrepiece of the NATO SOF Transformation Initiative (NSTI). It provides focused Special Operations advice to the SACEUR and the NATO Chain of Command and provides on a collaborative, inter-dependent platform to enhance the Alliance SOF network. Through the NSHQ, NATO is transforming the current NATO SOF capability, i.e. leader education and development, doctrine, training and planning, information systems and infrastructure.
Plus, there are lots of resources available for NATO SOF partners.
After leaving PEO Soldier earlier this year, Major General Peter Fuller was assigned to as Deputy Commander for Programs
NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan.
Yesterday, he was relieved of duty by GEN John Allen, commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, for making what were characterized as “inappropriate public comments†on Thursday to the website Politico. Specifically, MG Fuller referred to the Afghan government as “isolated from reality,†and was critical of Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai.
In a statement of contrition, GEN Allen commented, “These unfortunate comments are neither indicative of our current solid relationship with the government of Afghanistan, its leadership, or our joint commitment to prevail here in Afghanistan…The Afghan people are an honorable people, and comments such as these will not keep us from accomplishing our most critical and shared mission — bringing about a stable, peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan.”
I have to say, I like MG Fuller. Unfortunately, the system eats its own and he will probably be forced into retirement. However, if this happens, I fully expect to see him in industry before long.
