This is a video showcasing a training mission for the Polish Mountain Volunteer Search and Rescue (called in Poland GOPR- Gorskie Ochotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe) groups along with the Polish division of HEMS – Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (in Poland called LPR – Lotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe) during an April day in the Bieszczady Mountains. While GOPR is not a military force, they certainly appear to be well equipped and trained.
Thanks to Radek
Last week, the US Army unveiled the new branch of service insignia for Electronic Warfare Warrant Officers and Noncommissioned Officers.
Approved March 1st by the Institute of Heraldry, the collar insignia is already available for sale along with additional WO items. The branch’s colors are Golden Yellow with Black piping.
In 2009 the Army established AOC 29A (EW Officer), Military Occupational Specialty 290A (EW Technician) and Military Occupational Specialty 29E (EW Noncommissioned Officer). EW Officers serve in a functional area and will continue to wear their basic branch insignia.
The 45th Separate Guards Special Purpose Regiment is a Russian airborne outfit. The Russian Army often refers to them as a ‘Commando” Regiment.
From the Conversations from Penn State series, this is an interview with former Air Force orthopedic surgeon Chris Coppola on his experience in Iraq.
War is a collection of very personal experiences. It’s interesting to hear from a different perspective than what we generally encounter.
A little bit about Combat Control for ya…
Air Force Specialty Code 3E9 (Emergency Management) has been known By other names over the years. For example, when I was a kid, I remember they were called Disaster Preparedness. Interestingly, they are kind of like EOD in that they are part of Civil Engineering even though it isn’t a good fit and this is recognized with a special careerfield badge that reveals their true focus, bugs and gas. They are the CBRNE specialists of the USAF.
Specifically the careerfield, “Prepares, plans, trains, educates, and equips Air Force personnel to respond to, maintain mission capability, and recover from the full spectrum of physical threat events including major accidents, natural disasters, weapons of mass destruction, and wartime chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosive (CBRNE) attacks. Provides technical expertise to commanders during full spectrum threat response operations. Performs detection, monitoring, warning, and reporting of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear (CBRN) events.”
If you were in the Air Force prior to the current conflict you were probably pretty familiar with them. We regularly trained in MOPP 4 conditions (even in SOF) and Ability to Survive and Operate (ATSO) was an important part of Operational Readiness Inspections. Maybe it was all institutional momentum from the Cold War, but it was drilled into Airmen enough that they could do it.
Now, NRA’s Life of Duty has prepared a report focusing on this small community of specialists and why they are more relevant now than ever. Here is a teaser.
The IDF, which recently announced an update on Austere Shield, is establishing a new command to supervise “depth” operations, the “Depth Corps Force”. The new command authority will be commanded by a Major General. It’s first commander, MG Shai Avital, will be the former chief of Sayaret Matkal unit, who will be responsible for coordinating and executing multidisciplinary missions outside Israel’s borders.
