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KitBadger on Training The “Other StrongSide”

Saturday, October 22nd, 2022

My friend Ivan sent this to me and I thought it was worth a share.

The Journey to the Other Strong Side…

About a year ago I decided to invest in training my Other Strong Side. So, being right handed and right eye dominant, I spent a lot of time working my left hand and left eye. Taking a number of pistol and carbine courses over the span of a year. From Urban Rifle down at Thunder Ranch, to a Night Fighter class with Chuck Pressburg, to a Limited Signature Course with Ian at Runenation and some training with Bill Rapier of AMTAC Shooting.

Read the rest here.

Posted in Guest Post, Training | 4 Comments »

CV22 Osprey Recovered in Norway

Saturday, October 22nd, 2022

While participating in a training exercise in Norway, a CV-22B Osprey experienced an inflight emergency, requiring the pilots to land immediately. After six weeks of being grounded on the island of Senja, the 352nd Special Operations Wing’s Osprey was recovered via crane barge, Sept. 27, 2022.

The aircraft is now at a Norwegian military base where 752nd Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron maintainers will perform repairs to get the aircraft flying once again.

The Norwegian Armed Forces, along with the Norwegian Environmental Protection Office, developed the plans for recovering the Osprey in concurrence with the U.S. Air Force.

“It [was very] demanding,” said Royal Norwegian Air Force Command Sergeant Major Odd Helge Wang. “The challenge [was how] shallow [the area was], and the machine weighs 20 tons.”

Many obstacles stood in the team’s way to recovering the CV-22, including weather delays and the more sensitive hurdle of preventing damage to the local fauna.

“[We’ve brought] 430 tons of equipment in to carry this out, so there will be some wear and tear,” Wang said. “We have tried to do everything as gently as possible.”

Now nestled in a military hangar, the maintenance crews will work to repair the aircraft so it may fly again. When accomplished, the Osprey will return to its home station in the United Kingdom.

“I’m so impressed by all parties involved who came together to make this recovery operation a success,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Jeffrey Westerman, recovery mission commander for the 352nd Special Operations Wing. “This monumental operation wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work and dedication from our allies and our Air Commandos, and we are immensely grateful for everything the Norwegians have provided our team during the past weeks.”

By TSgt Westin Warburton, 352nd Special Operations Wing Public Affairs

Posted in Air Force, Aviation, Guest Post, SOF | Comments Off on CV22 Osprey Recovered in Norway

FirstSpear Friday Focus: OEM Spotlight – F9 Gear

Friday, October 21st, 2022

This week’s Friday Focus features another OEM Spotlight, F9 Gear (aka The Full 9). Working with FirstSpear, F9 Gear has developed a versatile and modular placard system known as, the Ammo Hub A1.

The Ammo Hub A1 is the ideal foundation to build out a kit that will suit exactly what you need, with absolutely nothing you don’t.

It is compatible with a huge variety of industry standard inserts, attachments, harnesses, pouches and accessories that can be customized into almost any imaginable PC placard or chest rig configuration. The Ammo Hub A1 naturally curves around the body as a chest rig and around plates as a PC placard.

Made in the US by FirstSpear using all American raw materials that meet or exceed military specifications.

Through smart use of laser cutting the body of the Hub is sewn from one single, continuous piece of FirstSpear 6/12 cordura laminate, with the Hub base and the side attachment loops being integral to that single piece of fabric.

Native to its design, the Ammo Hub A1 has the ability to be double stacked on top of itself using the integrated top buckle attachment straps.

Check out F9 Gear to learn more about the Ammo Hub A1.

Visit FirstSpear to find all the gear and apparel for America’s Warfighter.

Posted in Advertiser, FS Friday Focus, Guest Post | 1 Comment »

Air Force C2 Unit Supports US-ROK Combined Exercise

Friday, October 21st, 2022

U.S. Air Force Airmen from the 505th Combat Training Squadron supported American and Republic of Korea forces during Ulchi Freedom Shield 22, the largest combined exercise in five years at Osan Air Base, ROK, Aug. 15 to Sep. 1.

UFS 22 was an 11-day computer simulated, defense-oriented training event designed to enhance the United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, and U.S. Forces Korea’s, defense posture, maintain readiness, and strengthen the security and stability on the Korean peninsula and throughout Northeast Asia. UFS 22, a theater-wide exercise, synchronized the efforts of the ROK and U.S. alliance’s air, land, and maritime components.

Unique to this exercise was that the American CFC commander and ROK deputy commander switched duties and responsibilities to conduct the Full Operational Capability assessment during exercise UFS as bilaterally agreed upon by the ROK minister of defense and U.S. secretary of defense in December 2021.

“Ulchi Freedom Shield 22 is an opportunity for [ROK] Gen. Ahn Byung-Seok and me to trade leadership duties based on the Future Combined Forces Command construct as outlined by both of our defense secretaries late last year. This is significant because the [ROK] CFC deputy commander will take the lead as the future CFC commander,” said U.S. Army Gen. Paul LaCamera, UNC/CFC/USFK commander, U.S. Army Garrison-Humphreys, ROK.

The 505th CTS created a realistic, operational-level, multi-domain command and control decision environment utilizing a high-fidelity constructive environment. Additionally, air, land, maritime, ROK, and seven additional simulation models were used to create a realistic, simulated environment for the exercise.

During UFS 22, the 505th CTS’s professional control force provided mission support via the Air Warfare Simulation system. Air Tasking Orders were flown and displayed on a common operating system which was used by decision makers across the training audience. The 505th CTS exercise team produced ten ATOs and executed 19,000 simulated missions, supporting the training of USFK and ROK personnel during UFS 22.

“Once again, the specialists of the 505th CTS have proven their seemingly limitless ability to provide realistic operational-level environments to train air components, joint, and allied partners,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Power, 505th CTS director of operations, Hurlburt Field, Florida. “These team members leverage diverse operational backgrounds to give warfighters a true picture of airpower.”

Power continued, “While the experts from the 505th CTS made up a relatively small percentage of the exercise team, they had an outsized influence on UFS 22 execution.”

To facilitate the most realistic operational environment possible, members of the 505th CTS traveled to the Pacific Air Simulation Center, or PASC, Osan AB, ROK, a week prior to exercise execution to instruct and prepare operators to produce the high-fidelity air model.

“We could not have accomplished this feat without the support and expertise of the professionals of the 505th Combat Training Squadron,” stated retired U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Barry Barksdale, PASC senior air controller, Osan AB, ROK.

The 505th CTS reports to the 505th Combat Training Group, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, and the 505th Command and Control Wing, headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Florida.

The U.S.-ROK Alliance, established in 1953, remains critically important to regional security. Combined training events, such as UFS 22, help to maintain alliance readiness.

By Deb Henley

505th Command and Control Wing

Public Affairs

Posted in Air Force, Guest Post, International | Comments Off on Air Force C2 Unit Supports US-ROK Combined Exercise

DEVCOM Soldier Center’s Industry Day Fosters Collaborative Partnerships

Thursday, October 20th, 2022

NATICK, Mass. – The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center, or DEVCOM SC, hosted the DEVCOM Soldier Center Industry Day on September 29, 2022. The event — which took place at the Residence Inn in Natick, Massachusetts — aimed to engage industry and academic partners and foster relationships that will support the Soldier Center’s mission.

“Industry Day provided the Soldier Center with an excellent opportunity to connect with potential partners and to educate them about our mission and opportunities for collaboration,” said Douglas Tamilio, director of DEVCOM SC.

DEVCOM SC is committed to discovering, developing, and advancing science and technology solutions that ensure America’s warfighters are optimized, protected, and lethal. Industry Day provided information and enabled discussions between DEVCOM SC and industry/academia through a senior leader panel, general briefings, and one-on-one exchanges on a wide variety of topics. The event also provided attendees with concrete information on how to work with the Soldier Center.

“Sustaining and fostering relationships with our industry partners and academia is extremely important for the Soldier Center, and we are very excited with the turnout for the Industry Day event we hosted,” said Richard Hornstein, deputy chief of staff for G-3/5 Operations and Plans at DEVCOM SC.

Hornstein noted that Brig. Gen. Larry Q. Burris, Jr. — the Infantry School Commandant and the Director of the Soldier Lethality Cross-Functional Team at the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence — served as the keynote speaker, addressing an audience of 107 members of industry, helping to align industry efforts with Army goals. Hornstein explained that DEVCOM SC also conducted 85 one-on-one meetings with its partners. Through 21 poster presentations, government representatives further engaged with industry representatives throughout the afternoon.

“These engagements help to inform our industry partners of our development goals and challenges as well as provide them with a venue to share ideas and capabilities they may have available to meet our needs,” said Hornstein. “They also expand and sustain relationships and provide business opportunities for both industry and academia that help us transform basic and applied research requirements into new ideas, capabilities and technologies that underpin the modernization goals of the Army, which is ultimately the mission of the DEVCOM Soldier Center.”

DEVCOM SC topics of discussion included increased Soldier protection, encompassing Arctic Soldier equipment and environmental capabilities; helmets with increased threat level protection; and eyewear with increased fragmentation protection and active anti-fog capability. Some other topics included advanced materials for ballistic protection; reduction of Soldier load; understanding and modeling of Soldier load; and Soldier/squad equipment integration. Other topics included camouflage, concealment, and deception.

Subject matter experts also provided briefings on enhanced Soldier technologies, including power generation, training and simulation technologies, small unit battle training, combat simulation, human performance technologies (wearables, biosensors, exoskeletons, human performance data management systems, assessment technologies, and measurement technologies), and Soldier/robotic interface. Soldier sustainment topics included small unit water generation, nutrient-dense rations/longer shelf-life rations, and novel solutions for re-supply to remote locations.

Michael Codega, DEVCOM SC’s chief technology officer, provided a briefing on DEVCOM SC’s Science and Technology Strategy, including Warfighter Integrated Capability & Knowledge Development, or WICKED, programs.

WICKED programs are large S&T programs focused on creating solutions to problems facing Soldiers and small units in future operating environments. Given the complexity of problems facing warfighters, potential solutions need to combine advanced technology development, applied research. and basic research.

“With such a broad mission and competition for resources, the WICKED problem/program framework is essential for Soldier Center, our partners and the Army enterprise to ensure we are focusing on those operational challenges and opportunities that will allow Soldiers to dominate in the future operating environment,” said Codega.

Burris praised the event.

“We value the various forums the Army facilitates to communicate and collaborate with the enterprise, but what sets this event apart from the rest is the focus on that which is vital to the future of the Close Combat Force,” said Burris. “Here we have interested partners in industry and academia, who are meeting with stakeholders in the Soldier enterprise face-to-face and sometimes one-on-one, to speak clearly and candidly to fully understand the requirements of the Close Combat Force. Industry and academia can take what they learn today and iterate on the problem or the potential from every angle, and we end up with the non-traditional solutions to help the Army maintain decisive and sustainable overmatch.”

By DEVCOM Soldier Center Public Affairs

Posted in Army, Guest Post | Comments Off on DEVCOM Soldier Center’s Industry Day Fosters Collaborative Partnerships

Black Powder Red Earth Collected Edition

Wednesday, October 19th, 2022

The Black Powder Red Earth® Basra + Syria Hardcover Edition collects the first two BPRE Series into a single clothbound hardcover book. These are the foundational works that attracted the attention of DC Think Tank, The Atlantic Council, where series creator Jon Chang was invited to speak on the future of urban warfare, as well as select US Special Operations Forces who have added the books to their collections.

Featuring an introduction by a former Troop Commander at the Asymmetric Warfare Group, new lettering, and an expanded glossary – the collected edition is a limited to 250 hand signed and hand numbered copies by writer Jon Chang and artist Josh Taylor. Featuring over 500 pages of full color art, the book includes a dust jacket and hardback slipcase, both wrapped in full color art.

Having been out of print for almost five years, the original BPRE series regularly sells for over $100 per copy on Amazon and Abebooks. Entirely sourced, printed and bound in the USA, this collection offers the best possible presentation of the work combining ultra-sharp Japanese digital printing and the highest quality archival paper available.

Add this book to your collection and purchase direct from _Echelon here. blackpowderredearth.com/merch_bpre_collected_edition

Learn more about Black Powder Red Earth: www.blackpowderredearth.com

Posted in Guest Post, Media | Comments Off on Black Powder Red Earth Collected Edition

New Air Force Combat Dive Badges Approved

Wednesday, October 19th, 2022

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) —

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. approved new Air Force combat dive badges and associated wear criteria for Airmen who have been wearing the Navy scuba badge.

Airmen who have graduated the Air Force Combat Dive Course are now authorized to wear the new Air Force-specific qualification badges for divers and diver supervisors as soon as they become available in Army and Air Force Exchange Service stores.

“Air Force combat divers are essential to both combat and austere rescue situations,” said Maj. Gen. Charles Corcoran, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations. “Having our own service-specific qualification badge accurately represents our unique capability to augment missions with any sister service component, and most importantly, highlights our member’s heroic actions to conduct rescue and retrieval operations to ensure no one gets left behind.”

The Air Force Combat Dive Course was established in January 2006 at Naval Support Activity Panama City, Florida. Prior to the establishment of the AFCDC, Air Force personnel had to attend the U.S. Army Combat Diver Qualification Course or U.S. Marine Combat Diver Course to earn combat diver qualifications.

Upon graduation, graduates were awarded the Navy Scuba qualification and badge, even though the Navy-designed badge does not accurately represent Air Force combat diver capabilities.

The Air Force Combat Diver badge is pictured. (U.S. Air Force graphic)

The Combat Dive Supervisor badge is pictured. (U.S. Air Force graphic)

“Navy scuba divers are trained for submarine and salvage diving,” said Senior Master Sgt. Christopher Uriarte, Air Force Command Dive Program manager and diver. “In contrast, U.S. Air Force combat divers are trained in the fundamentals of underwater tactical diving for insertion, extraction, and maritime rescue and recovery operations.”

These fundamentally different qualifications drove the requirement to establish a separate and distinct qualification badge for Air Force members and follows the precedent of other military branches replacing the Navy scuba badge with their own.

The new badges were developed by 350th Special Warfare Training Squadron Detachment 1 personnel. Two levels are authorized: Air Force Combat Diver, with a closed-circuit rebreather and Air Force Combat Dive Supervisor, identified by a traditional star and wreath on the badge, positioned on the rebreather.

Eligibility for wear of the respective badges is approved for graduates, both officer and enlisted, who have completed a Combat Diver or Combat Dive Supervisor course authorized in accordance with AFI 10-3504, Air Force Dive Program, paragraph 3.7.

The Air Force combat dive badges will be worn in accordance with AFI 36-2903, Dress and Personal Appearance of Air Force Personnel, guidance for wear of Miscellaneous Badges.

The textile badges are expected to be available in AAFES by the end of October 2022. The metal badges are currently in pre-production development.

Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs

Posted in AFSW, Air Force, Guest Post, Maritime, Profession of Arms | 4 Comments »

PDW Ti-Line Insulated Ramen Bowl

Tuesday, October 18th, 2022

Classic Japanese Ramen Bowl Crafted with Modern Aerospace Grade Materials

Prometheus Design Werx introduces their premium Ti-Line Insulated Ramen Bowl. Constructed with titanium, a double wall, and vacuum lined to keep food hot, longer. There are few things more satisfying than a hot bowl of noodle soup on a brisk day. And even more so, than savoring that meal while dining in the great outdoors. PDW created this unique noodle bowl for that special breed of outdoors person who is not only rough and tumble but is also equally a connoisseur on and off the grid. This ramen bowl melds the classic traditions of the East with today’s modern materials, that is lightweight, strong, durable, corrosion-proof and won’t chip or crack. Perfect for the foodie camper and overlander.

The PDW Ti-Line Insulated Ramen Bowl is available in a 45oz/1350ml size and comes packed in their signature printed Kraft cardstock box with mesh bag.

The Design and R&D Team at PDW states:

“We studied the many fine details required in the making our ramen bowl. Of the seven standard Japanese ramen bowl shapes, we choose the “Tayoudon”. This type of bowl is typically found in high end ramen shops, and “Tayoudon” literally translates as “multi-purpose bowl”. This shape of bowl is not only perfect for ramen, but also equally well suited for udon, soba, pho, to beef stew, chili and more. Making our bowl 8″ / 20.5cm in diameter and 45oz / 1350ml size and volume, means that while serving your ramen, the golden proportion of 70-80% food to volume ratio can be achieved while plating. Many of us know that well prepared meals taste best when savored in the great outdoors. The Ti-Line Insulated Ramen Bowl melds the classic traditions of the East with today’s modern materials, and perfect for the foodie camper and overlander. Live Free Eat Well Ladies and Gents. Itadakimasu!”

The PDW Ti-Line Insulated Ramen Bowl will be available for $89.00 at noon Pacific, Wednesday October 19th, 2022 via their website, prometheusdesignwerx.com.

Posted in Guest Post, Sustainment | 10 Comments »