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FORT CHAFFEE, Ark. — A rifle is fired, the cracking sound of the gunfire splits the quiet, sending a round-down range at more than twice the speed of sound. Smoke from the muzzle hangs in the air for a moment, long after the round has reached its target, 600 yards away.
“Hit,” said Sgt. Tristian Ivkov, an infantryman turned sniper with 1st Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment, Colorado Army National Guard, as he stared through his rifle scope. “Right on the X.”
Ivkov was talking to his spotter, Spc. Max Miller, also a Colorado Army Guard member, during one of the many shooting events at the 51st Winston P. Wilson and 31st Armed Forces Skill at Arms Meeting Sniper Rifle Matches at the Fort Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center Dec. 4-9. The pair won the WPW sniper match last year and were invited to compete as part of the All-Guard shooting team this year.
These matches are hosted annually by the National Guard Marksmanship Training Center of the Arkansas National Guard. This is the Super Bowl of National Guard shooting events, Ivkov said.
“I am impressed by the professionalism and knowledge that the cadre of instructors has here in Arkansas,” said Ivkov. “They have some of the best instructors this community has to offer. This would be impossible to replicate at the home station.”
The Winston P. Wilson matches include small arms, machine gun and sniper championships. Army and Air National Guard personnel from across the country are eligible to compete. The Armed Forces Skill at Arms Meeting is open to all U.S. military branches and international shooters. This year’s competition featured shooters from Denmark, the Netherlands, active component Army and Marine Corps and Special Forces teams.
The Winston P. Wilson and Armed Forces Skill at Arms Meeting sniper competition consisted of 33 two-person teams comprising of a shooter and spotter. The shooter’s primary focus is hitting the target, while the spotter relays data such as wind speed and direction, humidity and bullet trajectory, to the shooter.
The teams participated in 20 events that tested their ability to precisely engage long-range targets, as well as closer targets with different weapons systems. Snipers are also tested on their ability to conceal while stalking a target. This competition is the ultimate validation test of a sniper’s ability to shoot, move and communicate in a stressful environment, said Ivkov.
This year, the winners of the Winston P. Wilson match were Staff Sgt. Caleb Ash and Sgt. Ryan Marsh, with 1st Battalion, 635th Armored Regiment, Kansas Army National Guard. Staff Sgts. Demetrios Iannios and Eric Vargas, 223rd Regiment (Regional Training Institute), California Army National Guard, claimed the top spot in the Armed Forces Skill at Arms Meeting.
The NGMTC hosts the sniper competition at Fort Chaffee due to the range capacity, said Army Maj. Megan Thomas, the Marksmanship Training Center’s chief of operations., She added that this is the National Guard’s premier sniper range because of the capacity ability for long-range rifle fire.
“Increasing lethality is our main goal here,” said she said. “You want to be able to trust the person to your left and right that they can pull the trigger and render a target incapacitated if needed.”
Headquartered at Camp Joseph T. Robinson Maneuver Training Center, Arkansas, the 233rd Regional Training Institute and NGMTC administers National Guard Bureau training and competitive event initiatives.
In addition to shooting competitions, the NGMTC is also an official Army schoolhouse for squad-designated marksman, small arms and sniper courses. The school is facilitated by the Arkansas National Guard but is open to Soldiers in any Army component. This is the graduate school for many Soldiers to learn and expand on their tactical shooting skills. Soldiers leave certified with additional skill identifiers that designate them as marksmanship experts.
It’s all part of the NGMTC’s mission to provide marksmanship and sustainment training to Soldiers from across the country, said Thomas said.
“We’re spreading a wealth of knowledge,” said Thomas. “And [competitions] are a force multiplier. You bring one soldier here, and they can go back to their unit and assist with ranges, qualifications and [preliminary marksmanship instruction] to lead training on a range.”
Guard Soldiers typically must compete in their states’ Adjutant General Marksmanship Match to validate qualify certify their readiness to compete in the Winston P. Wilson and Armed Forces Skill at Arms Meeting competitions.
However, it’s not only about winning but learning from counterparts, said Sgt. Howard Hall, an infantryman with 1st Battalion, 185th Infantry Regiment (Stryker), California Army National Guard.
“Competitions like these really hone people’s skills to a higher level,” said Hall. “They continue to push us to strive to not just be complacent with the title of sniper but to really get out there and continue to earn it every day.
“This is where all the information exchange and networking happens. For that alone, it’s fantastic.”
By SFC Zach Sheely, National Guard Bureau
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, FLORIDA (AFRL) – The Air Force Rapid Dragon Program, a fast-paced experimentation campaign led by the Air Force Strategic Development Planning and Experimentation (SDPE) office, successfully completed its final flight test December 16 at the Eglin AFB Overwater Test Range.
The flight test capstoned a 2-year series and culminated in a live fire of a current inventory cruise missile armed with a live warhead. Rapid Dragon demonstrates the ability to employ weapons using standard airdrop procedures from cargo aircraft using the Rapid Dragon Palletized Weapon System.
The program name is derived from a thousand-year-old Chinese military designed crossbow catapult that launched multiple crossbow bolts with the pull of a single trigger, raining destruction down on armies from tremendous ranges. These lethal devices were called Ji Long Che—Rapid Dragon Carts. Today, the Rapid Dragon concept is changing the game again, this time as an airborne delivery system for U.S. Air Force weapons. And like its namesake, these palletized munitions promise to unleash mighty salvos en masse on distant adversaries.
During the December test, an MC-130J flown by an Air Force Special Operations Command operational flight crew, received new targeting data while in flight which was then routed to the cruise missile flight test vehicle (FTV). The aircraft agnostic Battle Management System’s inflight receipt and upload of the new targeting data into the FTV was a first-time achievement with a live cruise missile.
Once inside the drop zone over the Gulf of Mexico, the MC-130J aircrew airdropped a four-cell Rapid Dragon deployment system containing the FTV and three mass simulants, which were sequentially released from the palletized deployment box while under parachute. Safe separation from the deployment box and weapon deconfliction was demonstrated using an unconventional deployment method (nose-down vertical orientation). Immediately after the vertical release, the FTV deployed its wings and tail, achieved aerodynamic control, ignited its engine, performed a powered pull-up maneuver, and proceeded toward its newly assigned target. The cruise missile successfully destroyed its target upon impact.
The next step for the Rapid Dragon Program will be a live-fire test with a cruise missile from a C-17 in Spring 2022, demonstrating the aircraft agnostic capabilities of the Palletized Weapon System. Of note, the new retargeting methodology developed by the Rapid Dragon team is designed to be transferrable to other strike and cargo platforms, potentially increasing the lethality of those aircraft. Lastly, a follow-on program will look at expanding the Rapid Dragon carriage portfolio to include additional weapon systems and multiple effects capabilities, as well as continuing the maturation of the system, taking it from a developmental prototype to an operational prototype over the next two years.
“This type of experimentation campaign, that address capability gaps and demonstrates transformative efforts, helps us shape future requirements and reduces timeline to fielding,” said Maj. Gen. Heather Pringle, Air Force Research Laboratory commander, adding “This approach ultimately enables a rapid fielding alternative to traditional lengthy acquisition timelines.”
In addition to SDPE and AFSOC, demonstration participants included the Naval Surface Warfare Center-Dahlgren; Standoff Munitions Application Center; Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control; Systima Technologies; Safran Electronics & Defense, Parachutes USA, and R4 Integration, Inc.
Agility and collaboration enabled this government/industry team to go from a design to a system level flight test in 10 months, followed by a live fire five months later. During those last five months, Rapid Dragon has conducted five system level flight tests using three different aircraft (MC-130J, EC-130SJ, and C-17A).
“Rapid Dragon is a prime example of a government/industry partnership that embraces this acceleration mindset, building a community of subject matter experts and executing an aggressive, but well-thought-out, experimentation campaign,” said Dr. Dean Evans, SDPE’s Rapid Dragon Program Manager. This sentiment was echoed by Aaron Klosterman, SDPE’s Experimentation & Prototyping Division Chief when he said, “This accomplishment is a testament to what an agile U.S. Air Force and industry team can do when it is empowered to do business differently.”
The successful Rapid Dragon experiments pave the way for U.S. and allied mobility platforms to dramatically increase fires available for a combatant commander to place more adversary targets at risk.
“Rapid Dragon was able to accelerate development by building a broad and strong team. We were committed to a ’test often/learn-fast’ culture, dedicated to experimenting frequently and taking calculated risks. In addition to the MAJCOMs and Air Staff, the Rapid Dragon team included the Developmental Test (DT) and Operational Test (OT) communities, the aircraft and weapons Program Offices, and the mission planners. This collaboration from the onset streamlined the process and accelerated development, involving groups from the program inception that are not normally included at the very early stages, and that has made all the difference,” Evans added.
By Air Force Research Laboratory Public Affairs
The Triple AK47 SwiftClip® Placard, GP is a smaller, lighter alternative to a full chest rig, and is a quick attach/detach option allowing the end user to quickly change weapon systems without removing the rest of their equipment (radio, med etc). The placard has upward facing male buckles to clip into the SwiftClip® System on the chest of plate carriers and vests. The placard holds three AK47 magazines with an adjustable shock cord retention system. The front of the placard has three general purpose pouches, and a loop panel on the center pouch flap for ID Patches. www.velsyst.com/collections/featured-products/products/triple-ak47-swiftclip%C2%AE-placard-gp
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WASHINGTON (AFNS) —
Starting with the 22E6 and E5 promotion testing cycles, the Air Force will begin using Situational Judgment Test questions as part of the Promotion Fitness Examination (PFE). This change is an integral part of the overall talent management transformation effort to better align the enlisted promotion system with the Air Force’s foundational competencies and the new Airman Leadership Qualities, as well as provide an agile approach to measuring the diverse knowledge, skills, and experience of Airmen.
“This is another critical step in our talent management transformation, moving us away from using strictly knowledge-based questions while providing more agility in the way we measure the competency level and leadership abilities of our Airmen,” said Lt. Gen. Brian Kelly, Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower, Personnel and Services.
The change decreases PFE knowledge questions from 100 to 60, and adds 20 Situational Judgment Test questions that were derived from a diverse group of behavioral scientists and Senior Enlisted Leaders from across the Air Force. The overall points for the PFE will not change and will still make up 100 points of an Airman’s total score.
For each SJT question on the PFE, examinees will read the description of a situation relevant to their potential rank and duties, examine four possible responses to the situation, and then select the most effective and the least effective response.
Although there are no study references available for the SJT questions, Airmen should continue to familiarize themselves with the Airman Leadership Qualities, foundational competencies, and associated behaviors which will provide a general framework to consider when responding to these types of questions.
“We are constantly looking at ways to better develop and assess Airmen’s skills and abilities,” said Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass. “This is another step in the right direction, with more to come.”
HOHENFELS, Germany — A two-person team of Airmen is dropped off by a Bradley Fighting Vehicle at the forward line of troops. They move down the line of cavalry scouts until they meet another small team, this one made up of U.S. Army artillerymen, who are dismounted from their own Bradley and are outfitting their rucksacks for an extended patrol. They are preparing to scout enemy positions, checking their radios and packing binoculars for a long patrol behind enemy lines.
The teams are part of the force-on-force exercise portion of Combined Resolve XVI, which includes approximately 4,600 armed forces service members from Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine, United Kingdom and the United States. The operations are being conducted by integrated battalions with multinational units operating under a unified command and control element, allowing the U.S., its allies and partners to experience invaluable training alongside each other.
“Today we are going out as a COLT (Combat Observation Lasing Team),” said Senior Airmen Fernando Marquez, a Joint Terminal Attack Controller with 4th Air Support Operations Group. “A COLT team is basically the eyes on the ground when our sensor assets, which typically allows us to see far, cannot do the job. We have to push behind enemy lines, or in as far as possible with the enemy, so we can provide real targeting data for the brigade and division fires assets.”
The goal of COLT teams is to identify enemy targets, and, if possible, the teams will use laser targeting systems to mark targets for precision guided munitions. Joint teams of Fire Support Teams, known as FiSTers, and JTACs are best suited for providing COLT support to an Army brigade deployed in a combat scenario.
“Our mission is a list of high-value enemy targets,” said Sgt. Devon Eaker, a Joint Fire Support Specialist with 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment “Hamilton’s Own,” 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division. “I think I’m lucky to have the six guys total that we have right here. I’ve worked with these two JTACs before, and I’ve worked with the other three FiSTers a lot, and I can’t think of a better group of dudes to send forward to do this.”
FiSTers are the 1-5FA Headquarters and Headquarters Battery fire support officers, noncommissioned officers and enlisted joint fire support specialists responsible for identifying indirect fire, or fires, missions on the Combined Resolve XVI notional battlefield. FiST teams are attached to all of the multinational maneuver units operating during CBR XVI. This is an opportunity for these multinational units to experience the capability of the U.S. to provide close air support in joint operations.
“My fire support NCOs are organic to the field artillery battalion but are tasked out to each maneuver element,” said 1st Sgt. Michael York of HHB. “They are combat multipliers, and they enable the maneuver units to perform their mission by providing them with fires. So, if there is ever artillery, mortars or attack aviation getting called in, there is a fire supporter attached to that asset.”
Air Force JTACs direct the actions of aircraft while engaged in close air support. They can call in close air support from F-22s, A-10s, F-35s, or anything that the U.S. Air Force can provide air-to-ground operations.
“We’re fighting this new fight,” Marquez said. “We’re getting out of the COIN [counterinsurgency] mentality and moving into this new LSCO [large scale combat operations] fight. So, we are trying to shape the way we fight this new battle.”
Despite the proliferation of unmanned aerial vehicles in combat operations, both the Army and the Air Force continue to train and develop ground-force fire support teams. The force-on-force exercise held during Combined Resolve XVI at the Joint Multinational Training Center in Germany provides an excellent training opportunity for COLT.
“We’re essentially deep strike and reconnaissance,” Eaker said. “We get out there, forward of the FLOT, as close to the enemy as we can, see what’s coming and pitch it backwards. And if we can, we’ll kill what’s out there. We have access to aircraft via JTACs, fixed and rotary wing. We are in range of all artillery that the brigade has now through 1-5FA. With those combined, there’s not much out there that we can’t kill.”
The modern battlefield is shaped by UAVs directing cameras toward the enemy to gather intelligence. As the fight turns from terrorism to an enemy with more sophisticated electronic equipment and air defense, the potential disruption of UAV imaging is a very real threat. Well trained COLT teams ensure that U.S. Forces maintain the ability to penetrate enemy formations, identify threats and deliver fires munitions onto those threats, helping to maintain overwhelming firepower which is critical to victory on the LSCO battlefield.
To learn more about exercise Combined Resolve, follow: www.dvidshub.net/feature/CombinedResolve
By SSG George Davis
Rounding out the Wet Weather Protective (WWP) ensemble that launched the brand to market this spring, SITKA Arrowhead introduces the WWP Half Bib Pant – MDW as a COTS offering for Winter 2021.
Intended for wet/cold environments the Half Bib Pant is made with Gore GTX 3L 40d Nylon Ripstop with DWR. Providing an optional WWP pant solution that enhances protection when the end-user is in a static position, specifically when deployed in the prone position conducting observation or support by fire tasks.
The integrated suspender system with laddered adjustability allows the end-user to dial in the fit for unrestricted movement and flexible torso sizing. 7/8 Side Zips have been added to allow for the ease of donning and doffing when wearing boots. Large front facing cargo zip pockets provide ample space for gloves & accessories and dump pocket capability.
Always focused on best-in-class materials to meet SITKA Arrowhead purpose-built design principles, the WWP Pant and Half Bib Pant MDW include reinforced insteps made with Trelleborg HANK™.
Trelleborg HANK™ is a flexible and extremely light weight High Abrasion Neoprene Kevlar, that belies the fabrics exceptional durability and waterproofness.
“We picked this particular textile for our instep because it proved to be lighter, more flexible, had great abrasion resistance and was more waterproof than any other instep reinforcement materials on the market. It complements the GORE-TEX textiles we use without feeling over built. “
Eric Gilmore – SITKA Arrowhead Creative Lead
Berry Compliant – Made in USA – Find your nearest dealer
The TacMed™ RISE™ is a low profile, rugged splint designed for extremity fractures and pelvic stabilization in the prehospital environment. Born from lessons on the battlefield, it can be intuitively applied under stress to create a straight splint, a 90-degree sprint, or pelvic stabilizer and be easily secured to the patient with items such as an elastic wrap or pressure bandages.
It features dynamic living hinges that allow the splint to collapse for maximum portability and kit space savings while easily form-fitting to the required shape and dimensions for proper upper and lower extremity splinting of fractures. Its one-of-a-kind design is made of a lightweight polymer capable of withstanding surface cleaning and harsh elements, including saltwater, while maintaining its rigidity and durability.
With its compact size, the RISE™ also fits into most individual first aid kits including all standard military-issued IFAKs.
Unique to the RISE™, multiple cutout slots provide you the capability to create a pelvic stabilizer when paired with a windlass or ratcheting tourniquet such as our SOF® Tourniquet. The Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care (CoTCCC) recognizes splinting and pelvic stabilization application as a critical step to prevent additional injury before moving a casualty.
Whether you’re on the battlefield or a responder here at home, the RISE™ is an advantageous addition to any IFAK for increasing your medical capability at the point of injury when needed most.
If you are interested in learning more about the RISE™, check it out here: tacmedsolutions.com/products/rise
