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BEYOND Presents: Trail Jager vs Mountain Jager Jackets

Thursday, July 16th, 2026

Trail Jager (left) and Mountain Jager (right) shown together, illustrating two insulation approaches built around the same WINDSTOPPER® shell foundation.

Beyond Clothing’s Jager Series features two standout coldweather insulation layers: The Trail Jager Jacket and the Mountain Jager Jacket. While the jackets share an underlying construction philosophy and materials pedigree, they are designed for distinctly different activity levels and mission profiles and feature different insulation types and thermal intent.

Both pieces are built to integrate cleanly into modern coldweather layering systems, are Made in the USA, Berry Amendment compliant, and designed for professional end users.

Shared features include:

• WINDSTOPPER® by GORETEX LABS shell fabrics

• Helmetcompatible insulated hoods

• Glovefriendly hardware

• Chest and hand pockets accessible while wearing armor or packs

• Lowbulk profiles intended for modular layering

Trail Jager Jacket: HighOutput Active Insulation

The Trail Jager is optimized for sustained movement, using a hybrid construction to balance wind protection and breathability.

The Trail Jager Jacket is designed for continuous movement under load. It pairs WINDSTOPPER shell panels with 2.5 oz Polartec® Alpha Direct® insulation and Polartec® Power Grid™ fleece stretch panels.

Alpha Direct’s openloft structure allows moisture vapor and excess heat to escape during sustained movement, reducing sweat accumulation during patrols, ascents, and extended maneuver operations.

Polartec® Power Grid™ side panels provide airflow and stretch in highperspiration zones.

The Trail Jager aligns closely with ECWCS Level 3 (Active Insulation) concepts as defined within the CTAPS activeinsulation context, and is intended to function as either a breathable outer layer or an insulated midlayer beneath a shell.

Best suited for:

• Highoutput movement

• Patrol and reconnaissance missions

• Users prioritizing breathability over static warmth

• Cold wet and shoulderseason environments

• ECWCS Level 3 & 5 bridging roles

Mountain Jager Jacket: Increased Static Warmth

The Mountain Jager increases insulation density for cold exposure during reduced movement or static positions.

The Mountain Jager Jacket includes the WINDSTOPPER shell used across the Jager Series, and its use of the Climashield® APEX 360™ synthetic insulation provides more uniform thermal coverageand balanced heat retention, best for pauseandmove cycles, observation, overwatch, and coldweather exposure where wind and heat loss are missionlimiting factors.

Continuous synthetic insulation improves thermal consistency during extended static exposure.

A 40D lightweight nylon ripstop liner supports durability while keeping bulk manageable for integration into layered coldweather systems with a more tapered fit, designed to be worn under body armor or a chest rig.

A grid fleece–lined chin guard reduces abrasion and improves comfort when fully zipped in cold, windy conditions.

Best suited for:

• Mixed activity and static use

• Cold, windy, and alpine environments

• Observation and overwatch tasks

• ECWCS Level 5 & 7 bridging roles

SidebySide Comparison

Although shell materials and patterning are similar, insulation type and breathability separate the Trail Jager [Left] from the Mountain Jager [Right].

System Approach

Beyond Clothing’s Trail Jager and Mountain Jager arecomplementary options within a modular coldweather system. Both jackets address distinct operational needs by managing wind as a constant while tuning insulation to expected activity level, exposure duration, and environmental conditions.

Rather than prescribing a single insulation configuration, the system acknowledges natural variation in individual thermal regulation, movement intensity, and mission role. This approach allows users to select the appropriate Jager variant based on how they generate and retain heat in realworld use—whether during sustained movement, pauseandmove cycles, or extended static exposure—while maintaining compatibility within the same layering architecture.

Together, the Trail Jager and Mountain Jager reflect Beyond Clothing’s systemdriven design philosophy: enabling adaptable insulation choices that respond to changing conditions and user physiology, rather than enforcing a onesizefitsall coldweather solution.

Availability

Both jackets are available directly from Beyond Clothing in MultiCam, OCP, Ranger Green and Coyote with men’s and women’s fit, and are supported by government and unit purchasing programs.

• Trail Jager Jacket: $719.99 USD

• Mountain Jager Jacket: $749.99 USD

More information is available at beyondclothing.com.

Posted in Advertiser, Clothing, Guest Post | No Comments »

MATBOCK Visiting Ramstein Air Base This August

Thursday, July 16th, 2026

Founded by Navy SEAL veterans, MATBOCK specializes in engineering ultra-lightweight, mission-specific gear designed to reduce operator load and improve durability in the field. Leveraging proprietary materials like their water-shedding “Ghost” fabric, they develop advanced solutions in load-bearing armor, prolonged field care medical packs, maritime assault gear, and specialized K-9 handler equipment.

Attn: Units and Individuals in Germany

The MATBOCK team will be visiting Ramstein Air Base the week of August 19th.

If your unit is located at Ramstein or within the surrounding area and you would like to see their latest ultra-lightweight gear, medical packs, or multi-mission equipment solutions firsthand, please reach out to schedule a private meeting.

To set up an appointment, contact sales@matbock.com.

Posted in Advertiser, Guest Post | No Comments »

Army Announces Project Convergence-Capstone 6: A Milestone in Modernization

Thursday, July 16th, 2026

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army will execute Project Convergence-Capstone 6 from July 20 to July 29 at Fort Irwin, California. Directed by Lt. Gen. Michael McCurry, commanding general of the Army Futures and Concepts Command, PC-C6 aims to rigorously experiment with future technologies by significantly expanding the scope, scale and complexity of operations previously tested at the 4th Infantry Division’s Ivy Sting and Ivy Mass exercises.

The central focus of PC-C6 is the continued validation of the Next Generation Command and Control architecture, designed to ensure U.S. and allied forces can achieve and maintain decision dominance in complex, high-threat environments.

“PC-C6 is the largest experiment in the history of the program, delivering a critical opportunity to continue validation of NGC2 architecture at operational scale,” McCurry said. “By leveraging an Army division, we are not only testing over 100 emerging technologies in a realistic environment, and we are actively enhancing the future capabilities of our operational forces.”

Underscoring the importance of international partnerships in modern conflict, PC-C6 will feature robust multinational participation. The 4th Infantry Division will train and operate alongside allied forces from the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. This combined effort will test tactical system interoperability and strategic alignment among coalition partners.

“The Soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division will incorporate the newest ideas and technologies into their movements at Fort Irwin, providing Soldier feedback on Army command and control,” said Brig. Gen. Daniel Hibner, commander of the Army Joint Modernization Command and PC-C6 deputy director.

The data and insights gathered during this intensive 10-day event will serve as a foundational element for the Army’s modernization trajectory. Outcomes from PC-C6 are expected to directly inform acquisition decisions to ensure the Army is prepared for future threats.

U.S. Army Public Affairs

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Rangers Assess Bumblebee V2 at Fort Benning for Homeland Defense

Wednesday, July 15th, 2026

FORT BENNING, Ga. — Joint Interagency Task Force 401 and the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, completed a comprehensive five-day operational training exercise July 6-10, 2026, at Fort Benning to evaluate and employ the Bumblebee V2 counter-drone system in defense of military installations and domestic critical infrastructure. This training represents the latest tactical integration of low-cost, low-collateral air-to-air interceptors designed to secure domestic airspace and installations from drone threats.

The training at Fort Benning marks a major step forward in transitioning cutting-edge, artificial intelligence-enabled drone technology into the hands of elite rapid-response warfighters. Developed under an initial $5.2 million agreement in early 2026 and scaled under a landmark three-year, $500 million contract awarded in May 2026, the Bumblebee V2 is a next-generation, first-person-view multi-rotor drone designed specifically to hunt and neutralize hostile small unmanned aircraft systems.

“Our Rangers train to deploy rapidly and operate under the most challenging, high-stakes conditions in the world,” said Lt. Col. Jon Peterson, commander of the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. “The Ranger Regiment has a long history of pioneering the integration of advanced technologies and operational concepts that can then be rapidly proliferated across the Army and the joint force. Developing top-tier counter-UAS is a priority that requires our immediate action.”

Unlike traditional battlefield kinetic effectors that utilize energetic or explosive payloads, the Bumblebee V2 operates via a pure physical-collision mechanism. The system uses high-speed, direct kinetic energy upon physical contact to render both the interceptor and the threat inoperable, providing a safe, low-collateral solution. This precision-impact capability is optimized for domestic homeland defense under Title 10, Section 130i authorities, allowing commanders to protect critical military installations and national infrastructure without risking lives or property on the ground.

The Bumblebee V2 features an advanced three-camera array with improved gimbal rotation and artificial intelligence-driven automated target recognition. This feature reduces the cognitive load on operators, allowing soldiers to maintain full situational awareness while the drone autonomously tracks and executes hard-kill intercepts in mid-air with operator oversight.

“Securing our domestic airspaces and safeguarding critical infrastructure is both a modern battlefield reality and a vital homeland defense imperative,” said Army Brig. Gen. Matthew Ross, director of JIATF-401. “The Bumblebee V2 gives installation commanders a cost-effective, reliable interceptor that can neutralize threats without endangering our own forces or surrounding infrastructure. As the threat of drones continues to evolve, having a low-collateral kinetic option is essential for homeland defense.”

This training exercise builds directly on earlier operational assessments. These include tests conducted by paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg in April 2026.

As part of the evaluation event, JIATF-401 assessed a UAS target management capability from DRACOE. Based in North Carolina, DRACOE is a veteran-owned and operated business providing low-cost UAS components paired with a flight software management system that automates representative targets for counter-UAS training. Reducing the training cost and time is a pivotal aspect of JIATF-401’s approach to delivering state-of-the-art counter-UAS capability to warfighters.

By partnering with the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, JIATF-401 leverages a formation uniquely suited to rapidly evaluate emerging technologies under realistic operational conditions. The Ranger Regiment’s ability to integrate, refine and validate new capabilities helps accelerate the transition of promising technologies into operational use across the Army and the broader joint force. Through this collaboration, JIATF-401 continues to systematically expand the joint force’s capacity to employ layered, non-explosive kinetic defenses against evolving drone threats at home and abroad.

By LTC Adam Scher

Posted in Army, Drone, Guest Post | No Comments »

Space Force Aligns for Wartime Footing with Third Tranche of PAEs

Tuesday, July 14th, 2026

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) —

In the latest milestone of the ongoing Department of War-driven Acquisition Transformation, the Space Force has designated its third tranche of mission areas that will be assigned Portfolio Acquisition Executives including: Advanced Capabilities, Electromagnetic Warfare and Cyber, and Space Combat Power.

“Moving our portfolios into the PAE model completes a vital shift in our culture and operations,” said Thomas Ainsworth, performing the duties of the assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration. “By pushing accountability and authority down to the mission level across every single capability we field and all our acquisition avenues, we are cutting through legacy bureaucracy. The Space Force is now positioned to design, acquire, and field integrated systems at the speed of relevance.”

The portfolios are broadly arranged by mission area to minimize cross-organizational seams and dependencies while strengthening integration.

Posted in Acquisition, Guest Post, Space | No Comments »

Joint Interagency Task Force 401 Publishes Counter-Drone Handbook

Monday, July 13th, 2026

Joint Interagency Task Force 401 recently published a practical handbook designed to aid audiences across government, industry and academia in building a shared understanding of the drone threat and the basic principles of protecting against illicit drones.

The task force developed the guide, titled “Small Drones, Big Problems: A First Principles Approach to Countering-UAS,” as part of its mission to synchronize counter-unmanned aircraft systems efforts across the War Department and federal interagency partners.

The handbook also establishes a common vocabulary and incorporates the latest information about UAS, including lessons learned from operations in the Middle East and on battlefields in Europe. It explains how adversaries can use drones, outlines the key components of a layered drone defense and examines the factors that enable successful counter-UAS operations.

“It is crucial to build a common foundation for counter-drone efforts as we work with the entire government and interagency partners to respond to this growing threat,” said Army Maj. Joe Amoroso, deputy chief of strategic initiatives for JIATF 401. “This guide shares vital first principles and direct feedback from warfighters employing [counter]-UAS systems so the entire community has the means, methods and concepts for countering the defining threat of our time.”

The handbook emphasizes a layered approach as the most effective defense against illicit drones, with a variety of tools available to counter threats. It reinforces the importance of capabilities that go beyond technological solutions, including training for warfighters that equips them with the knowledge and permissions they need to respond to drone threats in real time.

Through this publication, JIATF 401 continues its mission to expand counter-UAS capability to warfighters at home and abroad.

“While there is no silver bullet to protect against drones, the threat can be mitigated if we are proactive, work with partners across the government and build a layered defense,” said Army Brig. Gen. Matt Ross, task force director. “We have faced novel challenges before, and we should not be intimidated by this one. We should lean in and take every possible step to prepare ourselves to dominate on the modern battlefield.”

By Joint Interagency Task Force 401

Posted in C-UAS, Guest Post | No Comments »

BFG Monday: Every Movement Has a Cost

Monday, July 13th, 2026

A Soldier pauses at a trail intersection beneath a canopy that blocks what little moonlight remains. Through night vision, familiar terrain has changed. Colors are gone. Depth is harder to judge. The field of view has collapsed into a narrow green window.

Ahead, the patrol continues moving quietly through the dark. A route needs to be marked. A danger area may need to be identified. A casualty collection point could need to be established before the night is over.

The mission does not stop because it is dark. It simply becomes more demanding.

US Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl Oscar Ocampo

Darkness changes the cost of simple tasks. Under NODs, navigation, security, communication, terrain, spacing, and threat awareness are all competing for attention at the same time. What feels routine in daylight can become slow and deliberate at night. Every reach, every search, and every extra step matters more.

That principle applies to every piece of equipment a Warfighter carries. Medical gear must be reachable. Magazines must be retrieved without hesitation. Radios must be easy to locate and manipulate under stress. Marking equipment is no different.

Chemlights remain one of the simplest marking tools available. No batteries. No programming. No setup. They work when they are needed, which is why they continue to be used for route marking, room marking, hazard identification, training lanes, and casualty collection points.

The problem has never been the chemlight itself. The problem has always been how users have had to carry and deploy them.

For years, the common solution was improvised. Individual chemlights were taped to reduce output under night vision, bundled together with 550 cord, and carried in groups based on color or mission need. It worked because users made it work, but it was never clean. Bundles add bulk. Cord creates clutter. Different colors have to be sorted. Individual lights have to be separated, activated, and deployed, often while wearing gloves, moving over uneven terrain, and maintaining awareness of everything happening around the user.

None of those actions are complicated on their own. Together, they create friction at the exact moment the user needs fewer things competing for attention.

That problem led Blue Force Gear® to develop the MARCO® Dispenser line. The MARCO 1.5 organizes thirty 2-inch chemlights in a compact package with a footprint similar to an M4 magazine, giving users a cleaner way to carry and deploy marking lights without loose bundles, tangled cord, or unnecessary bulk.

Instead of searching through a bundle and separating a light from a tether, the user can remove and activate a chemlight with a simple two-finger motion as it leaves the dispenser. The result is not just faster deployment. It is a more consistent workflow when consistency matters.

That difference is easy to overlook until the conditions get worse. Low light has a way of exposing unnecessary movement. Gloves reduce dexterity. Terrain slows the pace. Communication becomes more deliberate. Peripheral vision is limited. The user is already processing less information through a narrower view of the world, which makes every additional task more expensive.

Marking should not become one of those tasks.

Whether identifying a route, marking a danger area, supporting a training lane, or establishing a casualty collection point, the goal is not simply to carry chemlights. The goal is to place light where it is needed with as little interruption as possible. Equipment should support that process, not add another problem to solve.

Small efficiencies matter because they compound. One less reach. One less search. One less unnecessary movement while working through a complex problem in the dark.

The best gear does not change the mission. It removes friction between the user and the task. Every movement has a cost. The right equipment makes sure those movements are not wasted.

For units seeking to increase survivability and operational performance through reduced load carriage by upgrading to Helium Whisper, contact the Blue Force Gear Military Department or visit BlueForceGear.com.

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Radio ‘Rodeo’ Leverages C5ISR Center Expertise, Facilities to Improve NGC2 Tech

Monday, July 13th, 2026

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — Next Generation Command and Control, the U.S. Army’s flagship continuous transformation effort relies on a partnership with industry to identify the most promising technologies and make the best investment decisions for rapid capability development and delivery.

The Army’s Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center supported that effort through its “Radio Rodeo.”

Held from March through April of this year, the rodeo consisted of a series of simulated battlefield communications challenges using the center’s unique laboratory and testing infrastructure to create the effects of denied, disrupted, intermittent and limited bandwidth caused by an adversary. These challenges were directed against emerging radio capabilities from more than a half-dozen industry partners, designed to assess their communications systems’ ability to keep Soldiers depending on them in the fight.

The goal is to ensure that U.S. forces are the most lethal force in any conflict. Good communications in battle is essential to that. The sooner industry technology developers learn about the vulnerabilities in their radios, the faster the Army is able to field the warfighter with a better radio.

Historically, formal operational or developmental test cycles could take years and were often not aligned to industry’s research and development timelines or the Army’s unit equipping schedule. The Radio Rodeo, and potential follow-on events, rapidly accelerate this process down to months, if not weeks. According to George Palafox, the senior engineer for the effort, “This is testing performed at the speed of need for industry technology developers.”

According to C5ISR Center Director Beth Ferry, “The Radio Rodeo is unlocking the best of both industry technology development and the Army’s science and technology workforce. Working together, we are establishing the Army’s best path forward for investing in these capabilities.”

The rodeo subjected industry radios to simulated degrading effects in the center’s cutting-edge Combined Joint Systems Integration Laboratory, followed by systematic field testing. C5ISR Center engineers then analyzed the data they collected to assess the resilience of each radio, culminating in one-on-one engagements with each industry team to give them a detailed report on their radio system’s performance.

During this sequence, the center’s industry partners get real-time feedback and have the opportunity to make fixes on the fly in collaboration with Army technical experts during the field testing phase.

Through these rodeos, the C5ISR Center team members learn alongside industry partners and in turn, the Army learns. Industry partners get the benefit of timely performance evaluations and a heads up on any imminent changes in Army requirements. This helps them make the most of their internal research and development budgets.

Another benefit of these rodeos is the value of collaborative technology development between government and industry. The Army gets the best available technology in the hands of Soldiers much faster. Other divisions at the C5ISR Center are developing the same methodology — in-depth vendor product testing followed by technical exchanges to advance other areas of defense technology such as 5G communications, wireless power and antennas.

By Brian Feeney, DEVCOM C5ISR Center Public Affairs

Posted in Army, Comms, Guest Post | No Comments »