Jim Fuller is an Internationally recognized expert with the Kalashnikov rifle, he is the founder of Rifle Dynamics, Jim sold the company in 2017 and stayed on as a consultant until 2019. Jim has been one of the main contributors to the growth and popularity of the AK in America and founded Fuller Phoenix to get back to his roots of building/designing durable fighting rifles. His Phoenix has risen…
www.fullerphx.com
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The Direct Action Resource Center located in North Little Rock, Arkansas provides professional training to Military, Law Enforcement and Citizens. Spiritus Systems had the opportunity to attend the Law Enforcement Counter Terrorism Course, Level 2 or “LECTC2” recently.
The course was comprised of professional SWAT and Patrol officers from around the country and has a prerequisite of “LECTC1” to attend. This class was 6 days long and included copious amounts of explosive breaching, live fire CQB, live fire sniper support and contested force on force sim munition training.
DARC recently released a full class calendar for 2021 on their website and will be expanding their open enrollment offerings to include both the TUSC (Tactical Urban Sustainment Course) and Precision rifle TUSC. Spiritus Systems plans to release additional content over the coming year that brings those online closer to the action at DARC and give a glimpse of the advanced training that happens at the island.
For a full class description and attendance requirements please contact the Direct Action Resource Center at www.darc-usa.com.
To learn more about Spiritus Systems products you can visit www.spiritussystems.com.
FORT EUSTIS, Va. – The Army’s new physical fitness test, known as the Army Combat Fitness Test, or ACFT, is here to stay. Or at least some form of it, says Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael A. Grinston. What some may overlook when making an opinion on the program is the “combat” aspect of the ACFT, which was designed to prepare Soldiers for combat and reduce injuries caused by physical fitness routines.
With that in mind, 2020 Drill Sergeant of the Year, Sgt. 1st Class Erik Rostamo, and a team of experts from the U.S. Army Center for Initial Military Training, brought realistic ACFT training to life here, Feb. 26.
The “sprint, drag, carry” event of the ACFT is designed to simulate “sprinting” to aid an injured Soldier, then “dragging” a Soldier out of harm’s way when under fire, and “carrying” ammunition to a fighting position on the battlefield. For the ACFT, two 45-pound weights are configured as a “sled” for dragging purposes, while Soldiers are required to wear the Army Physical Fitness Uniform, or APFU. For the training Rostamo and the CIMT team designed for this day, a 140-pound dummy was used to represent an actual Soldier, and participants performed the task while wearing their Army Combat Uniform, or ACU. In addition, an extra twist was added – after completing the “sprint, drag, carry,” participants were required to apply a field tourniquet to the dummy, which simulated a wounded Soldier requiring immediate first aid.
“This exercise showed the Soldiers why the Army is moving toward holistic fitness, and developing the ‘Soldier Athlete,’” Rostamo said. “All Soldiers, regardless of their MOS [military occupational specialty], never know when they will find themselves on the battlefield.”
Soldiers participating in the training weighed in with their thoughts.
“It was amazing training,” said Staff Sgt. Jacob Walker, 2nd Battalion, 210th Aviation Regiment. “Unless you’re in a combat arms MOS, and your leaders go out of their way to train these tasks, it’s a perishable skill. I will be adding this type of training to my physical training plan when I get back to FORSCOM [Forces Command].”
All Soldiers, whether they are a transportation Soldier, a mechanic, or an infantryman, must be physically able to deploy anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice… This was Rostamo’s mantra for the day.
“I liked it. It drove home the reality of why we are training,” said Sgt. 1st Class Mario Rodriguez, 128th Aviation Brigade. “The dummy we were dragging instead of the weights provided extra motivation as a simulated battle buddy.”
The added field tourniquet element at the end of the “sprint, drag, carry” was clearly noticed by participating Soldiers who were winded and exhausted after the event. They had to compose themselves in order to successfully administer the field tourniquet and appreciated the challenge.
“I enjoyed it. I feel it was a great opportunity to connect the ACFT to actual combat training,” said Staff Sgt. Hillary Hernandez, 2nd Battalion, 210th Aviation Regiment. “I look forward to taking this training with me to use with my future Soldiers.”
TRADOC’s senior enlisted adviser, Command Sgt. Maj. Daniel T. Hendrex, participated in the training and shared his firsthand knowledge of providing first aid on a battlefield.
“This event was an excellent way to connect the importance of functional fitness requirements to a scenario that is reality on today’s modern battlefield,” Hendrex said. “Conducting the “sprint, drag, carry,” but with a 140-pound dummy, weighted ammo cans, and full kit, ending with the application of a field tourniquet, was an eye opener for everyone.”
Hendrex pointed out this also reinforces an important principle, “if the wounded are able, have them move to you.”
Conducting multiple repetitions of this skill in training is the preferred method of learning, and placing a medical task at the end is a great way for everyone to recognize its importance, Hendrex emphasized.
“The energy within the group is what motivated me,” said Pfc. Savanna Pendergrass, 10th Transportation Battalion. “This simulation gave me a true understanding of what it is like on the battlefield.”
By David Overson, TRADOC Communication Directorate
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. – We still own the night.
The PVS 14 night vision monocular and PAS 13 thermal rifle optics are technologies of the past as the Enhanced Night Vision Goggle – Binocular (ENVG-B), Nett Warrior, and Family Weapon Sights – Individual (FWS-I) deliver leap-ahead capabilities to ensure overmatch against near-peer threats in all domains.
Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division spent three weeks at Aberdeen Proving Ground learning and testing the new equipment set as a part of the program’s guiding Soldier Centered Design philosophy that ensures end user feedback at every step of the technology’s development.
“The ENVG-B is leaps and bounds beyond what we have now, it’s really impressive technology,” said SPC Timmoy Ellis, 2-506, 101st Airborne Division. “My first time in a unit when I tried out the old NODs [night observation device] last year, I got lost and was all the way on the other side of where I was supposed to be. So this will especially help the new guys that haven’t walked in the field at night, they’ll be able to see exactly where they’re going. I wouldn’t have gotten lost if I had these ENVG-B’s, that’s for sure.”
The ENVG-B’s dual tubes feature high-definition white phosphor and overlaid fused thermal technology. ENVG-B Program of Record prototypes are making marked advancements from legacy PVS-14s and previously fielded Enhanced Night Vision devices.
“The white phosphor fused with the thermal overlay helps a lot as well,” said SGT William Williams, 3BCT, 2-506, 101st Airborne. “The good thing about it is the mode that may work best for me, may not work for one of my Soldiers. It has lots of settings to where they can adjust whether they want more white phosphor or more thermals, so in situations where you’re not getting a lot of ambient light you can crank the thermal up and really see anything that picks up heat or puts off a heat signal.”
This ENVG-B capability set features more mode options with the added ability to interface with Nett Warrior’s AR tools in multiple goggle modes.
“When you integrate those technologies you’re going to increase situational awareness and also lethality at night,” said MAJ Bryan Kelso, PEO Soldier Assistant Product Manager for ENVG-B. “You get added capabilities such as rapid target acquisition, the ability to passively bring the weapon optic into the goggle, and also augmented reality when you bring in any of the icons displayed on the Soldier’s Nett Warrior end user device [EUD]. Those all feed straight into the ENVG-B goggles so the Soldiers don’t have to open up their EUD and they can keep moving and seeing those graphical icons.”
Increased SA capabilities
When the high-resolution ENVG-Bs are paired with a Nett Warrior device, the Android Tactical Assault Kit (ATAK) uses AR applications to overlay map graphics and blue force tracking capabilities for increased situational awareness, communication, and mission planning across day and night operations. Soldiers can also enter enemy icons on the EUD and share with others across their network.
“The Nett Warrior technology gives us a better understanding of what we’re getting ready to go do, and helps us battle plan and track each other,” said Williams. “As a squad leader it’s nice to have the Nett Warrior, even if it is not being pumped into the NODs itself I can take that quick tactical pause, flip my phone down on my kit to check it out and see where all my guys are at and see exactly what’s happening on the battlefield.”
“With Nett Warrior you don’t have to be confused,” added Ellis. “You know there’s a river right here so plot to go around it, you know this team is over here, this squad is over there, you know exactly where everyone’s at so you don’t have to stop the formation to look for guys or see if they got stuck at an obstacle, so we can plan accordingly. It’s pretty cool”.
Nett Warrior not only enables increased situational awareness to the dismounted leader, but to higher command and control (C2) as well. The NW system is equipped with a dual channel multi-band radio that enables communication and data sharing on a much larger scale.
“These systems help make communication to leadership easier because sometimes things get hectic out there and I might stumble up, but now even if I can’t talk at the moment I can hit a button and push everything that I have on my Nett Warrior out to my chain of command so they know exactly what I’ve got going on,” added Williams.
Not only does Nett Warrior deliver increased situational awareness and C2 communication, but it enables more efficient mission planning and execution as well.
“Usually it takes hours or days to plan a mission once it comes down,” said Ellis. “Then we sit down and build a sand table and they say ‘Hey, this is what we’re doing,’ so you don’t really get to see that 3D aspect of it. Now once we know we have to hit this village, we can get it planned out pretty quickly, push the mission package out to the other guys, and knock that mission out.”
Mission planning with Nett Warrior is more efficient, but it is also more comprehensive.
“When you mission plan with the Nett Warrior system you can show that we’re hitting this building here and then you can plan out since we’re hitting this building we can put up support by fire here, the weapons go here, and build from the same operating picture that everyone sees. It’s a really nice concept because everyone can see exactly the lay of the land and exactly what you’re doing in advance before even going in,” said Ellis.
Added range, even from cover and concealment
The FWS-I optic feeds the view of the weapon sight into the ENVG-B goggle display, allowing Soldiers to accurately identify and engage targets at increased ranges without physically being face to face and without the need for a laser.
“The FWS-I is mounted in front of the Soldier’s day optic on their M4, which allows you to passively engage targets in a multitude of ranges out to the max effective range of the weapon,” said Kelso. “You can actually detect targets beyond 600 meters, so past where you could effectively engage with an M4.”
The increased range of the optic will allow targets to be identified at farther distances than ever before, and RTA provides the Soldier a passive solution to engage enemies. Picture in Picture and Full Weapon Sight modes allow the Soldier to accurately engage from behind cover and concealment.
“It’s pretty cool to be able to put my head down and engage targets without actually compromising cover,” said Williams. “I could stay completely behind cover, my eyes and head not even looking in the direction of the target, and utilize my FWS-I pumped into the ENVG-B and effectively engage my targets that way.”
Williams adds, “Another good thing about the FWS-I is that it eliminates us having to use a laser, which is a big thing because if we’re engaging with a near-peer because they will be able to tell where we’re at immediately if we’re using lasers.”
Big picture
The ENVG-B, Nett Warrior, and FWS-I all individually deliver capabilities beyond what is standard in today’s battlespace. The ENVG-B delivers dual tube improved Image Intensification (I2) resolution, fused thermal image, and wireless connection with FWS-I and Nett Warrior. The FWS-I provides enhanced target recognition and passive engagement capabilities, even behind cover and concealment. Nett Warrior provides blue force tracking, improved communication, and mission planning tools.
“It reduces the potential of fratricide issues and can help units link up with each other, especially if you want to remain in radio silence,” said Kelso. “There is also consistent visibility of where those blue forces are on the battlefield and with its dynamic refresh rate feature it refreshes more often based on the Soldier’s movement. When identifying either potential or known enemies that information can also get fed through the unit and immediately populate the common operating picture to inform decision makers at a higher level.”
Together the integrated kit delivers the increased situational awareness, communication, and lethality to save lives and ensure undeniable near peer overmatch.
“It has definitely grown on me,” said Williams. “At first I didn’t like it at all. I was like, just give me the NODS and let’s go on, but it has grown on me and in certain situations I think it can help save lives and win the fight.”
Nearly 5,000 ENVG-Bs have been fielded thus far per an Army Directed Requirement. In parallel, the ENVG-B Program of Record has entered Low Rate Production and continues to prepare for its next major test event involving Soldiers in May at Fort Polk, LA. Nett Warrior will be tested with 2nd Cavalry Regiment in April followed by its fielding to 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team 25th Infantry Division in July 2021.
By Courtney Bacon
I know this has nothing to do with diving, but I grow up outside of Boston, and I have always felt that this is an excellent piece of history. I am sure many of you have heard this story, but maybe you didn’t know all of it as you should.
On 5th March 1770, British troops in Boston killed five colonists. The incident was stared over a wig that lead to the taunting of British soldiers in Boston. The British retaliated by firing their muskets at the Americans, killing three and injuring eleven. Two of the injured succumbed to their injuries. The colonists’ deaths, which became known as the Boston Massacre, inflamed American anti-British feelings and was one of the most critical incidents leading up to the Revolutionary War.
It was only a matter of time before the British troops sent to Boston clashed with the colonists. (General Thomas Gage had ordered over 4 British Army regiments to Boston, of which the first regiment landed at Boston on 1st October 1768. Two left in 1769) On 5th March 1770, the day arrived. A British sentry was stationed at the Customs House on King Street that early evening (today “State Street” in downtown Boston.) The colonists started taunting the sentry. The crowd grew quickly. Captain Thomas Preston, the Officer of the Day, ordered seven or eight soldiers under his command to assist the sentry as the crowd rose. Preston was not far behind. The crowd had increased to between 300 and 400 hundred men by the time the additional troops arrived. The British soldiers, whose muskets were loaded, were taunted by an ever-increasing crowd. The crowd then started throwing snowballs at the sentinels. One of the soldiers was knocked out by a colonist. As he stood up, the soldier fired his musket and shouted, “Damn you, shoot!” After a brief pause, British soldiers opened fire on the colonists. Three Americans died instantly: ropemaker Samuel Gray, mariner James Caldwell, and Crispus Attucks, an African American sailor. A ricocheting musket ball hit Samuel Maverick in the back of the crowd, and he died a few hours later in the early morning the next day. Patrick Carr, a thirty-year-old Irish refugee, died two weeks later.
The incident was soon called “the Boston Massacre.” But also known as the “Incident on King Street.” This alternate name is more popular among the British people. The depiction of the above events rapidly spread across the colonies thanks to Boston engraver Paul Revere, who copied a drawing by Henry Pelham. The image inflamed Americans’ distrust of the British. Captain Preston and four of his men were charged with manslaughter and convicted. The soldiers were tried in open court, with one of the Defense Attorneys being John Adams. Preston was found “not guilty” when it became apparent that he did not give the firing order. Some accounts say that the order to fire came from the crowd. The other soldiers were found guilty of manslaughter and had their thumbs branded as a punishment.
What lead to it
All the clashes between soldiers and civilians were published in the “Journal of Occurrences,” which was nothing, but a series of newspaper articles published anonymously. The Journal was aimed at chronicling the clashes between British soldiers and Bostonians, but in doing so, the reports were often exaggerated. These exaggerated reports led to further tensions. Unfortunately, the tensions between the civilians and the soldiers increased significantly after the death of Christopher Seider. He was an 11-year-old, killed on 22nd February 1770 by a British customs employee.
His death raised the tensions between the Britain troops and the civilians of Boston. Seider received the most prominent funeral in Boston, and the Boston Gazette covered the whole event. Media coverage continued and kept the tensions alive. Colonists started harassing soldiers, and the soldiers, in turn, started looking for a confrontation. A young man named Edward Garrick (who was an apprentice of a wig maker) showed up in front of the Boston Custom House and called out to Captain-Lieutenant John Goldfinch.Edward started saying that Goldfinch did not settle a bill from Garrick’s master. (He had paid for the wig the day before). Private Hugh White shouted at Garrick (as privates do) and asked him to be more respectful towards the officers. As the two-man started to yell at each other even louder, this began to make things worse. Garrick began to poke the Private in the chest with his finger. Private White responded by relinquishing his post and striking Garrick on the side of the head with the butt of his musket. Now the crowd started to get bigger. Both sides made threats. Henry Knox, who later became a general in the American Revolutionary War and Ft Knox fame, told the Private that if he fired, he should die for it. As, the evening progressed, the number of people in attendance grew. The church bells were rung. Many people came out because the bells signaled a fire. Private Hugh White, who had taken a safer spot-on Boston Custom House’s steps, was being surrounded by nearly 50 civilians. Crispus Attucks was one of the people in the crowd. He was a former slave who was of mixed race. Private Hugh White was forced to call for help due to the tumultuous crowd. Runners told Captain Thomas Preston, the officer of the watch, about the entire incident. Preston dispatched six privates and a non-commissioned officer from the Regiment of Foot as soon as he received the news. These soldiers were armed with fixed bayonet muskets. Preston had directed them to relieve Private Hugh. Captain Preston accompanied the six privates and the non-commissioned officer on the mission. To get to Private Hugh White, these eight people forced their way through the crowd. When they were approaching Private White, Henry Knox threatened Preston that if he shot, he would die. Preston replied to the alert by saying, “I am aware of it.” When Preston and his men arrived at Private Hugh’s place, the soldiers formed a semi-circular defensive position. They drew their muskets and pointed them at the onlookers. Preston then yelled at the crowd, telling them to disperse. The crowd was estimated to be between 300 and 400 people. Preston’s pleas were ignored, and the crowd began to move forward, tossing small objects and snowballs at the troops. Private Hugh Montgomery was struck by one of the items hurled by the crowd (one of the six privates who came to rescue Private Hugh). Private Montgomery was knocked down and lost his musket as a result of things being thrown at him. Private Montgomery recovered quickly, collected his weapon, and yelled angrily, “Damn you, shoot!” before firing into the crowd. There was a brief period of silence after Private Montgomery fired the shot, ranging from a few seconds to two minutes. After that, the soldiers opened fire on the crowd. Even though Captain Preston had not given any orders to shoot, the soldiers did so anyway.
The bullets struck 11 people in the crowd. Private Montgomery was the soldier who assassinated Crispus Attucks. Samuel Gray was shot and killed by Private Kilroy, a soldier. Although all of the soldiers (including Preston) were arrested the next morning, and they all pleaded not guilty. A town meeting was held at Boston’s Faneuil Hall as Hutchison conducted his investigation. The Bostonians formed a committee to look into the incident. Samuel Adams was the chairman of the committee. The committee looked into it and recommended that troops be removed from Boston. During the initial investigation, four civilians were arrested for taking part in the massacre, but they were later found not guilty and released. The British administrators were forced to transfer the troops to Castle William, an old fort on Boston Harbor, under duress. For the events of 5th March 1770, Samuel Adams coined the word “Boston Massacre.” On 27th November 1770, Captain Thomas Preston and his eight men (including Private White) were brought to trial. Preston was tried separately from the other soldiers. Josiah Quincy Jr. and John Adams were the trial’s defenders. Samuel Adams, the chairman of the Bostonians’ committee, and John Adams’ nephew. Samuel Quincy and Robert Treat Paine were the trial’s attorneys. At the appeal, Captain Thomas Preston was found not guilty on all charges, and he returned to England on 2nd December 1770. For all of the hardships he suffered during the Boston Massacre, he got a £200 reward. Two of the eight soldiers were convicted of manslaughter. Kilroy and Montgomery were sentenced on 14th December 1770, nine days after their trial. They were expected to face the death penalty as a matter of course. Montgomery and Kilroy both filed appellees, and their lives were spared. They were released, but the letter “M” was tattooed on their thumbs, indicating manslaughter. On 8th March, the first three victims of the Boston Massacre were buried at the Granary Burying Ground. On 17th March, the fourth individual to die was buried alongside the first three. The victims’ funeral procession drew 12,000 people from Boston. The procession also paid a visit to the Liberty Tree.
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. (AFNS) —
A Tyrannosaurus rex replica named “Stan” proudly stands in front of the Google Corporation’s headquarters in California. With his threatening gaze and gaping mouth, he provides a stark contrast to the rest of the campus. Google highlights the extinct apex predator as a sobering reminder innovation is more than just a term – we must ‘innovate or die’.
The story, however, isn’t entirely fair to the T. rex. The enthusiasm for innovation is omnipresent in both political and military leaders. Our society reveres entrepreneurs, lauds innovative companies and understands evolution can lead to revolutionary change. There are reasons, however, not to be innovative – especially when it comes to moral decisions between life and death. As military members authorized to use deadly force, we have to balance human decision-making and technological advances. This concept is well understood by both senior leaders and technology developers, and ensuring the success of our future conflicts depends on maximizing the capabilities between these two entities.
Lt. Col. John “Karl” Marks’ story, in a lot of ways, is parallel to Stan’s. However, he is far from extinct. Marks, an attack pilot with the 303rd Fighter Squadron, is just 100 hours shy of reaching 7,000 hours in the A-10 Thunderbolt II cockpit, securely holding the record for most hours in the aircraft of all time. He is a legendary figure in his own right; choosing, experimenting, and teaching the iterations of add-ons and changes the weapons system has received over the years. Marks began his career during the Cold War when the A-10 was focused on developing tactics to defend against Soviet tanks in Europe, and he just culminated his 13th combat deployment overall, this one his 6th to Afghanistan supporting troops on the ground for Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.
One of his most memorable deployments was during Operation Desert Storm. On February 25, 1991 – at just 26 years old – then-1st. Lt. Marks and flight lead, Capt. Eric “Fish” Solomonson flew a trio of missions over Kuwait and Iraq, destroying 23 Iraqi tanks, using infrared AGM-65 missiles and the infamous GAU-8 cannon. Mission planning 30-years ago consisted of paper maps and cardstock lineup cards. Flying was far less automated and correcting for dive angle and airspeed was a must. Direct hits were annotated with a grease pencil on the inside of the canopy and battle damage assessments were written on the walls of the debrief room upon return. One day, three missions, all ordnance expended – a wildly successful day and campaign for these two attack pilots.
Compared to today’s aircraft, the A-10 from 1991 seems primitive. Today, the engines are pretty much the same and the basic airframe hasn’t changed much; internally, though, it’s completely upgraded. The targeting pod now integrates with helmet-mounted display allowing not only for flight data to be displayed but also the target, the cannon now has a stabilization system to hold it on target while firing, GPS avionics advancements have led to GPS-guided weapons system integration, and additional systems can now automatically detect and respond to incoming threats with countermeasures.
The system upgrades definitely simplify a pilot’s decision about life and death quicker and with increased certainty. The trade-off, however, is the result of a several-step process. The question is not whether technology or humans should make life-or-death choices, but instead, who is responsible for each step in the process. The Air Force invests significant resources to enable pilots to become proficient in their roles as decision makers focused on whose life to risk, when, and for what objective.
Marks’ leadership in the air is valued for his ability to adapt to new technology and tailor the aircraft’s inputs appropriately. Studies show unless these inputs are intuitive, commanders and troops alike will revert to simpler, combat tested tools which are inherently more comfortable. Marks, for example, is one of the few A-10 pilots who prefers to fly with binoculars in the cockpit. The targeting pod, while upgraded, lacks color and the binoculars provide an extra layer of reassurance and speed when identifying friend versus foe.
Some of the younger A-10 pilots may politely mock Marks for flying with binoculars, but his aura is infectious, his war stories second-to-none. At the end of the day, they value his experience and seek to emulate his tactics.
“Karl is truly a legend,” said Col. Mike “Angry” Schultz, commander of the 442nd Fighter Wing. “He is methodical and meticulous – his experience comes with ease but never arrogance. We are grateful to have him in our wing and his continuous desire to learn, teach and mentor the next generation of fighter pilots is not only humbling, but a true testament to the love of his craft.”
As he approaches 7,000 hours, Marks has experienced every upgrade in the aircraft, and acknowledged his time in the cockpit is unfortunately coming to an end.
“Being able to get out there and fly the A-10 keeps me coming to work every day,” Marks said. “It’s still challenging, it’s still awesome, and they keep bringing new technology and new ways of fighting which keeps it relevant. We may not be the fastest aircraft, but when we talk about the aircraft’s abilities from a close air support platform – we are simply still the best.”
The technological advances the A-10 has seen over three decades are nothing short of impressive and its value to combatant commanders is unparalleled. Investing in new technology while developing a pilot’s tactics is paramount to maintaining our competitive edge. The A-10 is the number-one combat search and rescue platform in the world, and training opportunities to practice newer techniques, like forward arming and refueling points and agile combat employment, will keep the aircraft relevant in peer-to-peer conflicts. The most valuable weapon system, however, is the men and women that fly the airplanes. The steps taken now in accelerating and adapting to change remain the most important drivers in our nation’s future conflicts.
Unlike Stan, who couldn’t possibly have adapted to stop the asteroid that wiped out his fellow dinosaurs, the U.S. Air Force as a whole, and the A-10 community specifically, will continue to accelerate change so we’ll continue to be ready for the future fight.
By Maj Shelley Ecklebe, 442nd Fighter Wing
This week we are focusing on the Contractor Bag and Rolling Frame. Need help getting your gear squared away and contained? Enter the Contractor Bag. It’s a staple for law enforcement and military, and anyone interested in high-quality, American made gear bag for travel, backcountry hunting or your next expedition.
The bag features top loading through a large generous zipper closed portal and has reinforced secured handles that can be used to offset the pull of the bag behind you so as not to clip your heels or for those times when you find yourself pulling two. Since all of the FirstSpear end users we’ve talked to claim to have never used it in raids or ambushes, we decided to release it in some more travel-friendly colors.
The frame is engineered to be lightweight and durable and features two wheels to help you maneuver.
Dimensions:
Width: 16”
Depth: 11.5” at the top 12.5” at the bottom
Length: 36”
*interior open and pictured with FS Sherpas inside — sold separately*
The Contractor Bag is available in black, manatee and rust.
For more information check out, www.first-spear.com/contractor-bag-and-rolling-frame.
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – After numerous tests and feedback from Airmen around the world, the Air Force Uniform Office has finalized the design of the new Physical Training Gear (PTG) uniform, and is preparing to begin the production process.
This is the first update to the PT uniform in more than 16 years, and over 150 Airmen participated in testing the uniform.
“Our main requirement [from Air Force leaders] was to develop a PT uniform that people really wanted to wear and is as good as if not better than commercially available athletic wear,” said Tracy Roan, chief of the Air Force Uniform Office, which is aligned under the Agile Combat Support Directorate’s Human Systems Division. “The new uniform now includes all of the great performance features that you find in athletic wear today.”
In addition to improving performance, the uniform is designed to accommodate various athletic interests.
“In the past, there was one uniform for all athletic pursuits, whether you were running, playing basketball or lifting weights,” said Col. Paul Burger, 88th Air Base Wing Mission Support Group Commander, one of the test participants and an official with the Air Force Marathon. “The approach the Air Force has now taken, is to develop a uniform that is ear marked for runners or running and one that is better designed for some of those other athletic activities.”
With the new gear, Airmen will be issued a jacket, a pair of pants, T-shirt and shorts.
The ensemble will have improved fabrics that include soft, quick drying, and have antimicrobial technology that helps with moisture and odor control.
Other significant changes include the design of the jacket.
“With the ‘notorious’ track jacket, we’ve made updates to the fabric to minimize the noise it makes during workouts,” said 2nd Lt. Maverick Wilhite, the Office’s Program Manager for PT gear. “The jacket will be sleeker looking, so instead of having a bulky jacket, you’ll have a fit and tailored design. In addition, the jacket will have a zipper chest pocket for holding things like your CAC [common access card].”
The workout ensemble will include two variations of shorts; a shorter running style, and a longer all-purpose short. The all-purpose shorts are unlined knit with zipper hip pockets you can close. The runner’s are a lightweight stretch woven fabric with mesh side panels to improve airflow and improved stretch liner for modesty. The performance shirt is designed to be untucked during workouts or tucked as required by command.
Overall, the entire PTG uniform has updated styling with stretch materials to provide comfort and increase performance.
The new uniform will be available to Airmen in 2022, and there will be a four year transition period for mandatory wear.
By Brian Brackens, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Public Affairs
