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PEO Soldier Equips First Unit with the Army’s Next-Generation Combat Helmet

Friday, February 16th, 2024

WASHINGTON – On Feb. 12, 2024, PEO Soldier fielded the Next-Generation Integrated Head Protection System to approximately 2,000 Soldiers from the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, marking the first-unit-equipped milestone in enhancing Soldier protection.

The NG-IHPS is the Army’s newest combat helmet, replacing the previously fielded Integrated Head Protection System, the Advanced Combat Helmet, and the Enhanced Combat Helmet. The combat-ready NG-IHPS consists of a retention system, suspension system, helmet cover and a night vision device bracket that is able to integrate a mandible protector, hearing protection, communications and heads-up displays like the Integrated Visual Augmentation System and the Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-Binocular.

“This fielding marks significant progress for Soldier protective equipment as it equips Soldiers with protection against relevant battlefield threats, and the innovative helmet design is a purpose-built platform for integration now, and with future Soldier-enabling devices,” said Lt. Col. Ken Elgort, product manager for Soldier Protective Equipment.

The NG-IHPS, which will be fielded to the close-combat force, interfaces with the next generation of night vision devices, while the mandible protector mounts onto the front of the NG-IHPS for additional protection. The mandible protector is fielded to 6% of the force operating in a mounted configuration.

“The NG-IHPS provides increased ballistic and fragmentation protection while reducing the weight required to previously reach this protection level by 40%,” said Maj. Matthew Nulk, assistant program manager of the Head Protection Team. “This is world-leading rifle threat protection we’re providing to our Soldiers.”

According to Alex de Groot, lead engineer for the Head Protection Team, “The boltless retention system and night vision device bracket mount on without compromising the helmet’s structural integrity, thus increasing protection.”

PEO Soldier will equip the 2nd and 3rd Brigade Combat Teams, 82nd Airborne Division, this quarter and will complete fielding to all close-combat force units over the next three years.

Program Executive Office Soldier is responsible for the rapid prototyping, procurement and fielding of equipment for Soldiers. NG-IHPS is part of the Soldier Survivability portfolio, the largest portfolio within PEO Soldier. The NG-IHPS is one part of the Soldier Protection System, which also includes the Modular Scalable Vest, the Ballistic Combat Shirt, the Blast Pelvic Protector and the Vital Torso Protection hard armor plates.

By U.S. Army Public Affairs

The photo is an Army photo of an IHPS, but not from this fielding.

Posted in Army, Guest Post, Helmets, PEO-Soldier | 10 Comments »

Green Berets Leverage Immersive Simulator for Training

Thursday, February 15th, 2024

FORT CARSON, Co. — Members of the special forces community are utilizing training software that employs, to some degree, artificial intelligence. Operators with 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) completed multiple iterations of VirTra simulation training at the Human Performance Training Center on the 10th SFG (A) Complex, Feb. 2, 2024.

Applicable for both law enforcement and military, the VirTra simulator is a program featuring technology that can present different scenarios to its users which helps sharpen shooting skills. The program is fully customizable, helping individuals prepare for real-life incidents, while also providing accurate ballistics and military weapons qualification courses.

10th SFG’s (A) cognitive performance specialist, Jake Blumberg, oversaw the training iterations that were conducted in the HPTC. Blumberg described the structure of the training and designed it to be as realistic and similar to combat as possible, explaining that the Green Berets were guided through a series of exercises to spike their heart rate before executing shooting scenarios.

“This allows us to pair marksmanship with a variety of different training environments where they are coupled with a strength coach to simulate physical stress,” said Blumberg. “[Operators] are then able to create a variety of different ranges and targets to really hone their craft.”

Blumberg mentioned that 10th SFG(A) is the only Special Forces Group in the U.S. Army that has full-time access to this sort of technology and to think of the VirTra simulator as a more advanced version of the U.S. Army’s already well-known Engagement Skills Trainer.

“This [technology] provides what the EST can in terms of weapons qualification and flat range practice,” Blumberg remarked. “But VirTra also incorporates different types of drills, from reaction drills to threat-not-threat scenarios.”

The different scenario options that VirTra features include active threat, hostage situation, threat recognition and high-risk entry. Through these scenarios, the VirTra simulator is actively analyzing the decisions that its users make and then adjusting what happens in the program based on those decisions.

Several Green Berets were afforded the opportunity to this unique training and one team captain commented that it gives him and his Soldiers unlimited opportunities to practice the fundamentals and increase their personal shooting skills, since using the simulator doesn’t use any live ammunition.

Since this technology is local to 10th SFG (A), this allows the operators to hone their craft at any time of the day and not spend time reserving ranges or acquiring other supplies.

“Everything comes down to increasing lethality, so the more triggers we pull in the correct manner, that’s what we want,” said the team captain. “Practice makes permanent — ultimately we want to be training the fundamentals all the time and this is another venue for guys to pull their personal weapon and become better at the basics.”

By SGT David Cordova

Posted in Army, Guest Post, SOF, Training | Comments Off on Green Berets Leverage Immersive Simulator for Training

New Title Release from VSS Books: “The Tony Blauer SPEAR System”

Tuesday, February 13th, 2024

“The Tony Blauer SPEAR System”

Authored by Tony Blauer and Erik Lawrence

To all those who have been victims of violence or who live with the constant fear of violence, this book is a tribute to your courage, strength, and resilience. The intent is that the principles and techniques of the SPEAR System presented in this book will provide you with the tools and knowledge you need to effectively protect yourself and your loved ones from potential danger.

Readers will find a wealth of information on the SPEAR System, including its history, principles, and techniques. They will also find valuable insights on how to apply the system in different situations, as well as strategies for ongoing training and practice. Whether you are a beginner looking to learn the basics of the system, or an experienced practitioner looking to refine your technique, this book is an invaluable resource that you will turn to time and time again.

About the Authors

Tony Blauer

Tony has spent 40+ years studying danger, violence and fear and has put together a simple and effective system that will help you manage fear and confrontations whether they’re in your head, the street or the boardroom. His research on physiology & fear, courage & mindset, has influenced over three decades of students and trainers from the self-defense, martial arts, combat sports, and military & law enforcement communities.

Erik Lawrence

Erik has known and worked with Tony over the past 20 years. Erik is a U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Beret) veteran and author over 50 books in a variety of topics including personal protection, preparedness, international travel, firearms usage, and world affairs. In his books, he shares insights from his time in the military and as a security consultant, highlighting the critical role of planning, preparation, and awareness in mitigating potential risks.

Available through VSS Books www.vssbooks.com

Posted in Combatives, Guest Post | 1 Comment »

Top Army Generals for Cyber, Space and Special Ops Convene

Tuesday, February 13th, 2024

PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. — The U.S. Army’s top generals for cyber, space and special operations forces met to discuss the Triad partnership and how they can further develop, operationalize and institutionalize the collaboration.

Commanding Generals Lt. Gen. Maria B. Barrett, U.S. Army Cyber Command; Lt. Gen. Jonathon P. Braga, U.S. Army Special Operations Command; and Lt. Gen. Sean A. Gainey, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, met Jan. 31, 2024, for the third Triad 3-Star General Officer Steering Committee at USASMDC headquarters at Peterson Space Force Base.

Members of the committee emphasized the importance of the Triad due to the ever-changing character of warfare. Along with this evolution, the threats and the nature of deterrence are changing for the United States. The Triad looks to develop innovative and comprehensive solutions.

“The Cyber-Space-SOF Triad provides one of these solutions,” Braga said. “It is a ‘Modern-Day Triad’ designed to converge unique accesses, capabilities, authorities, understanding and effects in many of the same ways we have implemented combined arms operations. Additionally, the Triad provides operational and strategic advantage during active campaigning, crisis and conflict, while presenting options to senior leaders that are less escalatory than current strategic deterrence options.”

Gainey said that they must continue building upon the significant progress the Triad has already made in the development of concepts, capabilities and formations that enable exquisite operational preparation of the environment. The commands have already developed a unified exercise, experimentation and engagement plan for fiscal year 2024 and fiscal year 2025.

“We are working with the Theater Special Operations Command to ensure they know the space and high-altitude capabilities we can provide and to develop the operational concepts of employment,” said Gainey.

“(The Triad) is developing real-world employment concepts designed to enable Army and joint force objectives anywhere in the world at a time and place of our choosing,” Gainey said. “Additionally, the Triad will enable ‘Left of Launch’ trans-regional missile defeat and active campaigning to ensure the ability of our nation’s adversaries to strike the United States, as well as its partners and allies is prevented.”

The Triad is a major way we can contribute to multi-domain operations and for us, the potential it provides our Missile Defeat efforts, as well as the access, understanding, and effects it can enable for the Joint Force are undeniable, Gainey said.

“As such, the Triad provides flexible deterrent options that can shape the threat environment in ways our adversaries are unaware of and can provide flexible response options if they choose to break international norms and escalate tensions into conflict,” he said.

Braga said the Triad has an outsized impact against the adversary’s capabilities as it relates to SOF, space and cyber.

“That is why it is inherent we work together, experiment together and learn together,” Braga said.

Barrett said the Triad is coming up with solutions and tools together as a team.

“Triad operations disrupt adversary actions, demonstrate resolve, shape the adversary’s perceptions and gain advantage for warfighters when deterrence fails,” Barrett said. “ARCYBER has a track record of integrating cyber, electronic warfare and influence operations and can now deliver that to triad partners.”

By Dottie White, USASMDC

Posted in Army, Cyber, Guest Post, SOF, Space | Comments Off on Top Army Generals for Cyber, Space and Special Ops Convene

Soldier Wins Gold Medal at Event in Egypt

Sunday, February 11th, 2024

CAIRO — U.S. Army Sgt. Samantha Simonton won the Gold Medal in Women’s Skeet at the International Shooting Sports Federation World Cup in Cairo, Egypt, January 29, 2024.

The Soldier with the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit Shotgun Team earned her place in the Final with a qualification score of 121 out of a possible 125, which beat 31 other competitors from around the globe and tied one from France.

In the final against five other international competitors, the Gainesville, Georgia native strongly represented Team USA in the cold and windy conditions. Simonton won the Gold with a score of 50 while Italy’s Martina Maruzzo earned the Silver with a 47 and Reem Al Sharshani from Qatar took the Bronze Medal with a 37.

With part two of USA Shooting’s Shotgun Olympic Trials coming up in March, the USAMU Soldier said a gold medal win in challenging conditions helps her prepare for the highly competitive match that determines which athletes will represent the United States at the Paris Games.

“I am just trying to use it as a training tool and move forward onto better scores like I have been training,” Simonton.

This gold medal win brings Simonton’s ISSF medal count to five. Her past medals are:

Bronze from the 2022 ISSF World Championships

Bronze from the 2022 President’s Cup

Silver from 2023 ISSF World Cup-Italy

Silver from the 2023 ISSF World Cup-Qatar

The Bronze World Championships Medal also came with a coveted Olympic quota for the United States in women’s skeet.

Though Simonton won one of the two possible Olympic Quotas for the Women’s Skeet event, that does not qualify her personally for the Games. It just ensures that an American athlete a ticket to the Games. Therefore, the U.S. Army Soldier will compete for a seat on Team USA at USA Shooting’s Shotgun Olympic Trials in Tucson, Arizona March 11-17. Until then, every match is training for her path to Paris.

Story by LTC Michelle Lunato

Photos by Andrea Caroppo

Posted in Army, Guest Post, Shooting Sports | Comments Off on Soldier Wins Gold Medal at Event in Egypt

Next Generation Squad Weapons Undergo Arctic Testing

Saturday, February 10th, 2024

Soldiers from 1st Squadron – Airborne, 40th Cavalry Regiment, based out of Alaska, are supporting Project Manager Soldier Lethality with cold weather testing of the Next Generation Squad Weapons. Extreme environmental testing is critical to ensuring reliable systems. In addition to Arctic testing, the weapons, ammo, and fire controls will be subjected to jungle and hot weather testing.

Col. Jason Bohannon, PM SL, visited the testing site and shared his thoughts: “The Arctic environment is extreme and unforgiving to both the Soldiers and weapons. Our intent is for the weapons to perform in conditional ranges that exceed those which Soldiers would have to endure. I have been impressed with both Soldiers and weapon performance.”

Posted in Army, Guest Post, weapons | 8 Comments »

Rite in the Rain Announces Expansion of Brand Collaboration with Battle Board in

Saturday, February 10th, 2024

www.riteintherain.com

Posted in Guest Post, Industry | 1 Comment »

Airborne Test Force Tests Field Radio Ruck to Survive Airborne Combat Missions

Saturday, February 10th, 2024

The U.S. Army Airborne Test Force (ATF) located at Yuma Test Center, Yuma Proving Ground, recently tested program of record Manpack radios, the AN/PRC-158 and AN/PRC-162, managed by the Product Manager Handheld, Manpack, Small Form Fit (HMS) inside the Army’s newest Radio Carrier Rucksack (RCR) solution. The RCR, developed and produced by the Natick Soldier Systems Center, was stressed in combat-realistic scenarios by the center to determine if the RCRs could safely support parachute operations without damage to radios or the ruck.

Soldier feedback using the legacy radio rucksack over several years of test events indicated that a solution with better weight balance, comfort, and heat dissipation was required for the user. PdM HMS initiated a competitive market research strategy, which brought a variety of industry and government rucksack solutions to Soldiers during 2022 and 2023 that led to the selection of the currently tested RCR solution.

“The competitive process really drove industry innovation, challenging the community to develop a best all-around rucksack solution in support of Army combat operations while carrying our modernized communications equipment,” said Derek Harberts, deputy PdM HMS.

“What we saw during this test are the results of a successful competitive process providing the all-around best-value to the Soldier and the taxpayers.”

The current design leverages modifications to the existing design of the Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment assault pack currently fielded across the Army. Compared to the legacy RCR, the improvements allow securing the radio to the pack frame for better weight, balancing, and cooling. Modifications to the ruck allow better access if the radio needs to be carried and operated inside the bag as well as improved stowage and access for radio ancillary and mission equipment.

“The radio harness allows the radio to be connected to the existing assault frame, while the side pouches allow for individualized space to store antennas away from other equipment and gear,” explained Bob Cohen, HMS Manpack Lead Test Engineer.

“There’s additional space in the bottom compartment that can be used to individually store spare batteries and other ancillary equipment for ease of access.”

In all, the RCR will carry the radio, a battery, an antenna, and the Soldier’s basic load of individual equipment.

Leading up to the test, Soldiers with the ATF team started by packing the rucks as they would operationally under the direction of ATF Soldier Sgt. 1st Class Cody Lavalla.

“The configuration of these rucks is slightly different then the currently issued rucks,” tells Lavalla, “We are going through the process of figuring out how to rig the harness single point release to the ruck so all the equipment will survive the jump and is safe for the jumpers.”

The harness single point release is the equipment that secures the ruck close to the jumper’s body during most of the jump and is designed to be lowered on a release line away from the jumper by pulling a release handle just prior to landing.

When the Soldiers were about 150 feet from the ground, they lowered the rucksack carrying the radio using the lowering line, making it about 15 feet below them when they landed.

“We don’t want the ruck still attached to us when we prepare to land on the ground, or we risk injuries as we do our Parachute Landing Falls,” explained Lavalla. “We pull on the release handle and the ruck falls away from our body but is still attached to us via the lowering line so the equipment is out of the way when we are ready to land. It is nearby to have access to the equipment quickly if needed once we are on the ground.”

ATF Soldiers performed several jumps throughout the week for the safety confirmation tests. A team met them on the ground to ensure their safety and monitored the jumps.

Afterwards, Air Delivery Test Officer Faith Harbolt, ATF and members of the HMS team inspected the radios to see how they held up to the test.

“The test went well. The results of the test demonstrated that the rucksacks successfully secure and protect the radios during airborne operations. There was no damage to the rucks or radios observed during the inspection that occurred after the test was complete,” said Lavalla.

The improved rucksack will be fielded to units receiving Manpack radios starting early next calendar year. When fielded, these items will be used by units such as the 82nd Airborne during combat operations.

Story by Ana Henderson, U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground

Posted in Army, Comms, Guest Post, Packs, Parachuting | 3 Comments »