Not since Falco have we seen such an awesome display of Teutonic Hip Hop skills. It’s great to see that someone had fun at SHOT Show.
Archive for the ‘Guest Post’ Category
ePIG’s SHOT Show Experience Was ePIC
Monday, February 3rd, 2020SCUBAPRO Sunday – Groundhog Day
Sunday, February 2nd, 2020This has nothing to do with diving. But since it is Groundhog Day, I had to do this. Groundhog Day is one of Bill Murray’s best movies. It has some great lines. Let’s say you are driving down route Irish in Iraq. Something happens, you look at the driver and say, “Don’t drive angry, don’t drive angry, you are doing pretty good for a quadruped” “I am a god, not the god.”
Being overseas is sometimes like Groundhog Day. Your days start to run into each other and are almost always the same; wake up, eat, workout, eat, go out, eat, sleep. Somewhere in, there is another meal, I think.
Everyone knows SEAL is an acronym, but not too many people know what it stands for, Sleep, Eat, Act like you are doing something, and Lift. Now it depends on the coast you’re on, west coast SEAL its Sleep, Eat, Actor and Lift. For east coast SEALs its Sleep, Eat, Author a book and Lift.
There is way more to being overseas then that but that is what it feels like sometimes. If you have time to watch it, today is the day to do it. If you are overseas, be safe, have fun, and get home fast.
I couldn’t find the full movies, so here is the trailer.
Review Finds No Systemic Ethical Problems in US Special Operations Forces
Sunday, February 2nd, 2020WASHINGTON — U.S. special operations forces have no “systemic” failures of ethics, but a review points to the need for strengthening leadership at all levels, the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command said.
Army Gen. Richard D. Clarke told reporters at the Pentagon Tuesday that he ordered the comprehensive review of special operations culture after several instances of misconduct and unethical behavior threatened public trust and caused leaders to question special operations forces’ culture and ethics.
The review team looked at all aspects of the force and interviewed thousands of individuals, the general said.
Clarke said the review showed the vast majority of special operators maintain the highest standards of conduct every day, and they do so in some of the most challenging conditions around the globe.
However, he added, the review team did find that some aspects of the special operations culture did, at times, set conditions favorable for inappropriate behavior.
“We have a ‘can do’ culture with a bias toward action,” he said. “This culture is part of what makes us great. Nearly 20 years of continuous conflict have imbalanced that culture to favor force employment and mission accomplishment over the routine activities that ensure leadership, accountability and discipline.”
Force generation, force training and leader development are at the heart of the solution, Clarke said. “We need to improve our leader development programs and improve accountability in our training and management processes,” he said. “Leaders drive culture, and maintaining a healthy and high performing culture requires present and actively involved leadership.”
Clarke said some of the command’s professional military education is inadequate, and the command is taking steps to improve it.
The study also found that the pressure of deployments meant that leaders often were not present, or not involved, in training. “Our force has spent the last two decades rushing to get back into the fight,” the general said. “In doing so, we have often been too complacent as we build, train and certify our teams for the rigors of operating in a complex world. We are renewing emphasis on proper accountability and supervision, and setting conditions for leader presence in the right places.”
The review team concluded that special operations culture is overly focused on force employment and mission accomplishment, creating contexts or situations that allow misconduct and unethical behavior to develop.
“The review team uncovered not only potential cracks in the [special operations forces] foundations at the individual and team level, but also through the chain of command, specifically in the core tenets of leadership, discipline and accountability,” the review says.
Clarke said he will emphasize the need for leaders at all levels in the organization to be there for their troops and provide the corrections needed when teams are going astray. Leaders can give guidance on the ethical and moral aspects of irregular warfare and can model “what right looks like,” the general said.
The force knows how to produce ethical warriors, Clarke said, noting that standard operating procedures detail the training, education, exercises and certification needed to deploy. But the pressure of deployments sometimes means that troops go through these hoops without leaders present, the review found.
“U.S. Special Operations Command must manage the institutional bias towards employment and reclaim resources for investment in the other key areas by applying leadership, discipline and accountability to force employment processes and business rules,” the review states. “These actions will enable and complement those recommended under force accountability, focusing on bringing discipline to force generation processes, emphasizing active and engaged leadership during these periods.”
The press of operations and the seemingly endless demands for special operations forces has prompted a breakdown in force generation, which, in turn, disrupted leader development. “Bringing more structure and emphasis back to these areas enables [Special Operations Command] to reinvest in leader development and groom leaders with the required balance of character and competence,” the review says.
The command will invest the money and time needed to ensure units can institutionalize these changes. The command will also scrub the joint force’s current special operations requirements. “This assessment will impact SOF requirements for continued counter violent extremist organization efforts and inform [the command’s] transition as part of broader DOD alignment towards great power competition,” the review says.
As in most things, the review’s findings and recommended actions require a strong implementation plan and the will to execute it.
“This report reemphasizes our enduring responsibility as leaders and informs a consolidated, focused effort to drive necessary change across our formation,” Clarke said. “I am forming an implementation team that will follow through on these findings and recommendations, assess results, and refine our policies accordingly.”
The review team found concern about the force from all levels of special operations. Special operations noncommissioned officers spoke about the need for the presence of leaders and the need to ensure teams train together before they deploy, said Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Greg Smith, senior enlisted leader for the command.
Clarke and Smith agreed changing a culture takes time, and that the command is willing to invest the time.
By Jim Garamone, Defense.gov
US Army Research May Improve Stroke, TBI Treatment
Saturday, February 1st, 2020RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — New Army research provides a better understanding of the swelling that occurs in the brain during a stroke, which could contribute to new treatment strategies for stroke patients and have potential implications for traumatic brain injuries.
Cerebral edema, swelling that occurs in the brain, is a severe and potentially fatal complication for stroke victims. Research, funded in part by the Army Research Office and conducted at The University of Rochester Medical Center, shows for the first time that the glymphatic system — normally associated with the beneficial task of waste removal — goes awry during a stroke and floods the brain, promoting edema and drowning brain cells.
The research, conducted with mice, appears in the journal Science.
“These findings show that the glymphatic system plays a central role in driving the acute tissue swelling in the brain after a stroke”, said Maiken Nedergaard, M.D., D.M.Sc., co-director of the University of Rochester Medical Center Center for Translational Neuromedicine and senior author of the article. “Understanding this dynamic — which is propelled by storms of electrical activity in the brain — point the way to potential new strategies that could improve stroke outcomes.”
The glymphatic system, first discovered by the Nedergaard lab in 2012, consists of a network that piggybacks on the brain’s blood circulation system and is comprised of layers of plumbing, with the inner blood vessel encased by a ‘tube’ that transports cerebrospinal fluid. The system pumps the fluid through brain tissue primarily during sleep, washing away toxic proteins and other waste.
Before the findings of the new study, scientists assumed that the source of brain swelling was exclusively the result of fluid from blood.
“Our hope is that this new finding will lead to novel interventions to reduce the severity of ischemic events, as well as other brain injuries to which Soldiers may be exposed,” said Matthew Munson, Ph.D., program manager, fluid dynamics, ARO, an element of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Army Research Laboratory. “What’s equally exciting is that this new finding was not part of the original research proposal. That is the power of basic science research and working across disciplines. Scientists ‘follow their nose’ where the data and their hypotheses lead them — often to important unanticipated applications.”
AN ELECTRICAL WAVE, THEN THE FLOOD
Ischemic stroke, the most common form of stroke, occurs when a vessel in the brain is blocked. This blockage denies the nutrients and oxygen cells need to function, which results in their rapid depolarization. As the cells release energy and fire, they trigger neighboring cells, creating a domino effect that results in an electrical wave that expands outward from the site of the stroke, called spreading depolarization.
During the spreading depolarization, vast amounts of potassium and neurotransmitters released by neurons into the brain cause the smooth muscle cells that line the walls of blood vessels to seize up and contract, cutting off blood flow in a process known as spreading ischemia. Cerebrospinal Fluid then flows into the ensuing vacuum, inundating brain tissue and causing edema. The already vulnerable brain cells in the path of the flood essentially drown in fluid and the brain begins to swell. These depolarization waves can continue in the brain for days and even weeks after the stroke, compounding the damage.
“When you force every single cell, which is essentially a battery, to release its charge it represents the single largest disruption of brain function you can achieve — you basically discharge the entire brain surface in one fell swoop,” said Humberto Mestre, M.D., a Ph.D. student in the Nedergaard lab and lead author of the study. “The double hit of the spreading depolarization and the ischemia makes the blood vessels cramp, resulting in a level of constriction that is completely abnormal and creating conditions for CSF to rapidly flow into the brain.”
The study correlated the brain regions in mice vulnerable to the fluid propelled by the glymphatic system with edema found in the brains of humans who had sustained an ischemic stroke.
POINTING THE WAY TO NEW STROKE THERAPIES
The findings suggest potential new treatment strategies that, used in combination with existing therapies, focus on restoring blood flow to the brain quickly after a stroke. The study could also have implications for brain swelling observed in other conditions such as subarachnoid hemorrhage and traumatic brain injury.
Approaches that block specific receptors on nerve cells could inhibit or slow the cycle of spreading depolarization. Additionally, a water channel called aquaporin-4 on astrocytes — an important support cell in the brain — regulates the flow of the fluid. When the research team conducted the stroke experiments in mice genetically modified to lack aquaporin-4, the fluid flow into the brain slowed significantly.
Aquaporin-4 inhibitors currently under development as a potential treatment for cardiac arrest and other diseases could eventually be candidates to treat stroke.
In additional to the Army Research Office, the research was supported with funding from National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the National Institute of Aging, Fondation Leducq Transatlantic Networks of Excellence Program, the Novo Nordisk and Lundbeck Foundations, and E.U. Horizon 2020.
By U.S. Army CCDC Army Research Laboratory Public Affairs
Nellis Threat Training Facility
Saturday, February 1st, 2020SSD Reader and fellow AFSOC Veteran MSgt Steve Venski (USAF, Ret) sent us this write up of his recent visit to the Nellis Threat Training Facility, or as commonly known the “Petting Zoo” near Las Vegas. He thought other readers would be interested as well. We agree.
Deserts rarely give up their secrets willingly. And the deserts of Nevada are no exception. Outside of Las Vegas, off to the northwest, lies the Nevada National Security Site; euphemistically known as N2S2. Covering almost 1400 square miles of Nevada, there are legends and secrets galore. However, much closer to Sin City, is Nellis Air Force Base, home to U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons School. The most widely known exercise, is RED FLAG. While the movie TOP GUN has received much press and movies made, the fact is, the U.S. Air Force (USAF) trains all branches of the service (except the Coast Guard; still haven’t figured out how to make those boats fly…) in what’s termed ACM; Air Combat Maneuvering, dogfighting. The airspace of RED FLAG, lies within what’s known as the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR); over 5,000 square miles of Nevada. Get your head around that one.
Towards that end, realistic training is essential. Our adversaries don’t fly the same gear we do. Over the decades, the U.S. has acquired (by hook or by crook), quite a few airframes of what the bad guys would be flying. There exists a formerly classified facility on Nellis Air Force Base, known as the Threat Training Facility. Many years ago, I visited this place, and it took a full-on security clearance to gain admission.
Fast-Forward 20 years….the proliferation of weapons by countries hostile to the U.S., has resulted in explosive growth of the TTF, and a re-thinking of who needs to know about these weapons systems, and why. The classification has come off of the Threat Training Facility, and access has been granted to almost all. Rumor has it, that all the ‘Alphabet Kids’ (The CIA, FBI, NGA, DIA, NSA, NRO), come thru the TTF, for not only hands-on inspection and recognition, but to learn how each piece of equipment works, and to understand its’ capabilities, so as to be able to use it, or to disable it, if necessary. That’s right folks, this is not just a museum where you just look at things, but you’re invited and encouraged to go give things a feel. Because of that, the facility has been given the name of ‘The Petting Zoo’. Seriously. I couldn’t make this stuff up.
-I mean, I could,…but I didn’t.
Once I heard about the ability to enter the ‘New & Improved’ Petting Zoo, I couldn’t wait. While in Las Vegas for SHOT, I made plans for my colleagues and me, to visit the ‘Zoo’.
Let me say this: It does NOT disappoint. The Cliffs-Notes are this: There is more shit in there, than a Corsicana Texas Fruitcake. All small arms and weapons from the former Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact relatives, are there. Additionally, there are crew-served weapons, and light and heavy artillery. Moving on, there’s armored personnel carriers and tanks. Since the aviators from all branches will be moving through what’s known as ‘Denied Territory’, there’s a very real possibility they will encounter Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs). For visual recognition, the Zoo delivers. All possible types of shoulder-fired missiles, and ground radar systems are present. Every type of Surface-to-Air radar-guided missile system is also there.
Holy Hannah, does it get any better than this? -Oh yeah. Like the man on the commercial said, “But Wait! There’s MORE!” Fixed- wing aircraft, from a MIG-15, all the way up to a MIG-29! Rotary-wing aircraft, include not only the smaller utility helicopters, but the big, honkin’ HIND-24 Russian Attack Helicopter. In Texas parlance, It’s a big sonafabitch. I can imagine it struck fear into the hearts of the Afghan tribesmen when those huge things came roaring over the mountains. -Right up until the time the mujahedeen got their hands, on U.S. Stinger missiles…. Gotta love technology.
As a former member of Air Force Special Operations, I knew ‘The Back-Story being the Real Story’, and I had to ask where all these artifacts had come from. Some of the articles were ‘gifted’ from defectors, as part of their ‘Desperately Seeking Asylum’ deal. Others came from our allies, as they swept thru their adversary’s armies and air forces. Some of them were what’s known as ‘Battlefield Pick-Up’; sorta like Pick-Up Sticks, only with weapons and stuff. -And others were rumored to be outright stolen by some of the ‘Alphabet Kids’, in their missions to acquire the bad guys goodies. Looking out in the five-plus acre lot that just houses the larger aircraft and missiles, I couldn’t help but wonder what stories these things could tell, if they could talk.
Finally, in closing, I will offer this: I have been told there is a base out in the ‘upper reaches’ of the Nevada Test Range, where MIG-21s, 23s, and 29s reside, and are flown by U.S. Aggressor squadron pilots, to train our U.S. military pilots, on tactics and capabilities.
Lies? Cock-and-Bull story? Like the poster says: “The Truth Is Out There.’
-But since you can’t get there, I urge you to go visit ‘The Petting Zoo’, at Nellis AFB.
V,
SENDS
About the author:
MSgt Steve Venski spent 20 years in the United States Air Force, working in the Avionic Sensors career field.
The Avionic Sensors career field, began the early years of what is now called ISR; Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance.
MSgt Venski’s ‘platform resume’ consists of F-4 PHANTOM aircraft, to include both photographic film and electronic reconnaissance. Additionally, laser-target designators, and strike systems.
No career could be complete without serving in Special Operations, of which MSgt Venski did two tours in Southeast Asia, with the AC-130 SPECTRE aircraft.
Upon being some of the last people out of Southeast Asia in 1975, he rotated back to Florida with the 1st Special Operations Wing, out of Hurlburt Field, and enjoyed touring the globe, and introducing bad guys everywhere, to the AC-130 SPECTRE Gunship.
He currently resides in Texas, with his wife and Low-Light Level attack kittens.
“The Meek May Inherit The Earth,
-But The BOLD Shall Command The Skies.”
FirstSpear Friday Focus – ACM MID 400 – Light Weight Vest
Friday, January 31st, 2020
Today we are getting the first look at all new addition to the FirstSpear American Merino Wool line, introducing the ACM MID 400 Light Weight Vest. Low bulk, high performance garment that works exceptionally well to keep you warm when you need it most. Center front 3/4 zip closure with an external chest pocket lined in super lightweight cooling mesh. Also features a low profile hidden pocket on the inside of the chest. Back hem scoops into tailcoat style to cover your waist band while active.
Available and now shipping in Black, Sand, Charcoal, Manatee Grey, and Commando Green. 100% American Made with USA Materials.
www.first-spear.com/lightweight-vest
The McRae Industries Story – Part 4, Made In America
Thursday, January 30th, 2020Navigating the changing currents of government contracting
>McRae Footwear learned quickly how to deliver goods to the world’s largest customer: the U.S. federal government.
In 1969, Victor Karam, a self-described “Yankee who loves the south,” transplanted from his native New England to join McRae Industries in an executive role. A cultured Bostonian of Lebanese descent, Victor had a master’s degree in journalism but ended up in an entirely different field: women’s shoes.
An enduring leader at McRae Industries:
Victor Karam in the ‘70s and today
During the Vietnam War, Victor was drafted into the Army and stationed at Ft. Bragg, NC. He met his future wife during that time, and they decided they wanted to live near her folks. A head hunter connected Victor with Branson McRae, founder and CEO of McRae Industries in Mount Gilead. Branson offered Victor a position as a vice president. “Branson always said he liked to hire Yankees because none of the southerners understood production,” Victor laughs.
“Salary negotiations were interesting. Branson asked me my annual salary target. I told him I expected to match my current salary, which at that time was $15,000. ‘That won’t work,’ Branson said. ‘It’ll never be approved by the board, because I only make $12,000.’”
Despite the dip in pay, Victor was intrigued by Branson’s company and accepted the job. He thought he would move on after a year or two, but ended up staying for more than 45 years, eventually becoming president of McRae Footwear. He continues to serve on the board of directors.
Becoming a preferred contractor
Along with its knowledge of the government’s preferred mode of boot construction – vulcanized, direct molded sole — McRae had two other distinct advantages as a contractor. With fewer than 500 employees, the company qualified as a small business. And it qualified also as having a manufacturing plant in a “labor surplus,” or high unemployment, area. The Department of Defense “set aside” contracts for small businesses, and being labor surplus gave the company a price advantage over large businesses.
Home grown: By law, in making purchases, the federal government gives preference to domestically produced and manufactured products.
To supplement its U.S. government contracts, McRae made combat boots for other nations. For 25 years, the company has been a supplier of military footwear for the government of Israel. Over the years, McRae has also provided boots for military forces in Canada, Brunei, Great Britain, and Saudi Arabia.
“The federal government has consistently praised us for our high-quality products.”
– Victor Karam, director, McRae Industries
Following government specs
“At the time, the design of McRae’s military boots was dictated by the government,” Victor says. “We didn’t have a lot of input. We didn’t have a shoe manufacturers association. The government gave us the patterns and told us how to make the boots. Requirements were so rigid that a slight defect could cause the military to reject an entire production lot of boots.”
Talking though the specs: Being a government contractor required frequent trips to the Defense Personnel Support Center in Philadelphia.
“Branson made it clear that every government specification was to be met. ‘The longer you work here with me, whether you agree or disagree with the specs, you follow them,’ he said. ‘If you see something that needs to be changed, go through the proper channels to get it changed. If you can’t, don’t change it.’’
Specifications were – and still are – exacting and relentless, from cure time for rubber to the boot’s ability to withstand pressure. Government protocols are strictly enforced with McRae workers. Government inspectors frequently walked the floors of the McRae factory. “I don’t know that any of the inspectors that came through had shoe knowledge,” Victor says. “We had to teach them.”
If Branson felt a spec were wrong, however, he was not afraid to question it – through established government protocols. That involved meeting with federal representatives in Philadelphia to clarify requirements or, in one instance, challenge a boot recall.
Victor tells the story of an inspector sent in from Charlotte, NC. “This inspector tested and rejected a production lot of boots where a wrinkle was detected. But the regulations specified boots should be rejected if a horizontal wrinkle were found when tested between both thumbs. The wrinkle detected in this lot was vertical. We showed the quality controller in Philadelphia, and we won our case.”
Looking to the future
Today, about 90 percent of McRae’s military boot business is tied to government contracts. The company also makes commercial versions of its boots.
“Staying flexible and expecting the unexpected is all part of succeeding as a government contractor,” Victor says. “Demand may fluctuate, but our purpose never waivers: To help our troops fulfill their missions though durable and reliable footwear.”
Adding on: As boot orders from the U.S. government accelerated, McRae over time added on a second 100,000-square-foot facility in Troy, NC. This facility houses the company’s direct-attach injection-mold equipment for manufacturing current-spec military boots, along with lasting, finishing, warehousing, and shipping functions.
Installation Issues MOREs to Meet Caloric Needs of Trainees
Wednesday, January 29th, 2020FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — Fort Leonard Wood’s trainees are feeling the benefits of additional nutrients during high-intensity training events.
The Modular Operational Rations Enhancements — commonly referred to as MOREs — provide Soldiers with 1,000 additional calories in the form of protein and electrolytes.
According to Capt. Elizabeth Ressler, Moncrief Army Health Clinic Nutrition Care Division chief at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, MOREs were developed to compensate for calorie deficits Soldiers experience during high-intensity activities and are designed to compensate for lost nutrients without replacing daily meals. Caloric deficits have been found to decrease performance, health and overall readiness.
In August 2019, the U.S. Army Center for Initial Military Training authorized MOREs for basic combat trainees during 17 of the especially physically demanding field training days.
“MOREs can be utilized in support of the Army’s Holistic Health and Fitness System,” said Lt. Col. Peggy Kageleiry, Army Center for Initial Military Training Public Affairs director at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. “The nutritional readiness domain of H2F encompasses the Army’s nutrition-centric programming and covers all aspects of optimal health, performance and recovery in close proximity to where Soldiers train.”
According to Bill Moffitt, Fort Leonard Wood’s installation food program manager, the post received more than 1,700 cases of cold-weather MOREs in October. The small packaged snacks, including caffeinated pudding and gum, dried fruit, energy gel packs and filled pretzels offer drill instructors here quick, authorized nutritional supplement options for trainees before, during and after events.
Caffeine — historically restricted in basic combat training — is used to provide and replenish energy and is distributed in a controlled manner.
Company E, 2nd Battalion, 10th Infantry Regiment has seen the benefits of MOREs since integrating them into their BCT training schedule in the fall.
“The MOREs provide trainees a little extra fuel during increased levels of stress,” said Company E Commander Capt. Michael Krant. “There’s a mental element where trainees get a little pick me up by being able to have a quick snack during some of the more stressful parts of their training.”
MOREs have been authorized for use during specific BCT events such as The Hammer, The Anvil and The Forge — some of the most physically demanding basic combat training days.
Company E drill sergeant Staff Sgt. La-Tia Rondeau said she has seen the benefits that MOREs bring to trainees during energy sapping events like ruck marches.
“Because we only utilize them during certain events, I believe it has been extremely beneficial — especially when they eat before, during and after (events),” Rondeau said. “They have more energy, they stay awake and they’re more alert throughout the ruck march.”
Pfc. Oksana Schornak, a Company E trainee, said the boost of energy MOREs provide helps trainees accomplish team tasks.
“It gives us a lot of energy,” she said. “If everyone has the energy we can do it together.”
Rondeau added that the convenient size of the snacks reduces the amount of interruptions during the marches, expediting the overall process.
“We give (the MOREs) to them before and tell them when they can eat it,” Rondeau said. “They can pull it out of their pocket, eat it, and we continue the mission.”
“It’s quick to eat, especially if we have to be quick on our feet,” Schornak added.
According to Kageleiry, the H2F System is the Army’s investment in enhancing Soldier lethality and readiness and optimizing physical and non-physical performance and demonstrates the Army’s commitment to its people, the Army’s greatest strength and most important weapon system.
Krant said when used sparingly, the MOREs are helping his trainees meet their potential.
“The calories we’re adding into our trainees’ days are matching the intensity we’re expecting out of them on those days,” he said. “They get (MOREs) when they’ll be most beneficial — during that high-exertion training. We’re getting good results and great feedback.”
By Amanda Sullivan
