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Widget Wednesday: C4 Assets Increase Small Unit Lethality

Wednesday, October 31st, 2018

“Lethality” is the new hot Pentagon buzzword, but it also harkens back to the age old Infantry principle of “Find ‘em, Fix ‘em, Finish ‘em” – what could be called “The Lethality Triangle”, if it has a name. On the “Finish ‘em” side, both the Army and Marine Corps have small arms programs underway that will bring significant increases in squad-level small arms firepower and lethality.

In terms of “Find ‘em” and “Fix ‘em”, the proliferation of small, rugged and portable command, control, communications, and computer (C4) assets has dramatically enhanced the level of firepower that small units can bring to the fight – at the right time and in the right place. Programs such as the US Army’s Nett Warrior and the USMC’s Modernized Rifle Squad, incorporating a designated ‘systems operator’, are significant steps forward in creating technologically-enhanced fighting units.

Sgt. Nathaniel Shaver trains on the Precision Fires-Dismounted system, a software application hosted on the Nett Warrior End User Device. (Photo Credit: Dan Lafontaine (PEO C3T))

Operational environments however present significant challenges to keeping small unit C4 assets up and running so that units can cut through the fog of war, dominate the battlespace and win the fight quickly and efficiently. Our rugged, portable, intelligent power management solutions are in the field already and have been proven on numerous deployments in some of the most austere environments possible.

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Ryan Skinner prepares to fly the InstantEye during the Infantry Platoon Battle Course as part of a training deployment. The InstantEye is a small unmanned aerial system used to be deployed at the squad level for quick and local surveillance and reconnaissance. (U.S. Marine Corps photo/Released)

Troops are already able to draw power from any available source; such as a vehicle battery or DC outlet, a solar blanket, a field generator, standard commercial primary batteries, and most US and Allied Forces military-issue rechargeable batteries. And thanks to our plug-and-play smart cable technology, troops are also able to carry fewer batteries– helping to simplify battery logistics and reduce combat loads.

A Panther 2 SATCOM system powered by an SPM-622 integrated solution in service with a USASOC unit.

Our Power Management systems currently support a wide range of C4 equipment, including:
• radios and SATCOM systems
• laptops, tablets, and smart phones
• GPS systems, laser markers and designators
• and more…

Keep your C4 assets running – no matter where you are.

To see the full list of equipment we can support, visit www.PTXnomad.com/supported-equipment

If you don’t see what you need, contact us at Team.Room@Protonex.com and we will lead you through the process of developing a bespoke solution.

Posted in Advertiser, Guest Post, Power | Comments Off on Widget Wednesday: C4 Assets Increase Small Unit Lethality

Army Developing New Enhanced Night Vision Goggles, Squad Rifles to Increase Soldier Lethality

Wednesday, October 31st, 2018

WASHINGTON — The Army is slated to release the newest Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-Binocular to a select number of combat units sometime in fiscal year 2019, according to the Soldier Lethality Cross-Functional Team officials.

BG David Hodne, the Soldier Lethality Cross-Functional Team director, spoke about the Soldier Lethality team’s progress during the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition Oct. 9, 2018.(Photo Credit: US Army photo by Devon L. Suits)

The new ENVG-B has both night vision and thermal-sensing capabilities and “stereoscopic binocular depth perception,” providing Soldiers with an illusion of depth on a flat image, officials said.

According to 82nd Airborne Division Soldiers who field-tested the new technology, the new ENVG-B is a “game changer” providing Soldiers with a unique advantage against an adversary, said Brig. Gen. David Hodne, Soldier Lethality CFT director, during the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition, Oct. 9.

Soldiers testing the new device had a 100 percent improvement in weapons qualifications using that ENVG-B, along with a 300 percent increase in detection of targets in day and night environments, and a 30 to 50 percent decrease in the time taken to shoot a target, Hodne added.

Over the next three years, the Army is scheduled to field about 10,000 ENVG-B systems, according to Brig. Gen. Anthony Potts, the program executive officer in charge of PEO-Soldier. U.S. Army Forces Command has yet to finalize the list of units that will be among the first to receive the new ENVG-B.

Aside from the new night binoculars, the Army will also field the new ENVG version 3 in fiscal year 2019, he said.

Both devices will incorporate a wireless system that connects the goggles to a Soldier’s rifle sites, Potts explained. Through testing, Soldiers employing the ENVG version 3 “rapid target acquisition” capability have seen a 100 percent increase in first-time target engagement.

US Army Reserve SGT Gordon Massiah, Task Force Ultimate cadre, signals to the tower with a chemical luminescent stick at night-fire qualification during Operation Cold Steel II, hosted by U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne), Aug. 7, 2018 at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. The Army is slated to release the newest Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-Binocular to a select number of combat units sometime in fiscal year 2019. (Photo Credit: US Army photo by SPC Brianna Saville )

REQUEST FOR A COMMON CARTRIDGE

Back in July, the Army awarded an opportunity contract to five companies to develop prototypes for the Army’s Next Generation Squad Automatic Rifle System. The new system is said to replace the M249 squad automatic weapon serving in the automatic riflemen role.

Prototypes from the new weapon system are slated to be evaluated sometime in June 2019, Potts added.

“Much of this effort is informed by the findings of the 2017 Small Arms Configuration Study. Previously, Probability of Hit drove a lot of our requirements,” said Hodne. “But now, [the Army is] looking at energy — at range. It is one of the critical factors that will define the next generation squad weapons, both the automatic rifle and the rifle.”

Coinciding with the new squad rifle system, PEO-Soldier recently released a “draft Prototype-Opportunity Notice” to help develop a 6.8mm common bullet cartridge, Potts added. The goal is to have lethal effects on targets beyond 300 meters. The Phase II Prototype Opportunity will ask vendors to propose an automatic rifle, a rifle and a common cartridge.

“There’s a great logistics support function to having a common cartridge on the battlefield,” Potts said. “From an engineering perspective … if you’re going to optimize a cartridge, you want the engineers that are developing these weapons to be able to optimize both concurrently.”

Story by Devon L. Suits

Posted in Guest Post, weapons | 9 Comments »

Brigantes Presents – High Angled Solutions – Exped 9xp Sleeping Mat

Wednesday, October 31st, 2018

Sleeping mats have moved a long way from the closed cell foam mats that are still in use in some units. Whilst light and cheap, they take up space and don’t insulate the individual, allowing the cold to penetrate up through the ground and chill the user. The initial response to being colder than expected, is upgrade to warmer, bulkier sleeping bags. This often doesn’t give the expected results, as the insulation under the user is compressed and doesn’t insulate as efficiently.

The answer is to move to a more advanced sleeping mat. Enter the Downmat XP 9, the revolutionary DownMat for extreme temperatures!

The Downmat XP 9 is exceedingly comfortable, extremely warm and packable! This enables the user to carry a smaller, lighter bag. Sleep warm and comfortable, recover and be ready for what lies ahead.

Posted in Guest Post, Shelter | 4 Comments »

Max Talk Monday – Casualties

Monday, October 29th, 2018

This is the tenth installment of ‘Max Talk Monday’ which shares select episodes from a series of instructional videos. Max Velocity Tactical (MVT) has established a reputation on the leading edge of tactical live fire and force on force training. MVT is dedicated to developing and training tactical excellence at the individual and team level.

This episode is based on Max Talk 025, which is a general discussion around the realities of casualties and the implications for planning, avoidance, and dealing with them. This is primarily a tactical not a medical discussion.

Max is a tactical trainer and author, a lifelong professional soldier with extensive military experience. He served with British Special Operations Forces, both enlisted and as a commissioned officer; a graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Max served on numerous operational deployments, and also served as a recruit instructor. Max spent five years serving as a paramilitary contractor in both Iraq and Afghanistan; the latter two years working for the British Government in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

Website: Max Velocity Tactical

YouTube: Max Velocity Tactical

Posted in Advertiser, Guest Post, Training | Comments Off on Max Talk Monday – Casualties

SCUBAPRO Sunday – Combat Swimmer Gear

Sunday, October 28th, 2018

When conducting combat swimmer operations you will need to have a certain amount of gear on you. This gear will depend on a of couple things. First what you will be doing during the dive, second what you will be doing at the end of the dive. If you are just doing a straight up dive and never leaving the water you can get away with just a gun belt with maybe a couple extra pouches for an extra mask, mask strap or fin straps. If you plan on conducting a ship attack or a raid, you will need more then just a pistol belt. This will be up to the diver and the mission requirements.

Gear Common to all

Items to have on you at all times.

– Gun Belt

– Pistol Holster

– Pistol Mag Pouch

– Water pouch and bottle.

– Radio pouch

– E and E kit

– First aid kit

– Extra mask/ mask strap/ fin strap

– Knife

– Signaling device, strobe/ flares

Gun Belt

There is a lot of them out there right now. There are many things you need to think of when setting it up. You need it to be able to easily expand the belt for the type of thermal protection you will be wearing, IE wetsuit /drysuit thickness. You need to always have your pistol holster and mag pouches in the same place for muscle memory. Other things to think of are, will you be climbing? If so can the belt be used as a harness by adding leg loops or can it be put over a climbing harness? Can you swim with it on without it rubbing the hell out of your legs? Items like the S+S Precision gear retention track are a great way to move items around with little effort. Lastly a good set of suspender’s will help keep your belt in place and stop it from spinning as you swim.

Pistol Holster– One of the things you need to look at for this is, where you want it to sit, if you want it on your thigh, on your hip or a spot in the middle. If you have it on your thigh you need to make sure it does not move around as you are swimming. It also needs to be able to be easily moved if you have to adjust your belt for the think ness of your wetsuit. It also needs to be able to lock your pistol in so it will not fall out; a bungee is a good item for it to have to lock the pistol in but that can also get stuff on something. Should it have a flap cover to protect the gun a little from small things in the water? With all this stuff it should be able to drain water fast.

Mag pouch –They need to be able to keep your magazines in place when you are diving and be able to get to them out fast when needed. Keeping them free of items in the water and be able to drain water fast. This goes for everything you carry anything it. A good mag pouch is great for carrying an extra mask.

Water Pouch- Be able to carry the water bottle you use. A Nalgene bottle is a great bottle to use, as it’s easy to fill in the field. It also doesn’t take up as much room on a belt. Typical tactical Nalgene bottle pouches have a mess bottle that drains water fast. Depending on if you have to carry something on your back or not you can also use a Camelbak on long dives when it is hot, it’s nice to drink something other then seawater when your legs start to cramp up.

Radio pouch– as radios advance it means that the people at the TOC want to know more and more what you are doing and when you are doing it. So that means that you might have to take a small radio with you to maintain comms, you might have to take along a survival radio. They can be one of the same but you might have to carry two. As one is none and two is well two is twice as much to carry.

E and E kit -Your E and E/R kit can just be a candy bar and some money to pay some people off or it might be more extensive, like having way to purify water, start a fire and kill a bear. No matter what you have, it needs to be waterproof and negatively buoyant as will everything on this list. You can laminate dollar bills in between two 3×5 cards, so it looks like they are just 3×5 cards for write info on. Then if you need the money just rip them open. This way they are hidden and waterproof. Most good kits are small and can be used for about every situation just by adding one or two items depending on what you are doing. If you have to dump all your gear for whatever reason, make sure you have your kit on you separate from everything else.

Extra straps / Masks- It is best to keep an extra mask/ mask strap and an extra fin strap on you. The extra mask should be the same mask that you are diving. You can put an extra pouch on your dive rig straps and put the mask in there. You can also switch your mask strap out to one of the newer comfort straps. They are made of the same martial that ski goggle straps are made of. As for an extra fin strap you can keep that in there also. You need to have a plan on how to change your fin strap out. This will depend on how it breaks. If it breaks in the middle on the strap, it’s not as bad as if it rips away from the fin and takes some of the fin with it. Most fins have the ability to replace the rubber strap with a steel spring version. Cave divers started using screen door springs because they wanted something that was extremely reliable. They almost never break. They have them for Jet Fins, Twin Jet max and also the Seawing Nova’s.

Knife– Knives are very personal, and everyone has the one that they like. The main thing to remember about your knife is have it in a place that you can reach it on a dive. Some people like it on their legs others like it on their waist. Some people have one on the leg and on their chest (again one is none). Keep it sharp and clean.

Signal devices – You can and probably do carry both a strobe and a flare when diving. The Flare is for emergencies and a strobe for overt and covert signaling. Both need to be waterproof and easily accessible if needed. The bad think about a flare is they are a onetime use. So make it count if you are going to use it. Almost all that are geared towards the military can handle a combat swimmer dive. Lastly you can carry a signal mirror. It is 100% waterproof and never needs batteries.

No matter what gear you take on a dive you make sure it is probably maintained. Make sure you prepare for the conditions and environment you will be in and adapt you gear and E+E kit for it.

Posted in Advertiser, Guest Post, Maritime | 10 Comments »

Kitbadger – “I Only Train With Ninjas”

Saturday, October 27th, 2018

Kitbadger takes a look at the phenomenon of students choosing an experience over gaining experience.

For the full post, visit kitbadger.com/i-only-train-with-ninjas

Posted in Guest Post, Training | 15 Comments »

24th SOW Dedicates Building to MOH Recipient Master Sgt. Chapman at Hurlburt Field

Friday, October 26th, 2018

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. – The story of Medal of Honor recipient U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. John Chapman has circulated across the nation for nearly two decades and captivated the special operations world.

The heroics John is credited with during a ferocious battle on Takur Ghar, Afghanistan, in 2002 posthumously earned him the nation’s highest military honor.

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Today, John’s legacy is cemented in Special Tactics and Hurlburt Field history forever after the 24th Special Operations Wing headquarters was dedicated in his namesake.

Amongst an audience of ST legacy warriors, Air Commandos and friends, U.S. Air Force Col. Claude Tudor Jr., commander of the 24th SOW, alongside John’s family, unveiled the new name on the John A. Chapman Building.

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“Today, we will forever bind John’s relentless spirit of honor and courage, his selfless, heroic life and legacy with our headquarters,” Tudor said.

“This building is the home of our Special Tactics headquarters and by adding John’s name to the building, it is not only a symbolic gesture, but it binds his legacy with the legacy of Hurlburt Field and AFSOC [Air Force Special Operations Command].”

In February 2002, the Special Tactics combat controller deployed to Afghanistan as part of a joint special operations team. On the team, his role was to conduct precision strikes by integrating airpower onto the battlefield.

On March 4, 2002, John was killed during Operation ANACONDA, when he knowingly sacrificed his life to fend off a rocket-propelled grenade attack on an incoming MH-47 Chinook helicopter carrying a quick reaction force of U.S. Army Rangers and Air Force ST Airmen.

“This final act was the ultimate expression of his love. His love for his brothers. His love for his country. His love for me, and his love for all of you,” said Kevin Chapman, John’s brother, during the building dedication.

“The act of laying down your life for your friends can only come from one who embodies humility. One who considers others before he considers himself.”

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John was initially awarded the Air Force Cross for his actions, but after a thorough review, it was upgraded to the Medal of Honor by President Donald Trump, who presented it to his widow, Valerie Nessel, during a White House ceremony on Aug. 22.

“[John] would want to recognize the other men who lost their lives,” Valerie said in a previous interview. “Even though he did something he was awarded the Medal of Honor for, he would not want the other guys to be forgotten – they were part of the team together. I think he would say his Medal of Honor was not just for him, but for all of the guys who were lost.”

John is the first Special Tactics Airman to receive the Medal of Honor and upon receiving the decoration, John was posthumously promoted to the rank of master sergeant.

The upgraded award and rank serve as a lifelong remembrance and renaming the headquarters to the John A. Chapman building is another way of reinforcing an ST legacy of sacrifice.

“Every time we walk into the John A. Chapman headquarters building, we will continue to push our own organizational velocity and drive innovation to meet multi-domain mission requirements across the full spectrum of conflict and crisis,” Tudor said. “[John] Chapman has long inspired the Special Tactics community, but now, his story will inspire and fuel those passing by every day, and remind them who John Chapman was as a person: a phenomenal human, who fought relentlessly and sacrificed all for his teammates.”

Following the building dedication ceremony, three new displays were revealed within the newly renamed John A. Chapman Building including a Medal of Honor tribute. In that display holds a photo of “Chappy”, a detailed summary of The Battle of Takur Ghar, the history of the Medal of Honor, Chapman’s award citation and a Medal of Honor decoration.

“With a humble heart, and as John’s representative for the family and friends, I accept the honor you have bestowed upon us, upon Master Sg. John A. Chapman, by naming this building after him as a lasting legacy in his memory,” Kevin said.

Along with the name “John A. Chapman” now prominently displayed on the street-side of the building, next to the front doors of the entry way is a replica bronze plaque from John’s upgraded Air Force Cross. The plaque displays a brief summary of John’s actions, and at the bottom reads, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? Here am I. Send me!”

By: Senior Airman Joseph Pick, 24th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs

Posted in Air Force, Guest Post, SOF | 1 Comment »

Widget Wednesday: Operating Unmanned Air and Ground Vehicles in Austere Environments

Wednesday, October 24th, 2018

Air and ground based drones continue to become more and more prevalent in military and law enforcement operations, often as ISR and EOD assets, and occasionally in a more offensive posture (as when the Dallas PD took out a cop-killer in 2016 with surprise package).

However, remote or undeveloped areas present significant challenges to keeping UAV and UGV assets fully operational because of a lack of wall sockets and dependable electric power grids for charging their batteries. Our portable power management solutions enable operators to draw power from any available source; such as a vehicle battery or DC outlet, a solar blanket, a field generator, or other batteries. UAV & UGV operators can use our systems to charge the batteries of platforms, control stations, and supporting comm’s equipment.

Thanks to our bi-directional, plug-and-play technology, UAV & UGV batteries can also be used as a power source for other electronic equipment – helping to simplify a team or unit’s energy logistics and battery burden.

Our power management solutions currently support the following UAV and UGV systems:
• Aeryon Labs R60 SkyRanger® (R70 SkyRaider® in development)
• AeroVironment RQ-11B Raven (RQ-20 Puma in development)
• Endeavor Robotics FirstLook®, PackBot®, and SUGV
• Any system that runs on a standard battery or battery pack

For further information about UAV and UGV field charging solutions, visit www.PTXnomad.com or contact us through Team.Room@Protonex.com.

Tags: Protonex
Posted in Advertiser, Guest Post, Power, UAS | Comments Off on Widget Wednesday: Operating Unmanned Air and Ground Vehicles in Austere Environments