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Army Awards Production Contract for Enduring-High Energy Laser System

Saturday, September 12th, 2026

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Army announced today the award to AeroVironment, Inc., Albuquerque, New Mexico, of an other-transaction-agreement for production under the Enduring-High Energy Laser program. This is the Army’s first production contract for a high energy laser weapon system.

“This first of its kind directed energy program will enable our formations to defeat unmanned systems and dominate from the outset. Pairing human ingenuity with advanced technology is what ensures our Army will continue to outpace America’s adversaries,” stated General Christopher LaNeve, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army.

Directed-energy weapons, such as E-HEL, can be used to take out drones at a much lower cost than using more expensive kinetic weapons like missiles. Powered by electric energy, E-HEL generates a lethal high-energy laser beam, offering a low cost-per-shot against critical unmanned aircraft system threats, and a magazine that regenerates with the system’s power supply.

“The key to successfully countering all levels of drones is a layered defense of sensors and effectors. AV and the Army have worked for years to develop directed energy solutions, and we are proud to give our soldiers a decisive edge against drone threats,” said the Honorable Mike Obadal, Under Secretary of the Army.

Developed using a modular open systems approach design consisting of 11 major interfaces, E-HEL is not locked into a single platform or vehicle. The system is designed for operational flexibility, capable of deployment from fixed bases, semi-fixed tactical sites, and mobile combat vehicles, ensuring broad applicability across the operational spectrum. This approach will enable onboarding of cutting-edge capabilities and continuous technology upgrades as they mature to address emerging Army requirements.

“The E-HEL program is an example of how the Army has successfully utilized MOSA, a key element of acquisition reform, as part of our efforts to field technology quickly with an interface to upgrade in the future,” said the Honorable Brent Ingraham, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology and Army Acquisition Executive. “Directed energy weapons have been considered S&T projects, and I’m proud that the Army is moving at speed and scale to deliver this first time capability,” he concluded.

The E-HEL program represents a significant step forward in the Army’s effort to deliver scalable, affordable, and adaptable directed energy capabilities to Soldiers. By transitioning from prototype development to production, the Army is establishing a foundation for continued capability growth and integration across the force. As E-HEL moves toward operational fielding, the program will continue to mature the technology and expand its ability to defeat evolving aerial threats while providing commanders with an additional layer of protection for critical assets and maneuver forces.

By US Army Public Affairs

Posted in Army, Contracts, Guest Post, Lasers | No Comments »

FirstSpear Friday Focus: Streetwalker

Friday, September 11th, 2026

Not every bag needs to look like a kit bag to perform like one. The FirstSpear STREETWALKER is constructed from lightweight ripstop and 500D Cordura nylon and built for professionals who move between the range, the gym, travel, and daily life without changing bags. At 12″ x 13″ x 22″, it carries enough for a full kit loadout or an overnight trip, while a Tubes™ quick-release shoulder strap and a laser-fused 6/12™ accessory panel bring FirstSpear’s modular platform technology to a bag built for everyday use.

Features:

  • LASER-FUSED 6/12™ ACCESSORY PANEL — INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR ATTACHMENT
  • TUBES™ QUICK-RELEASE SHOULDER STRAP
  • VENTILATED POCKET FOR SEPARATING DIRTY GEAR, BOOTS, OR CLOTHES
  • PFAS FREE — MADE IN THE USA

At its core, the STREETWALKER features a laser-fused 6/12™ accessory panel that accepts FirstSpear cell tags, Ragnar pockets, and other 6/12™ compatible accessories on both the interior and exterior of the bag. On the opposite end, an extra-large ventilated pocket keeps gym clothes, muddy boots, or any gear that needs to stay separated away from the main compartment. Available in Black and Black/Multicam Black.

Built for military personnel, law enforcement officers, and prepared professionals who demand reliable equipment, the STREETWALKER delivers FirstSpear’s modular platform technology in a bag built for life on and off the range. FirstSpear is the premier source for cutting-edge tactical gear for military, law enforcement, and those who train. To request an estimate, visit First-Spear.com/Request-For-Estimate. For more information, visit First-Spear.com.

Posted in AFSW, FS Friday Focus, Guest Post, Load Carrying | Comments Off on FirstSpear Friday Focus: Streetwalker

Special Forces Drone Competition Highlights Army’s Rapid Transformation

Thursday, September 10th, 2026

ANNISTON, Ala. — Fifteen teams of highly trained Green Berets representing units across 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) arrived in Alabama with five days to prove how effectively they could integrate rapidly evolving technology into complex tactical problems. When the competition ended, Soldiers representing 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) came out on top.

1st SFG(A) earned top honors during the first-ever 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) Best Drone Team Competition, held Aug. 24-28 at Fort McClellan and Clarke Range Complex in Alabama. Through the five days of competition, teams navigated a series of tactical problem sets, including rural and urban lanes designed to challenge how competitors integrated small, unmanned aircraft systems into realistic operational scenarios. For 1st SFG(A), the story of the competition began before a drone ever left the ground.

Prior to the event, 1st SFG(A) identified an Operational Detachment Alpha, their equipment requirements, and began conducting training on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. Through the planning and training cycle the ODA identified gaps in capabilities, and staff across the group worked to push last-minute procurements to place the required equipment into the hands of the operators. The effect of that effort was not lost on the team.

“We wouldn’t have been successful without the last-minute procurements group pushed through for us,” the team sergeant said following the competition.

That connection between operators identifying a requirement and an organization responding quickly enough to meet it reflects a challenge extending far beyond a single competition.

Unmanned systems are evolving rapidly, and so are the ways Soldiers employ them. Maintaining an advantage increasingly requires formations to identify what works, resource it quickly, develop proficiency, test it under realistic conditions and distribute what they learn before either the technology or the threat changes again. The Best Drone Team Competition was designed with that process in mind.

Participating organizations fielded both Special Forces operational teams and robotics-focused elements, bringing together unmanned systems practitioners, tactical leaders and key staff elements from across 1st SFC(A). The competition served as an opportunity to exchange tactics, techniques and procedures, and drive proficiency across the formation.

A drone alone does not create a tactical advantage. Its value depends on the ability of Soldiers to understand its capabilities, recognize where it fits within a larger operational problem and employ it effectively alongside the other tools available to them.

Teams were evaluated not only by their ability to fly unmanned aircraft, but on their ability to solve problems. Competitors had to adapt to changing conditions, determine how available systems could support their objectives and integrate those capabilities into tactical decision-making.

For 1st SFG(A), while winning the competition validated the proficiency of the Soldiers who competed, what happens after the competition will prove even more important. In post-competition guidance, Col. Ronald J. Hudak, commander of 1st SFG(A), described the competitors as “good people taking disciplined initiative and getting results.”

His guidance quickly moved beyond recognizing the accomplishment and toward determining how the Group could capture and distribute what its Soldiers had learned.

The competitors’ experience will now help inform future training across 1st SFG(A), with efforts focused on sharing lessons and best practices, developing hands on instructional products and examining options for increasing baseline tactical unmanned-systems proficiency throughout the formation. The goal is not simply to maintain a handful of highly skilled drone operators; it is to make their knowledge transferable.

“These are some of our best [Soldiers],” said Brig. Gen. Joseph Wortham, commander of 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne), “they stare at the [unmanned systems] problem day in and day out and they do so in a very tangible, tactical way.”

The result was a first-place finish, but that is only the most visible outcome. The more enduring measure of success will be what happens when the lessons brought home from Alabama move beyond the Soldiers who earned it.

As 1st SFG(A) incorporates their experience into training across the formation, an achievement belonging to one team can become knowledge shared across many. In an operating environment where technology can change faster than traditional training and acquisition cycles, the ability to identify a need, resource it, learn quickly and adapt may ultimately matter far more than any place on a leader board.

By SSG Dwayne Bryant

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

MATBOCK: Ready to support EOY Requirements

Wednesday, September 9th, 2026

We have invested heavily in inventory and production capacity to reduce our lead times for the end-of-year push; we currently have over 200 – Multicam® Front Raider Pouches in stock.

Here is a full breakdown of our current lead times.

Anything not listed above will take 4-6 weeks.

Please reach out to sales@matbock.com to get a quote today or call (757) 384-1338 for assistance.

Posted in Advertiser, Guest Post, Load Carrying | No Comments »

GPS-Free Test Flight Success Marks Critical Advance for Aviation, National Security

Wednesday, September 9th, 2026

The Defense Innovation Unit’s latest quantum sensing milestone shows aircraft can safely and accurately navigate vast stretches of ocean without relying on the same GPS that millions of civilians use to move through traffic.

The groundbreaking flight test was a success for MagNav, DIU’s magnetic navigation program, and is a critical advancement for the future of aviation and national security.

“This is a significant win for the department’s quantum sensing priorities, showcasing that MagNav capabilities are no longer a distant research goal,” said Kyle Norman, deputy director of DIU’s Kill Web portfolio. “We moved from problem sourcing to solicitation to prototype in a matter of months.”

The MagNav program launched in spring 2024 under the name “Transition of Quantum Sensing.” A total of 72 companies submitted applications to the commercial solutions opening, with Honeywell Aerospace ultimately selected to move forward with prototype development.

MagNav systems use quantum sensors to read the Earth’s natural magnetic field, turning the planet’s crust into an invisible, unjammable map that allows pilots to navigate safely regardless of weather, time of day or GPS availability.

The Earth’s magnetic field cannot be spoofed or blocked by hostile forces, Norman said. The new technology also significantly improves on legacy backup options such as radar mapping or visual cues like rivers, highways and cities.

The system was installed aboard an Embraer 170 aircraft to demonstrate real-world capabilities. The route took the aircraft over the Pacific Ocean, from Seattle’s Puget Sound to southern Alaska and back.

After four hours and 23 minutes of flying over the ocean without GPS, the MagNav system improved position accuracy by 89% compared to traditional backup navigation methods. The navigation data streamed directly to the pilots in real time via standard tablets, showing that military personnel can field the technology without a massive overhaul of cockpit instruments.

The test mission also added the complexity of the ocean surface — a featureless, constantly shifting expanse that would traditionally require internal sensors in the absence of GPS.

The problem, however, is that classical sensors drift over time. What starts as a small miscalculation can become a massive, dangerous deviation if left unchecked. By reading the Earth’s magnetic signatures, MagNav gives pilots a highly accurate, continuous map even when no visible landmarks exist.

Honeywell and DIU are preparing to demonstrate the technology on a U.S. military C-17 Globemaster III cargo aircraft later this year. By proving that aircraft can maintain pinpoint accuracy over the featureless ocean without GPS, the War Department is taking a significant step toward ensuring that military and commercial pilots can safely reach their destinations, no matter what happens to the satellite networks above them.

By Defense Innovation Unit Staff

Posted in Admin, Aviation, Comms, Department of War, Guest Post, Space | Comments Off on GPS-Free Test Flight Success Marks Critical Advance for Aviation, National Security

Special Operations Forces Tackle Unseen Threat of Blast Exposure

Tuesday, September 8th, 2026

The U.S. special operations forces community is actively tackling the invisible threat of repeated blast overpressure to protect warfighters’ brain health without compromising combat readiness.

This is important since, in just six months of initial entry training, a SOF soldier will fire thousands of small arms rounds, employ hundreds of flash-bang devices, and conduct dozens of explosive breaches. For these operators, low-level blast exposure of less than four pounds per square inch is not a rare incident, but rather a daily, unavoidable reality of their training and operational environments. 

Managing this risk factor presents a massive challenge. The scientific community suspects that cumulative, repeated blasts could cause long-term cognitive effects, yet there are currently no validated thresholds to guide medical decisions or return-to-duty timelines.  

Simply tracking the blasts is a logistical hurdle because current sensors are often bulky, competing for precious space on an operator’s mission-essential gear. Furthermore, vendor data rarely synchronizes smoothly with standard military systems, and there is little agreement on how peak pressure and incident pressure meaningfully accumulate. 

“More importantly, current sensors only measure the blast wave itself, leaving a critical human gap with no event-linked cognitive, physiological or biomarker data for the operator standing in its path,” said Army Sgt. Maj. Chris McNamara, 3rd Operations Support Group human weapon system director. 

To bridge these scientific and operational gaps, the SOF community launched aggressive, data-driven initiatives like the Elite Force Pilot Team. 

“This specialized task force is evaluating how to implement high-fidelity monitoring during high-risk training and operations,” McNamara said. “Their goal is to ultimately standardize how leaders make risk and readiness decisions.”

The objectives of the pilot team are to mitigate effects of blast overpressure by monitoring high-risk training and operations. They have used lessons learned to improve return-to-duty and return-to-shoot protocols and correlate blast overpressure to clinical outcomes by using evidence-based biomarkers. 

McNamara highlighted the operational reality of these efforts, noting that a delicate balance exists between collecting timely data and not disrupting the tempo of training. He emphasized the essential need to identify accurate and nonintrusive methods for collecting data on blast exposure, cognitive performance and biomarkers.

“As the scientific community strives to find clarity in exposure measurement, leaders at all levels must simultaneously be equipped with relevant and effective risk-mitigation tools,” said Kathy Lee, director of warfighter brain health policy at the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Health Affairs.

Instead of waiting for universal medical standards to be finalized, SOF leaders are already implementing physical changes to training and equipment. One innovation is the multiuse charge housings for enhanced target effect, a flexible charge housing designed to optimize breaching operations while safeguarding service members.

Made of nontoxic, inert materials, the system is dual purposed for sheet explosives and detonation cords. By using advanced 3D computer modeling and wave-shaping design techniques, the housing focuses blast energy toward the target, allowing for a lower net explosive weight. This optimization delivers identical target-defeat capabilities while reducing hazardous blast overpressure on the warfighter by 25-60%.

The system is highly intuitive, significantly reduces charge preparation, builds time to maximize training efficiency and is currently being positioned for expanded military distribution.

“Our priority is to field technology that treats the operator as our premier weapon system,” said Chris Wilson, division lead for human weapon system at the U.S. Special Operations Command’s Science and Technology Directorate. “Innovations like [the housing] prove we don’t have to choose between lethality and safety. By using advanced engineering to shape the blast physics, we are actively lowering the physical toll on the human weapon system while keeping our operators sharp, lethal and in the fight longer.”

For SOF members, the firing ranges and facilities are being redesigned based on advanced modeling of blast waves. New construction materials are also being used that absorb shockwaves.

Operators are also seeing improvements in their standard gear. This includes the increased use of updated weapon suppressors, heavy weapon simulators and strict helmet policies.

Researchers are even using biometric instrumented head forms to measure exactly what happens inside a helmet during a blast, leading to improved helmet padding systems. For industrial hygiene monitoring, new hard-copy and mobile applications are being developed to streamline the recording of blast overpressure data directly in the field.

Ultimately, the overarching warfighter requirement remains clear: a low-burden sensor with integrated power and interoperable data that clinicians can actually use to monitor health.

By taking decisive action today, U.S. Special Operations Command is taking proactive steps to improve brain health, detect early warning signs and implement preventive measures to extend operational longevity, enhance mission readiness and ensure the long-term health of SOF warfighters.

By Derik Crotts, Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Health Affairs

Posted in Guest Post, Medical, SOF | No Comments »

BFG Monday – Why MOLLE/PALS Compatibility Matters

Monday, September 7th, 2026

MOLLE/PALS compatibility allows users to mount pouches and accessories across plate carriers, chest rigs, battle belts, packs, and other load carriage platforms without being locked into a single brand or proprietary system.

That compatibility matters because most military units, law enforcement agencies, and individual users are not building complete loadouts from scratch. They are improving equipment that has already been purchased, fielded, configured, and trained with.

A new pouch may be lighter or more capable, but those improvements mean little if the pouch does not work with the equipment already in use. The best upgrades improve a proven system rather than forcing the user to replace it.

Blue Force Gear® has spent years developing lighter load carriage equipment while maintaining compatibility with the MOLLE/PALS standard. Technologies including Helium Whisper®, MOLLEminus®, and ULTRACOMP® reduce unnecessary material and weight without requiring users to abandon their existing platforms.

What Is the Difference Between MOLLE and PALS?

MOLLE stands for Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment. It refers to the broader load carriage system used to carry and organize mission-essential equipment.

PALS stands for Pouch Attachment Ladder System. It is the grid of horizontal attachment points found on plate carriers, chest rigs, belts, packs, and other tactical equipment. MOLLE-compatible pouches attach to this grid by weaving their attachment straps through the pouch and the platform.

The terms MOLLE and PALS are often used interchangeably, but they do not mean exactly the same thing. PALS is the attachment grid. MOLLE is the larger load carriage system that uses it.

The distinction is less important than the practical result: a properly designed MOLLE-compatible pouch should attach securely to a correctly constructed PALS platform, even when the pouch and platform come from different manufacturers. This open compatibility is one of the primary reasons the system remains widely used across professional load carriage equipment.

Why Does MOLLE/PALS Compatibility Matter?

MOLLE/PALS compatibility gives users the ability to configure and improve their equipment without replacing the entire load carriage system.

A military unit may already have hundreds or thousands of issued plate carriers, belts, chest rigs, and packs in service. A law enforcement agency may have established equipment requirements, training procedures, and standardized pouch placement. An individual user may have spent years refining a loadout around a specific mission or job.

Moving to a proprietary attachment system can create additional costs, training requirements, logistical challenges, and equipment limitations. A compatible solution allows the organization or user to upgrade individual components while keeping the rest of the system in place.

That provides several practical advantages:

• Pouches can move between compatible carriers, belts, chest rigs, and packs.

• Users can upgrade individual components as requirements change.

• Organizations can modernize equipment in phases.

• Familiar pouch placement and established procedures can remain intact.

• Existing equipment investments do not have to be abandoned.

• Users can select equipment based on capability rather than ecosystem restrictions.

Compatibility does not prevent innovation. It makes useful innovation easier to adopt.

How Blue Force Gear® Improved the MOLLE/PALS Standard

Traditional MOLLE construction typically relies on multiple layers of fabric and sewn webbing. That approach provides a proven attachment surface, but the added layers, stitching, hardware, and individual components also create weight and bulk.

Blue Force Gear approached the problem differently. Instead of replacing MOLLE/PALS with a closed attachment system, BFG® developed materials and construction methods that reduce unnecessary weight while remaining compatible with existing equipment.

The foundation of that approach is ULTRACOMP, BFG’s high-performance laminate. ULTRACOMP combines structural stability, abrasion resistance, and strength in a lightweight material that resists stretching and water absorption. It allows BFG to replace heavier assemblies made from multiple layers of nylon, fabric, and webbing with a more efficient construction.

That material technology supports two complementary BFG systems: Helium Whisper and MOLLEminus.

What Is Helium Whisper®?

Helium Whisper is Blue Force Gear’s patented MOLLE pouch attachment system.

Traditional pouch backers can require numerous layers, straps, stiffeners, snaps, and pieces of sewn webbing. Helium Whisper replaces that construction with a laser-cut ULTRACOMP backer that uses fewer parts while remaining fully compatible with MOLLE/PALS platforms.

The Helium Whisper system reduced a legacy pouch back panel from 27 individual parts to six and reduced the listed back-panel weight from 83.3 grams to 44.2 grams. No additional proprietary platform is required to mount a Helium Whisper pouch to a compatible carrier, belt, vest, or pack.

For the user, the benefit is straightforward: the pouch mounts where a traditional MOLLE pouch would mount, but the attachment system carries less unnecessary material.

Helium Whisper can be found across BFG’s magazine pouches, medical pouches, utility pouches, and other load carriage products.

What Is MOLLEminus®?

MOLLEminus applies the same weight-reduction philosophy to the platform itself.

Rather than sewing rows of webbing onto a fabric base, MOLLE attachment points are laser cut directly into a single layer of ULTRACOMP. This removes layers of material while maintaining compatibility with Helium Whisper and traditional MOLLE attachment systems.

MOLLEminus is used across BFG plate carriers, chest rigs, belts, and other load carriage platforms. It gives users a lightweight attachment surface without restricting them to MOLLEminus-specific pouches.

A MOLLEminus platform can accept Helium Whisper pouches, traditional MOLLE pouches, and other properly designed MOLLE-compatible equipment. The user gains the weight and bulk reduction of a modern platform without giving up access to the existing MOLLE/PALS ecosystem.

Can Helium Whisper® Pouches Fit Traditional MOLLE Platforms?

Yes. Helium Whisper pouches are designed to mount to standard MOLLE/PALS platforms, including compatible plate carriers, chest rigs, tactical belts, packs, and vests.

A user does not need a MOLLEminus platform to use a Helium Whisper pouch. The pouch can be added to existing equipment as an individual upgrade.

The reverse is also true. MOLLEminus platforms remain compatible with traditional MOLLE pouches. Users can keep current pouches, add new ones over time, or combine attachment types based on their requirements.

This interchangeability prevents the upgrade from becoming an all-or-nothing decision.

How Do You Know Whether a MOLLE Pouch Will Fit?

Before adding a pouch, verify that the platform has enough available rows and columns for the pouch’s attachment footprint. The pouch width, platform dimensions, and attachment method should all be considered.

A properly designed MOLLE-compatible pouch should attach to a compatible PALS platform when enough mounting space is available. Attachment straps should be woven through both the pouch and the platform to create a secure connection.

Users should also consider whether the pouch location interferes with other equipment, movement, accessibility, armor, vehicle seating, or mission requirements.

How Compatibility Supports Incremental Modernization

Replacing an entire load carriage system at once is not always practical. Equipment may be tied to existing contracts, fielding schedules, approved product lists, training requirements, or unit procedures.

MOLLE/PALS compatibility gives organizations a more realistic path forward. Heavier legacy components can be replaced as budgets, equipment life cycles, and mission requirements allow.

An organization could begin with frequently used components such as magazine pouches, medical kits, or general-purpose pouches. Those products can integrate with equipment already in service. Additional components can be upgraded later without making the original improvement obsolete.

Individual users gain the same flexibility. A lighter magazine pouch, medical kit, or general-purpose pouch can be added without rebuilding the entire loadout.

The user keeps the carrier, belt, or chest rig that already works while reducing weight where it makes the most sense.

Compatibility Preserves Equipment Placement

Compatibility also helps preserve consistent equipment placement.

Users develop familiarity with the location of magazines, medical equipment, communication tools, and other mission-essential items. Equipment placement is often reinforced through repetition, organizational requirements, and training.

Moving to a completely different attachment system can require more than replacing hardware. It may change how equipment is positioned, accessed, and managed.

A compatible pouch allows the user to reduce weight or improve capability while keeping critical equipment in a familiar location. The pouch changes. The established setup does not have to.

Lightweight Gear Should Work With What You Already Have

Modern equipment should reduce the burden on the user, not create a new one.

That is why MOLLE/PALS compatibility remains important. It gives military units, law enforcement agencies, and individual users the freedom to select better components without committing to a closed system or replacing equipment that continues to perform.

Blue Force Gear developed ULTRACOMP, Helium Whisper, and MOLLEminus to make proven load carriage systems lighter and more efficient while preserving the compatibility professional users depend on.

The goal is not to replace everything. It is to remove unnecessary weight from the equipment already trusted to do the job.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does MOLLE Stand For?

MOLLE stands for Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment. It is the broader modular load carriage system commonly used with PALS attachment grids.

What Does PALS Stand For?

PALS stands for Pouch Attachment Ladder System. It is the attachment grid used to mount compatible pouches and accessories to tactical platforms.

Are MOLLE and PALS the Same Thing?

No. PALS is the attachment grid, while MOLLE is the broader equipment system that uses it. The terms are often used interchangeably when discussing tactical pouches and platforms.

Will MOLLE Pouches Fit a MOLLE-Compatible Plate Carrier?

Yes, provided the carrier has a properly constructed PALS field with enough rows and columns for the pouch’s attachment footprint. Users should verify the available mounting space, pouch dimensions, and attachment method before purchasing.

Are Helium Whisper® Pouches MOLLE Compatible?

Yes. Helium Whisper pouches are designed to mount to compatible MOLLE/PALS carriers, belts, chest rigs, vests, and packs without requiring an additional proprietary platform.

Can Traditional MOLLE Pouches Attach to MOLLEminus®?

Yes. MOLLEminus is compatible with Helium Whisper and traditional MOLLE attachment systems.

Do I Need to Replace My Carrier to Use a Helium Whisper®Pouch?

No. A Helium Whisper pouch can be mounted to an existing compatible MOLLE/PALS platform, allowing individual pouches to be upgraded without replacing the carrier.

Posted in Advertiser, Guest Post, Load Carrying, MOLLE, PALS | No Comments »

Three Components, One Army: LaNeve Stresses Guard’s Role in Army’s New Priorities

Monday, September 7th, 2026

INDIANAPOLIS — Army Gen. Christopher LaNeve, vice chief of staff of the Army and acting chief of staff, emphasized the Guard’s indispensable, multidomain contributions to the joint force at home and abroad during an annual National Guard conference in Indianapolis Aug. 29.

Referencing the Army’s newly released strategy document, the Army Azimuth, LaNeve stressed the Guard’s essential role across all three Army priorities: defending the homeland, warfighting and projecting power on and from the land.

“You carry a heavy load of defending the homeland, whether that manifests in Joint Task Force Southern Border, D.C. Safe and Beautiful, or response efforts aligned with national disasters,” LaNeve said.

LaNeve thanked the National Guard for its ongoing support of D.C. Safe and Beautiful — a mission that has brought nearly 10,000 Guardsmen from around the country to support local and federal law enforcement efforts aimed at restoring order in the nation’s capital. As a result, Guardsmen have removed more than 1,400 illegal firearms from local streets, conducted more than 860 medical assistance interventions, administered naloxone to more than 375 people experiencing suspected overdoses and reunited more than 44 minors with their families.

“When I think about the National Guard, I think of individuals who are truly part of their communities, faces that folks recognize and can directly associate with service,” LaNeve said. “That’s a powerful force for good in our nation.”

As a young brigade operations officer, LaNeve witnessed the Guard’s tenacity in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. His unit conducted a relief in place, or RIP, for the Louisiana National Guard’s 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in Iraq, whose Soldiers were serving their final weeks of deployment when one of the worst hurricanes in decades devastated their home state.

“The professionalism they displayed during that RIP will always, always stay with me,” LaNeve said. “In the face of absolute worry, they did not falter.”

That same professionalism and tenacity, LaNeve said, is rooted in Soldier fundamentals.

Returning to a “warrior mindset” across the force is critical for maintaining the Army’s position as the world’s most dominant land power. LaNeve outlined this as going back to the basics of rigorous physical training, knowing the mission-essential tasks associated with their military specialty and preparing their equipment.

“Each of us has a moral obligation to our nation and the Soldiers we serve to become the strongest, most lethal and most ready version of ourselves possible,” LaNeve said. “We must care about the basics today to keep our Soldiers alive on the battlefield tomorrow.”

With four Guard mobile brigades scheduled to conduct combat readiness exercises in fiscal year 2027 and Guardsmen currently serving in the U.S. Central Command area of operations, embracing a warrior mindset is more critical than ever, he said.

“You are in the fight.”

LaNeve praised the Virginia National Guard’s 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, or IBCT, as the first Army National Guard brigade to participate in a Joint Readiness Training Center rotation ahead of the Army’s plans to convert 25 Army National Guard IBCTs to the mobile BCT structure by the end of fiscal year 2028.

“You are a critical part of our ability to be postured to respond immediately to crises and contingencies both at home and abroad,” he said.

Operation Epic Fury demonstrated how the Army remains the foundation of the joint force, he said. While the operation may appear to center on air power and a blockade, the Army — including the Army National Guard — has continued to provide critical warfighting functions in theater.

He cited the New York-based 42nd Infantry Division, which led Task Force Spartan and provided tactical mission command for land forces from February to May, and the Kansas National Guard’s 130th Field Artillery Brigade, which transitioned from supporting Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve to serving as the field artillery headquarters for U.S. Central Command forces and executed one of the longest deep field artillery strikes in Army history.

“You are a powerful part of our ability to project power on and from the land,” LaNeve said. “The National Guard generates combat-credible formations and helps strengthen the capacity of our allies and partners through the State Partnership Program.”

The Department of War’s National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program now encompasses 117 partnerships, connecting states, territories and Washington, D.C., with partner nations in every geographic combatant command.

LaNeve highlighted the Washington National Guard and Malaysia, which have partnered since 2017, for their recent weeklong working group focused on developing expeditionary amphibious capabilities and logistics planning.

“We must position ourselves favorably left of conflict, whether that be campaigning, building relationships or forward-basing,” he said. “Through the actions we take today, we are hardening lines of communication and reinforcing the forward areas of the future fight, and you are on the vanguard of this.”

LaNeve also described the Guard’s role in “endurance,” one of four elements of land power outlined in the Azimuth alongside convergence, strike and close battle. Together, they guarantee the Army’s ability to maneuver operationally on the battlefield and to deliver joint all-domain maneuver when integrated into the joint force.

“Endurance is about our ability as an Army to persist,” he said, “to ensure we can maintain posture, protection, projection of power across time, distance, and in the face of an unforgiving and persistent adversary. We use endurance to translate victory on the battlefield to victory in war.”

The Guard’s ability to mobilize helps project power over time and distance, making it essential to the endurance of the Army’s land power. State partnerships build the relationships needed for posture and power projection abroad, and the Guard’s daily contributions to endurance directly support the Army’s ability to conduct operational maneuver, LaNeve said.

“We may have three compos, but we are one Army,” LaNeve told the audience, using a shorthand term for the Army’s active-duty, National Guard and Reserve components. “That Army is the foundation of our joint force.”

By MSG Sarah McClanahan

Posted in Army, Guest Post | 1 Comment »

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