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Archive for the ‘PEO-Soldier’ Category

Ghillie Suit Base Layer

Sunday, May 31st, 2009

PEO-Soldier is finalizing an improved Ghillie Suit Accessory Kit which for the first time, has included a Base Layer garment. Designed by Crye, the Base Layer, according to a PEO-Soldier briefing, provides “fire resistance as well as improved counter-surveillance protection, protection from flame and thermal threats, increased mobility and agility, increased multi-system operability, and anti-odor/anti-microbial properties.”

Ghillie Base Layer

Of course this begs the question; is this an indictment of UCP? If snipers require superior camouflage why is it Multicam and not UCP?

ghillie base layer jacket

ghillie suit base layer trouser

Army Tests Releasable Plate Carriers

Friday, May 8th, 2009

In February PEO-Soldier officials down selected four companies from a field of sixteen to provide candidates for a releasable plate carrier demonstration. At the time Army officials made it clear that there was no formal program to procure Releasable Plate Carriers. However, over the last two months, it looks like things have changed.

From the four companies (Eagle Industries, KDH Defense Systems Inc, MSA Paraclete, and Tactical Assault Gear), the Army is currently evaluating five carriers at Yuma Proving Ground. Eagle has two carriers under evaluation; the Scalable Plate Carrier, currently issued to select USMC units as well as a variant issued to USSOCOM.

Soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division and the 173rd Airborne Brigade will wear each of the company’s plate carrier designs while road marching, running through obstacle courses and shooting on live-fire ranges. Army test and evaluation personnel will compare the candidates’ performance against the IOTV without neck and groin protection.

Earlier this month the Army approved a plan to conduct a combat evaluation in Afghanistan of a kit of candidate lightweight combat equipment developed by the Asymmetric Warfare Group in conjunction with industry utilizing a combination of Commercial and Government Off The Shelf products. The approval came weeks after the demonstration was put on hold over questions surrounding safety releases for the Eagle Releasable Carrier and associated armor systems currently used by USSOCOM. Reports indicate that the matter received SECDEF attention. This may explain why Army PM Soldier Survivability is now characterizing the current “Soldier Protection Demonstration” as a more formal procurement activity.

Last Summer, the Marine Corps fielded limited numbers of a Scalable Plate Carrier manufactured by Eagle Industries. Currently, they are testing an “Improved Scalable Plate Carrier”. Based on lessons learned from the initial fielding, the Marine Corps is working to improve the range of motion and mobility in the shoulder area, donning and doffing, and enhanced integration with the cummerbund and side plates.

Army to Field Experimental Soldier Systems Equipment

Saturday, April 25th, 2009

Wearing their Rapid Equipping Force hat, The Army’s Asymmetric Warfare Group set about to assemble a package of Commercial Off the Shelf Soldier Systems equipment to conduct a demonstration with members of the 4th Infantry Division deploying to Afghanistan. The aim was to demonstrate that these alternative technologies will enhance the combat effectiveness of our troops fighting in the brutal terrain of Afghanistan.

Unfortunately, a long brewing battle between the Army’s Acquisition community and the REF seemed to come to a head two weeks ago when the office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology halted the shipment of the equipment package into theater and began to ask some very pointed questions about the capability of the armor package chosen. Long-term friction has come about as the REF continues to conduct rapid identification, assessment, and fielding of critical warfighting technologies while the traditional acquisition system takes a much more methodical approach and fielding of new systems requires longer lead times.

The system in question is the MBAV cutaway plate carrier produced by Eagle Industries used in conjunction with a hard plate only certified for use by USSOCOM. All of this is fully in the Army’s purview and unknown to most sitting on the sidelines of this issue, PEO-Soldier is in the midst of an evaluation of five cut away armor plate carriers. It is highly probable that the cutaway system chosen by AWG is also a candidate in this PEO-Soldier evaluation.

The situation seemed to take on a life of its own and after two weeks of consideration the Army has chosen to field the experimental package and it will be shipped for use by 480 Soldiers across two battalions of the deploying 4th ID. According to Army sources, short notice testing was completed to provide a safety release of the equipment. However, the new lightweight hard armor plates used by SOCOM will be replaced by the Army’s current issue plates.

Data collection will be accomplished by Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab.

US Army Family of Flashlights

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009

US Army’s PEO-Soldier has updated the Approved Product List for the Family of Flashlights in a message released on www.fbo.gov.

Basic White Light
ENERGIZERs 1AA LITHIUM
FIRSTLIGHTs TOMAHAWK-GP
GERBERs EXPERT M
PHANTOMs 34-S
STREAMLIGHTs TL2-LED
SUREFIREs BACKUP
SUREFIREs E2D DEFENDER
SUREFIREs E2L OUTDOORSMAN

Handfree Helmet Light
STREAMLIGHTs SIDEWINDER COMPACT

Tactical Handheld Light
ENERGIZERs GEN 2 HARD CASE
FIRSTLIGHTs TOMAHAWK-NV
GERBERs RECON M-II
PHANTOMs 41-S
SUREFIREs KROMA
STREAMLIGHTs SIDEWINDER

ACU Test Update

Sunday, April 5th, 2009

Way back in May of 2008 we wrote an article about an impending Army Combat Uniform Test. Recently we received a report from the field about the test and we have been informed that at least one outcome of the trials is that the ACU will have button cuffs and trouser closures. Additionally, the Army will announce the full scope of changes soon and that they should be ready for issue as soon as this Fall.

Soldier Systems APBI

Thursday, April 2nd, 2009

Armys Product Manager Clothing and Individual Equipment (PM CIE), Armys Product Manager Soldier Survivability (PM SSV), USMCs Product Manager Infantry Combat Equipment (PM ICE), PM Special Operation Forces Survival Systems (PM SOF), Warfighter Science, Technology, and Applied Research (WARSTAR), Natick Soldier Research, Development, and Engineering Center, and Defense Supply Center Philadelphias Clothing and Textile division (DSCP C&T) will jointly hold an Advance Planning Brief for Industry (APBI) on May 13-14, 2009 in Springfield, VA. The goal of the event is to keep the industrial base informed of the direction of clothing and individual equipment programs, future requirements, and business opportunities. There will be an optional no host registration/cocktail social event the evening of May 12. The conference will commence May 13 with registration followed by a general session focused on strategic initiatives and issues. Individual commodity sessions will be held the afternoon of May 13 and the morning of May 14. The commodity areas are as follows: Helmets, Fire Resistant Clothing, Footwear, Cold Weather Clothing and Equipment, Load Bearing Equipment, Handwear, Eyewear, Body Armor, Hydration, Parachutes, and Uniforms. Sessions will be held for Service unique commodities as well. Services will brief all on-going efforts in research and development, test, evaluation, future contract projections, and current/emerging military requirements. These briefings are designed to identify specific opportunities over the next 3 years. The sessions will conclude with a moderated question and answer period. The APBI is open to all members of the supply chain. Space is limited; therefore the number of attendees is restricted to ten (10) attendees per company. Registration will be closed on April 21, 2009 or once maximum capacity is reached; whichever comes first. There is no attendance fee and the dress code is business casual. Please e-mail Jaime Roig with the following information for each attendee: name, company, address, e-mail address and phone number. This information must be provided no later than April 21, 2009. Attendance confirmation number, hotel information, directions, and registration info will be sent via return email.

Point of Contact
Jaime Roig, a contractor for NCI Information Systems, Inc., Army PM CIE Operations Support, Phone (703) 704-4123, Email: jaime.roig@us.army.mil

Place of Performance
Address: Waterford Conference Center 6715 Commerce Street Springfield, VA http://www.waterfordreceptions.com/locations/springfield.asp Postal Code: 22314 Country: US

Contracting Office Address:
RDECOM Acquisition Center – Aberdeen, ATTN: AMSSB-ACC-A, 4118 Susquehanna Avenue, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21005-3013

Even USA Today is Talking About the Soldier’s Load

Wednesday, April 1st, 2009

The plight of the American Soldier in Afghanistan is becoming major news. Finally, Soldier Systems items are getting attention for the first time since helmets and body armor were a controversy after the onset of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Unfortunately, the issues at hand aren’t new and have been plaguing our Enduring Freedom troops since day one. Hopefully, they will begin to see some relief.

Read the USA Today article.

Future Soldier 2030 Initiative

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

“Own the Fight” – This is the aim of the Army’s latest Soldier modernization S&T program. Despite the reference to 2030 in the program name, many of the program’s components are slated for the 2015 to 2020 time frame (2014 POM cycle). It’s the usual cast of characters; smaller, faster, leaner, meaner. Other than a move to monochromes, it pretty much looks like a repackaging of FFW.

Future Soldier 2030

The programs vision:

Every Future Soldier will be equipped physically, cognitively, socially and with the appropriate materiel to conduct Full Spectrum Operations.

This will require agility, adaptability, mobility and the ability to act efficiently and effectively to simultaneously perform operations in many traditional and non-traditional roles including but not limited to Warfighting in complex, rapidly changing environments around the world.

Natick has established a website which includes documents.