In addition to security advisory services for government and the financial sector, Morningstar Strategic Services offers a variety of high end equipment solutions in Canada including Torraka cold weather clothing from Sweden as well as Stone Glacier.
They also specialize in precision target engagement and are the Canadian agents for Nightforce as well as being affiliated with Accuracy 1st Canada which offers Accuracy 1st courses on a 360 deg range in Western Canada.
KOMENDA, SLOVENIA (1 June 2023) – In a powerful tribute to the relentless spirit of the Special Forces selection candidates, UF PRO launched a new video, ‘Limits are a mindset.’ The video doesn’t just celebrate the grit and tenacity of these extraordinary individuals—it also encapsulates UF PRO’s commitment to the same ethos in designing tactical gear for military and law enforcement professionals.
The video follows the journey of a Special Forces selection candidate, offering a gripping testament to the perseverance required to overcome each gruelling challenge. This narrative mirrors UF PRO’s own commitment to transcending boundaries, not just in product innovation, but in the mentality that fuels the company.
“Like the SF candidate in the video, we at UF PRO see limits not as barriers, but as challenges to be overcome,” says a company spokesperson. “This ethos is central to our brand. It drives us to design gear that enables our customers to meet their own challenges head-on, no matter how daunting.”
UF PRO’s ‘Limits are a mindset’ video reflects the company’s belief that the pursuit of excellence is unending. In a world that demands constant evolution, both on the battlefield and in the tactical gear industry, the ability to adapt and overcome is vital. And that’s precisely what UF PRO delivers: tactical gear designed with the tenacity to tackle the unknown, echoing the spirit of those who wear it.
For more information, please visit UF PRO’s website at ufpro.com
LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. (AFNS) —
The 19th Security Forces Squadron recently implemented a new 30-day training program to equip defenders with the foundational skills and knowledge to counter peer adversaries, ensure security in an Agile Combat Employment environment and develop leadership qualities as valuable multi-capable Airmen.
The locally designed program, known as Agile Combat Employment and Leadership for Multi-Capable Airmen, was implemented in the squadron to reteach and emphasize the basics of air base ground defense and help train for atypical missions.
Defenders were able to expand their knowledge on dismounted operations and tactics and conduct by-law training, which teaches and evaluates use of non-lethal weapons for de-escalation, to demonstrate mission readiness in a contested environment and at home station.
“The main goal of this program is to better the capability of our defenders by honing in on close-quarters battle tactics and focusing on doing things to help out our adjacent forces, such as explosive ordnance disposal, medical and other career fields,” said Staff Sgt. Alexander Jackson, 19th SFS training instructor.
During the course, Airmen went through scenarios where they practiced security and troop-leading procedures while demonstrating base defense principles, force protection measures and multi-domain awareness.
ACE-LMC is an improved and revised program that was constructed from a previous week-long program called Horse Blanket.
“Horse Blanket was beneficial, but it only focused on by-law training and not much on dismounted operations,” Jackson said. “ACE-LMC helps us practice more on our skills and become more agile in order to be ready for tomorrow’s fight.”
Throughout the course, Airmen practiced active threat response in ready training areas, basic communications, chemical biological radiological and nuclear training, comprehensive Airmen fitness, integrated defense, small arms and tactical combat casualty care.
The 30-day training course culminated in a 12-hour field training exercise where defenders spent the night in a simulated contested environment, drilled securing and assuming control over an airfield and practiced various scenarios relating to air base ground defense.
As an instructor, Jackson gives defenders skillset repetitions that can be used in future operations and empowers Airmen at all levels with the opportunity to lead and train in a contested environment.
“My role as the lead instructor for the course is to motivate and bring the intensity back into our career field,” Jackson said. “We are trying to get Airmen out of their comfort zones and make sure that they are able to carry out the mission anytime and anywhere.”
The ACE-LMC program has successfully introduced critical training into the squadron, aiding in the development of mission-ready Airmen. All defenders are able to benefit from the course, whether they are fresh out of technical training or they have been in the unit for a while.
“As an Airman who just graduated from tech school not too long ago, ACE-LMC has been a refresher and I am able to enhance my skills,” said Airman 1st Class Angel Sacta Espinoza, 19th SFS main entry controller. “It really makes us think outside the box and realize that this is preparing us for future conflict against our adversaries. We are touching on stuff we don’t really perform day to day.”
Although ACE-LMC is currently only available to security forces members, Jackson said his hope is for Airmen from other career fields to be able to experience this training in the future.
“We are trying to integrate adjacent career fields to join in the course as well in order for them to gain familiarization on skills that could help them during a situation not related to their job,” Jackson said. “We want to make it bigger and better every time, and every day we learn something new and different in order to improve the course.”
By Airman 1st Class Maria Umanzor Guzman, 19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
PULA, Croatia — A small group of 173rd Airborne Brigade paratroopers, or “Sky Soldiers,” traveled to Croatia take part in a multinational air defense and electronic warfare exercise from April 19 through 21, 2023 called Exercise Shield 23.
Exercise Shield is an annual Croatian air defense exercise that aims at strengthening the execution of air defense tactics against low and medium altitude moving aerial threats.
During the exercise this year, units from the United States, Croatia, Poland and Slovenia collectively trained on air defense and electronic warfare tactics, techniques and procedures, including air-space control, synchronization, surveillance, threat detection and live fire engagements against flying objects.
The exercise strengthened air defense interoperability between NATO allies by combining multiple air defense platforms in the same area of operations.
Capt. Mitchel Hess, the 173rd Airborne’s air defense officer, has attended the last two Shield exercises.
“The relationship we have built with the Croatians is of great importance to our collective security,” said Hess. “Through allied training and collaboration, we have developed a strong partnership. The Croatians have demonstrated their dedication and professionalism, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with them for years to come.”
Croatian Army 2nd Lt. Jure Brkic, Croatian Air Defense Regiment, has been one of the lead officers on the Croatian side for building a successful partnership with the 173rd Airborne Brigade.
“From the initial planning to final planning, we had a lot of brainstorming of ideas for training,” said Brkic. “And of course, the relationship between allies is important in many ways. Such as getting familiar with different doctrines, problem solving, interoperability and learning new weapon systems.”
Each country brought a different air defense platform to the seaside training area near Pula and utilized basic drones and flares to simulate detecting and engaging enemy targets. The Sky Soldier air defenders brought Dronebuster 3Bs, while the Croatian Air Defense Regiment used the QR-07S3 Drone Jammer System.
Last year, the Sky Soldiers brought FIM-92 Stinger missiles to engage launched flares. This year, Polish air defenders brought their Piorun Portable Anti-Aircraft Missile System or “Thunderbolt” and demonstrated two live missile launches.
Distinguished visitors from each participating country’s military came to oversee the training at the end of the exercise. The culminating event was an incredible display of NATO air defense. All countries’ militaries demonstrated their capabilities by engaging aerial targets with their respective platforms. From Dronebusters to missiles to anti-aircraft guns, the point got across — the air defenders are truly stronger together.
The 173rd Airborne Brigade is the U.S. Army’s Contingency Response Force in Europe, providing rapidly deployable forces to the United States European, African, and Central Command areas of responsibility. Forward deployed across Italy and Germany, the brigade routinely trains alongside NATO allies and partners to build partnerships and strengthen the alliance.
Story by MAJ Robyn Haake
Photos by SGT Mariah Gonzalez
One feature of the US Army’s Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) is the Squad Immersive Virtual Trainer (SiVT) which facilitates squad-level training in a mixed reality-based synthetic environment. It can be used to train almost anywhere at any time; bringing training to Soldiers instead of bringing Soldiers to training.
Taking full advantage of Microsoft’s HoloLens technology which IVAS is based in, Soldiers are immersed in a synthetic, virtual reality environment and can interact, including movement and engagement, with various scenarios, even those created by small unit leaders.
Provides mixed-reality hologram patients to enhance realism in preparing students for treating combat casualties in safe-to-fail environments
Los Angeles, CA – April 26, 2023 – GigXR, Inc., a global provider of holographic healthcare training, announced today that it has received a second Phase II Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract to develop holographic simulation training for the 354th Medical Group United States Air Force (USAF) based out of Eielsen, Alaska. The contract will be used to create immersive learning that uses hyper-realistic holographic patients that trains future medics to move through a critical checklist to correctly treat severe combat injuries.
To be built as a new module in GigXR’s HoloScenarios – a mixed reality application that allows learners to practice interventions using holographic equipment with hyper-realistic holographic patients that can present customizable, lifelike complications – this Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) training will provide learners unlimited, on-demand access to holographic patients with combat injuries. They can practice key skills as often as needed while working in safe-to-fail environments.
GigXR will create high-stress, safe-to-fail situations that incorporate sounds, such as gunshots, explosions and helicopters overhead, to better mimic the experience of combat care. The module will also include realistic visualizations of injuries such as blast wounds, broken legs, shrapnel inflictions and more. Learners will be able to encounter these immersive experiences in a lab, classroom, remotely in an at-home study space, or outdoors.
“We are always extremely proud whenever we get to build something for the U.S. Military,” said Jared Mermey, CEO at GigXR. “The mixed reality healthcare training that GigXR delivers is built to better prepare for what might be seen in the field. The immersive experiences provide far more advantages to the analog alternatives in terms of realism, cost to deliver, and operational burden, especially when deploying this critical content at scale.”
GigXR has partnered with the University of Cambridge and Cambridge / University Hospitals (CUH) NHS Foundation, University of Michigan and Morlen Health, a subsidiary of Northwest Permanente, P.C., to co-create modules centered around Respiratory diseases, Basic Life Support, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, and Neurology scenarios. By partnering with 3D interactive medical experts, such as 3D4Medical from Elsevier and ANIMA RES, GigXR’s customers can centralize access and management of 3D anatomy content which are also complementary to GigXR’s mixed reality applications.
GigXR’s growing partnership ecosystem continues to power a rapidly-expanding immersive learning library delivered by the Gig Immersive Learning Platform. The company is trusted by academic institutions across four continents, including nursing and medical schools and teaching hospitals, including: Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine, Miami Dade College, Ursuline College, Leeds University, The University of Queensland, Otago Polytechnic and more.
“Realism can be difficult to achieve in medical training. For instructors, it’s not just a question of allowing learners to perform procedures or diagnostics, but immersing them in the scenario that empowers team collaboration, critical thinking and knowledge retention to more effectively apply skills in the future,” said David King Lassman, GigXR’s Founder. “It’s hard, for example, to show continued bleeding on a manikin, but learners need to be prepared for patients bleeding through a tourniquet or chest seal. GigXR’s technology delivers visual and procedural realism that can be especially important in combat training.”
GigXR’s second Phase II SBIR contract underscores the company’s growth trajectory as mixed reality heads toward mainstream adoption. According to a report by Markets and Markets, the sector could be worth $114.5 billion by 2027. GigXR’s software-led immersive learning creates the digital infrastructure to ensure equal access to the highest-quality training across geographically distributed educational programs. For the military, whose medical training takes place in locations from Alaska to Texas, the flexibility of mixed reality is key to providing each unit with the tools for success.
“Because of the Phase II SBIR award, any Federal Government Customer that is interested in holographic training can purchase this hyper-realistic training solution at scale from GigXR using a non-competitive Phase III contract,” said Mark Longe, Chief Operating Officer of C5 Business Development Innovations (C5BDI), a strategic planning, management and business development (BD) consulting firm that focuses on Federal acquisition.
For more information on GigXR visit www.gigxr.com. For more information on the United States Air Force SBIR program visit www.afwerx.com/afventures-overview.
OKINAWA, Japan — Deep in the jungle where venomous snakes outnumber people, survival is not for the faint of heart — it’s a matter of strength, skill, and mental fortitude. For decades, American service members across the globe have attended the Jungle Warfare Training Center (JWTC) in Okinawa, Japan, to hone their survival skills and learn the craft of jungle warfare. But until recently, no woman had ever completed the grueling Leaders Course — until a U.S. Navy Sailor broke the mold.
JWTC’s Leaders Course is a rigorous five-week program that tests service members’ physical and mental endurance to the limit. Teams are given minimal supplies and must rely on their training and resiliency to survive. Navigating 8,000 acres of dense, treacherous terrain is just one requirement for participants to demonstrate they can survive in the harsh conditions of the jungle.
The class endured 455 hours of instruction in a fast-paced, compartmentalized jungle environment where they were taught in a multitude of phases on everything from weapons and rope suspension techniques to combat tactics. Participants received intensive instruction on jungle mobility and Marine scouting and patrolling skills. The capstone was a substantial 120 hours of training on how to survive in the jungle.
Information Systems Technician 1st Class Nicole Kazyak (pronounced KAY-ZACK) has always gravitated towards challenging opportunities. A 28-year-old native of Midland, Michigan, she graduated from Michigan State University, majoring in Communication with a minor in Public Relations before joining the military in late 2017. After an initial assignment in Hawaii, she transferred to the Joint Communications Support Element (JCSE) at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, a joint tactical Airborne communications unit prepared to rapidly deploy at a moment’s notice.
JCSE serves as the “Voice Heard ‘Round the World” and has opened the door to incredible opportunities for Kazyak and others. In 2022, she earned her jump wings from the U.S. Army’s Airborne School, despite a tremendous fear of heights. “Every time I jump, I’m scared. But I feel like that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I feel like once you stop being scared, you should probably stop jumping. Because jumping out of a plane is not a normal thing to do in the first place.”
This experience came in handy at JWTC, which featured a rappelling course with a heart-stopping 75’ drop. “I was scared on that, too. But after a couple days of hooking yourself in and rappelling down, after 10-15 times you get a lot more comfortable with it, and it’s not as scary. It becomes a little more fun.”
Kazyak survived the training, but not without a major challenge from the outset. “For the first time in my life, I rolled my ankle — and it just happened to be on my first day in the jungle.” She pushed through her injury with the help of on-site medics, ibuprofen, and the support of her teammates. Her desire to complete the training overshadowed the pain of rucking a 30-pound pack, day in and day out. And her discovery that she was the first female to attempt the course motivated her even more.
“I didn’t know until after I arrived that I was the first woman to go through the course. There aren’t a lot of females doing infantry, so this was a learning experience for all of us.” Early on, participants embarked on a multi-mile ruck, up and down steep cliffs. “I ended up getting a decent time and keeping up with a lot of the guys. I think after that, we broke the ice. I felt like they could see I really wanted to be there, and I wasn’t going to ask for special treatment,” said Kazyak.
JWTC Commander, Lt. Col. Nathaniel R. Jones, added, “The survival phase these students went through was harder than probably any survival phase I’ve seen in the Leaders Course due to the weather and some of the terrain. The amount of growth that happened with this group was inspiring.”
Describing the team’s time in the jungle as “intense” would be an understatement. For the majority of the course’s survival training, rain and abnormally low temperatures were a constant battle. Okinawan jungles are notoriously hot and humid, so participants were presented with an unexpected hurdle. “I was born in Michigan, but for the past five or six years, I’ve lived in hot climates like Hawaii and Florida. I hate being cold, and I hate being wet. At one point, I was sitting there thinking, ‘I am not going to be able to do this.’ I kept asking myself, ‘Why did you volunteer to be here?’ We were all freezing and absolutely miserable.”
Adding to the unforgiving conditions, the team wasn’t allowed to have light at their campsite for the bulk of their training. It was pitch black at night. “We’d hear the wildest sounds creeping up to our camp. It was so dark you couldn’t see anything. Then you’d hear guys sit up in their bivy sacks, listening. Of course we were all thinking the same thing, ‘What the heck was that?’”
Kazyak was fortunate to avoid the deadly habu snakes, which are more active in the summer, but she encountered the largest spiders of her life. “One guy walked straight into an orb spider’s web. I had heard about the size of spiders on Okinawa, but I didn’t think they would be as big as they were. That spider was massive, the size of my fist.”
That same week, her team’s campsite washed out because of the constant rain. She relied heavily on her teammates. “We realized we had to take it day by day and that we were all in the suck together and had to embrace it. Now that we’re done with it, I realize I can push myself more than I ever thought I could.”
It was thoughts of her mom, dad, and brother that got Kazyak through the tough moments. “Growing up, my mom always told me, ‘Be comfortable being uncomfortable.’ Because once you get comfortable, that means you’re not learning. And you learn the most out of those situations.”
Kazyak’s infantry training was definitely far outside her comfort zone. Nevertheless, her expertise managing the Navy’s global satellite telecommunications systems set her up for success during the comms phase of the jungle warfare training. “I was able to teach these Marines the ins and outs of telecommunications after they had just shown me the ropes of their life in infantry. We all speak in different languages based off our ratings in the military, so this was a cool opportunity to coach one another on our specialties.”
Jungle warfare training is now more crucial than ever, and thanks to this opportunity, she has a greater perspective on the value of the region and the importance of training locally. “At the end of the day, if a conflict does kick off, having a baseline knowledge of this terrain is going to be super beneficial. We’re going back and teaching the troops in our home units. There are so many factors out here: the terrain, the cold, the heat, the location. This is definitely the place to train. It’s just a completely different ballgame for sure.”
Despite the physical and mental challenges, Kazyak and her teammates refused to give up. They ate berries, ferns, and lots of ginger — while staying hydrated by filtering drinking water from ravines. They spent time reminiscing on the comforts of home. “We were all so miserable, but kept pushing through together. I remember at one point, we sat there on the jungle floor, talking about foods we were craving. I couldn’t stop thinking about a place back in Florida that serves pepperoni pizza with hot honey on top. I lost about eight pounds while we were in the jungle, but gained it back once we were finally able to visit the chow hall.”
In reflecting on her time in the jungle, Kazyak was reminded of her mom’s wise advice. “She always tells me, ‘The only thing constant in life is change.’” Kazyak garnered wisdom of her own throughout the course. “You don’t have to be at the peak of everything; you just need to have the motivation and the willingness to actually move forward and complete your goal. I’m not the strongest or the fastest, but I know I can push myself enough to get through those crappy times. I think too many people get complacent and get so used to their day to day and they’re scared of change.”
Kazyak made history on March 31, 2023 — the last day of Women’s History Month — when she became the first female Leaders Course graduate of the U.S. military’s premiere training center on jungle warfare. “This wasn’t a comfortable scenario for me at all. But I feel like those are the situations you learn the most about yourself.”
In an era of change, the U.S. military has come a long way in recognizing and appreciating the contributions of women. Kazyak continues, “I just want to keep pushing and proving women can do anything and everything. I feel like we always have to work 10 times harder to prove ourselves. A lot of people don’t get the opportunities I’ve had, like becoming a jungle leader or going to Airborne School. I like to hold on to that. I’m grateful for it. It shows we can do the same things as the men.”
Story by Candice Barber, Commander, Fleet Activities, Okinawa
Photos by Petty Officer 2nd Class Jessica Hattell
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Units and agencies can procure products seen at Warrior West by contacting ADS, Inc.
