In this video, from the Army Marksmanship Unit, SSG Michael Howard, shows you how to perform maintenance the Army way.
Archive for the ‘Training’ Category
Are You Cleaning Your Carbine The Army Way?
Sunday, July 24th, 2016CTT Solutions and Gunterest Announce Women’s Training Classes
Friday, July 15th, 2016CTT Solutions and Gunterest have partnered up to provide women’s training classes in California and across the country. This marks a first for the gun industry as we establish a curriculum and caliber of training tailored specifically for women shooters.
The gun industry has long identified the female demographic as the most underserved yet fastest growing. Our partnership intends to give women access to the best training on the market in handguns, rifles, and the tactical skills thereto. The aim of the CT-GT partnership is to foster women’s skills, potential, and confidence as owners, shooters, and advocates.
CTT Solutions is owned Mike Pannone, a former operational member of U.S. Marine Reconnaissance, Army Special Forces (Green Beret) and 1st SFOD-D (Delta) as well as a Master Class USPSA competition pistol shooter in 3 different divisions. After the 9/11 attacks, he was the head marksmanship instructor for the Federal Air Marshals and helped stand up their Seattle field office. He also served as and as an independent contractor for SAIC (PSD Iraq), Triple Canopy (PSD Iraq as detail project manager/detail member), and The Wexford Group (Counter IED ground combat advisor Iraq and pre-deployment rifle/pistol/tactics instructor for the Asymmetric Warfare Group). He founded CTT Solutions in 2008 to provide private instruction for law enforcement, military and private citizens.
Mia Wood is the owner of Gunterest and a former Deputy District Attorney with the LA County District Attorney’s Office, assigned to Compton. She also did business litigation in the private sector before opening a private practice for selective clients. She created Gunterest in January 2016 as a blog and resource for other beginning women shooters. It quickly reached a national audience as it struck a chord with women and expanded into a formal company to set up women’s training classes in California and across the country. To date, Ms. Wood helped put together three California women’s handgun classes with Mr. Pannone that drew in students from Austin, Boston, and Oregon.
Gunterest will also develop an online, female-friendly format for women shooters to compare, shop and understand the array of training equipment and firearm options. Its design is a female brand for the female ethos.
The class schedule and descriptions will be released in August 2016 on the websites for Gunterest and CTT.
Please contact Mia Wood at mia@gunterest.net for more information or requests for women’s classes in your area.
The Demise Of Alias Training & Security Services
Monday, July 11th, 2016Late Sunday night, several well known tactical trainers announced they were cutting ties with Alias Training & Security Services. Mike Pannone posted an announcement on Facebook which included other Alias instructors Pat McNamara, Jeff Gonzales and Craig Douglas, stating all were moving on. Additionally, Larry Vickers announced a move to the newly formed Aztec Training Services.
While full details are still unclear, the moves appear to be financially motivated. Jeff Gonzales sent out a newsletter under under his company Trident Concepts which spelled some of the issues out.
Mike Pannone added some details:
Alias confimed that they were closing their doors in this statement:
It is with a heavy heart that we must announce that as of Monday July 11, 2016 Alias Training & Security Services, LLC will be closing its doors. An ongoing dispute with our merchant services financial company has made things untenable. Our apologies to all affected students, instructors, etc. To all students of upcoming classes please expect an email early this week to explain the situation in more detail.
Again our most sincere apologies,
Alias Staff
Current Alias students should look for an email and watch the Alias Facebook pagefor updates. However, Larry Vickers has stated that he will honor any downpayments to Alias for his classes. Contact LAV for details.
Announcing Aztec Training Services
Monday, July 11th, 2016We are proud to announce the formation of Aztec Training Services. Our mission will be to offer top tier tactical and marksmanship training and consulting services to military, government, law enforcement, and civilian markets. Our courses will be taught by highly experienced, combat proven instructors drawn from the highest levels of military special operations and law enforcement communities who are recognized subject matter experts in what they teach.
We are very fortunate to be able to announce Larry Vickers as our founding instructor and also as a managing partner in Aztec Training Services. Larry is one of the best known personalities in the firearms and tactical industry as a highly respected industry consultant, subject matter expert, tactical trainer, and TV and Youtube personality. He is a combat experienced veteran with many years in special operations including as an assaulter in Operation Acid Gambit during Operation Just Cause which was Delta Force’s first successful hostage rescue mission. He was also instrumental in the development of the HK416 and many other popular weapon accessories and tactical equipment.
Stay tuned as we continue to add to our all-star instructor roster.
Effective immediately, all remaining Larry Vickers classes on Alias Training’s schedule will be managed by Aztec Training Services. If you are a registered student at one of the upcoming Alias/Vickers classes, please contact us for more details.
Just got this announcement. I spoke briefly with Larry Vickers and he said that he is fully committed to his students and you can email him at Larry@vickerstactical.com if you have any questions.
Daniel Defense Teams with Industry Partners to Assist Law Enforcement with Training
Saturday, July 9th, 2016Black Creek, GA – July 8, 2016 – Daniel Defense, engineer and manufacturer of the world’s finest firearms and accessories, today announced it has partnered with Ballistic Radio & 88 Tactical to offer a FREE Vehicle Close Quarters Defensive course to Local Law Enforcement Agencies in Georgia and surrounding states.
First, our thoughts and prayers are with the families and victims of The Dallas Police Ambush. First responders face more sophisticated enemies than ever before, and often times do so while under-equipped, and under-trained. We must as a country help protect those who protect us, and one of the ways that we can do this is by ensuring that the men and women who put their lives on the line have the best chance we can give them to make it home to their family at the end of the day. To that end:
Daniel Defense is pleased to announce that through our industry partnership with Ballistic Radio, will be offering a unique training experience from 88 Tactical’s William Petty, Trevor Thrasher, and Shea Degan, FREE OF CHARGE, to men and women of law enforcement. This will be a 4-day training event featuring Petty’s Vehicle Close Quarters Combat Instructor Program, and Thrasher’s Active Killer Interdiction program, which has been widely adopted at law enforcement agencies across the nation.
A final date has not been set yet, but as of right now it looks as if this course will be offered Quarter 1 of 2017 near our Georgia facility. There will be 20 FREE spots available, which should allow separate agencies to each send one individual officer to learn the curriculum, and take it back to train their department. More information, such as how to submit an application to attend the course, will be made available as we finalize details at the beginning of the week. For right now just know that we are with you, we support what you do for us, and we have your back.
Dark Angel Medical – Direct Action Response Training At Über Group
Tuesday, July 5th, 2016
Dark Angel Medical is holding an upcoming Direct Action Response Training course at Über Group headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, October 22nd through 23rd. The course is designed to introduce students, particularly those with little to no medical training or background, to classroom and practical instruction in on-scene medical treatment. Students will be provided with a Dark Angel D.A.R.K. Medical Kit of their choice, the materials in which are referenced within the instruction of the course. Additionally, proceeds from the course will be donated to the Special Operations Care Fund (SOC-F).
Check out the link below for more info, and to sign up.
darkangelmedical.com/direct-action-response-training-uber-group-atlanta-ga-22-23-oct-2016
Today’s Instagram, Tomorrow’s Doctrine
Tuesday, June 28th, 2016Today’s Instagram, Tomorrow’s Doctrine
June 27th, 2016
Aaron Barruga
Our attention spans are garbage. I can’t remember the last time I waited for an Uber to arrive and decided not to spend the downtime thumbing through Facebook and Instagram. As a millennial, I am guilty of forfeiting periods of self-reflection in exchange for the external stimulus provided by social media.
But is this dynamic something to be concerned with? In small doses, probably not, but my default to social media extends beyond waiting for Ubers to running errands, coffee lines, and as a work distraction (current piece included). The result, I am continuously seeking new content that reinforces “my” point of view.
The visual medium is powerful and a fifteen second Instagram video can easily accomplish what 1500 words cannot. However, substituting visuals for text comes at the deterioration of our deep focus and willingness to thoroughly examine arguments. We forgo substantiating our own beliefs with evidence (or dare I say experience), and instead reinforce our superficial expertise by simply watching a video.
Accompanying our echo chamber is the perception that we are capable, rational, and intelligent individuals; and that anyone who disagrees with us is both wrong and delusional. Our deep attention and focus already eroded by the brevity of social media, we also lose our patience for curiosity when confronted with opposing views.
Rather than first attempting to understand how our opposition arrived at their point of view, and then afterwards engaging in debate. We instead fill cognitive sandbags and entrench in our own belief system. But how are we so sure we are right? Because everyday (and for some every hour) we are bombarded with new content on social media that reinforces our point of view.
Although social media is a powerful tool that has built a community and united shooters on unprecedented levels, it is also the platform that allows for the rapid decay of objective knowledge, because we (millenials) are conditioned to constantly seek something new, and upon discovery will associate new with better.
Millenials are now more representative of average adults in America. Born between 1980 and 2000, millenials number 83 million and represent one quarter of the US population. For today’s military and law enforcement leadership, a majority of mid-level and soon to be senior leadership embodies the tech savvy, social media oriented demographic of twenty to thirty year olds.
This group of leaders will decide in the next decade what becomes doctrine for both the future of military and law enforcement training. Like it or not, social media will be a key influencer in this process. Current and soon to be training supervisors already connect with the training narratives created in fifteen second Instagram videos. This dual edged sword allows for greater access to information, but also allows for deviation away from lessons learned in the real world.
From lessons learned we build doctrine and standard operating procedures. Unfortunately, this process involves losing brothers and sisters in the line of duty. Learning from their mistakes and shortcomings, we attempt to find new and better techniques for engaging dangerous situations. However, we must exercise a healthy dose of caution in this process, and recognize that new techniques in their infancy must first survive critique and peer review before being endorsed as acceptable. Unfortunately, social media encourages us to shortcut the validation process and sanction incomplete or weak arguments simply because they are new.
Many tactical training schools made popular by social media have done an enthusiastic job of training organizations and individuals, but for the most part they have not prepared tactical shooters with judgment for the real world. Consequently, a lot of flat range training is suitable for use only on the flat range.
In twenty years, the next generation of tactical shooters will adapt our current social media influenced doctrine to address new threats, technologies, and radical ideology. It is uncertain whether platforms such as Instagram will exist in the future and how integrated they will be in our day-to-day lives. For now, social media’s inaugural authority on the advancement of doctrine can either become a platform for knowledge, or devolve into a medium through which companies exploit the naive, and users scream at each other in comment threads with pitchfork outrage.
Aaron is a Special Forces Veteran and founder at Guerrilla Approach LLC.
www.guerrillaapproach.com
www.instagram.com/guerrilla_approach
www.facebook.com/guerrillaapproach
Autonomous Alloys – Digital Steel Smart Target System
Monday, June 27th, 2016New high Tech Shooting Target Inspired by Video Game Mechanics Brings the Virtual World to the Real World
Interactive High-Tech Steel Shooting Targets Use First-ever Magnetic Reset and Embedded LED Backlit Illumination to Reproduce Classic FPS Game Mechanics
Autonomous Alloys’ Digital Steel smart target system represents a huge leap forward in shooting target technology for the most common caliber ever made, the .22 LR.
Virtually all shooting targets become static and dull – paper can seen, but can’t be heard; steel can be heard, but can’t be seen. And even “reactive” targets tend to get monotonous after time. Autonomous Alloys has set out to redefine what a target is capable of and in doing so, created the world’s first electronic steel pop up target system that uses traditional first-person (FPS) video game modes to inspire it’s experience, and bring fun and training with interactive, multisensory shooting targets.
Powered by a lightening-fast electromagnet to control pop-up resets and a multi-colored backlit light bar for game feedback, Digital Steel targets combine visual and audio feedback in an extra-ordinary way – every target hit is a satisfying hit. And when wirelessly connected to other targets on the field, something extraordinary happens – game modes that were traditionally only available in video games can now be played down range with live fire. Fan favorites like Free-for-All and Domination from games like Doom, Halo, and Call of Duty, can be played in single player, co-op, and head-to-head modes. Training drills and run and gun modes provide real-world high-adrenaline scenarios and test everything from your double tap and reload skills, to speed and endurance.
Fast paced, intuitive, and fun for shooters of all ages, Digital Steel Smart Targets bring several new features never-before-seen in targets:
“Digital Steel Smart Targets are designed to be fun,” said Michael Campbell, co-founder of Autonomous alloys. “Casual and competitive players alike love the system for the charged feedback and action. It’s unlike any other live fire target shooting experience.”
