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NFM Group Acquires Hexonia GmbH in Germany

December 26th, 2022

NFM Group has acquired all the shares of the company Hexonia GmbH in Germany. This acquisition makes NFM Group a leading European company in protective equipment and combat clothing.

LARGEST ACQUISITION TO DATE FOR THE NFM GROUP

Dialogue with Hexonia commenced at the end of 2021 and a large amount of time has been spent during the acquisition process. This acquisition is NFMs’ most significant to date, so considerable resources were used to establish an agreement in a satisfactory way.

– The acquisition gives us a significant position in Germany which is a large and important European market for NFM Group. We have worked with Hexonia for several years, and therefore know the company well, says Walter Øverland, Group CEO of NFM Group.

The acquisition will significantly increase NFM Group’s total production capacity, enabling access to new technology, and new markets. The goal is to protect those who protect us with the best products and services available in the market.

STRONGER TOGETHER

There are significant synergies within production, technology, and expanded market access. The added capacities and Hexonia’s proven track record in the German market will strengthen NFMs’ capability to provide the best possible solutions for our highly valued clients on a global level. This acquisition will make NFM Group a leading European company within our industry.

– It will be both demanding and exciting to develop NFM Group further with Hexonia as a part of our company. In total, we will be close to 1,000 employees after the acquisition, and in 2023 the turnover is expected to exceed 200 MEUR. With the current security situation in Europe, we probably won’t be unemployed anytime soon, concludes Øverland.

IN TOTAL, WE WILL BE CLOSE TO 1,000 EMPLOYEES AFTER THE ACQUISITION, AND IN 2023 THE TURNOVER IS EXPECTED TO EXCEED 200 MEUR.

Walter Øverland, Group CEO of NFM Group

HEXONIA LEADERSHIP

Hexonia will continue in its current operating form, led by Sabine Alberts and Nils Toverud as Managing Directors of Hexonia. Nils is Chief Business Officer in NFM Group and representative of the shareholder.

Sabine Albert, who has been managing Hexonia for several years together with the founder, Gerd Hexels, has played an essential part in developing Hexonia into the solid company it is today.

– Through the acquisition process, I have had the pleasure of getting to know Hexonia and its skilled and committed employees. Hexonia plays a crucial role in protecting German soldiers through their products, and we will reinforce this importance by building additional industrial presence and expertise. Germany is currently carrying out a significant modernization of its defence with an investment fund of 100 B€, and therefore Hexonia faces the possibility of strong growth, according to Toverud.

– Hexonia is a textile technology leader, developing and manufacturing combat clothing and helmet systems. In addition to maintaining the position as a solid supplier in the German market, we look forward to being able to offer their unique products outside Germany as well, concludes Toverud.

The acquisition was formally completed in Nettetal on the 16th of December, together with all of the Hexonia staff.

Posted in Industry, International, Press Release | Comments Off on NFM Group Acquires Hexonia GmbH in Germany

WV Guard Hosts Irregular Warfare Planning Conference with Special Operations, Allied Partners

December 26th, 2022

The West Virginia National Guard’s Ridge Runner Irregular Warfare program hosted an initial exercise planning conference Dec. 5-7, 2022, at Camp Dawson with participants from nine organizations representing U.S. Army special operations forces, psychological operations, civil affairs, U.S. Marine Corps Advisor Company A, and the Polish Territorial Defense Forces.

Ridge Runner is a West Virginia Army National Guard training program that provides various National Guard, active duty, and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allied nation’s armed forces training and experience in irregular and asymmetrical warfare tactics and operations.

In June 2023, Ridge Runner will be hosting its first validation exercise for 5th Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group. The goal of the exercise will be to provide U.S. Special Operations Command with the premier Irregular Warfare Training Center capable of simulating the most complex special warfare multi-domain environments to exercise and validate special operations forces and to support joint force commanders worldwide.

Partner nation forces from across Europe will participate and train alongside the 5-19th SFG during the exercise, which will be held throughout West Virginia.

“This is my first experience with Ridge Runner and the same for our company,” stated U.S. Army Master Sgt. Cody (name withheld for privacy purposes). “Our battalion commander has outlined key tasks that he wants us to accomplish, especially in the irregular warfare realm and getting that foundation for operating with partner nations that we will see downrange is key. We don’t get a lot of opportunities to train with our partners stateside unless we are participating in a collective training. This is my first time dealing with a non-Combat Training Center exercise that has a lot of resources and it’s great to see the relationships being built at this level that will grow into a product that will be beneficial to what we need [during deployment]. It’s truly invaluable to us.”

During the planning conference, attendees refined scenarios, scope, logistics, timelines and training lanes to meet key objectives for the 5-19th SFG and partner nations who will be participating in the exercise.

According to West Virginia National Guard Sergeant Major Jason Smith, deputy director of the Ridge Runner program, West Virginia is the perfect location for training exercises of this type.

“West Virginia is an almost mirror image to the overall terrain and climate throughout Eastern Europe,” he stated. “Hosting the Ridge Runner program here makes perfect sense, allowing U.S. troops the opportunity to operate together with our allies and share in their expertise in as close an environment as possible to our real-world missions. Providing this type of experience prior to deployments will be invaluable moving forward, allowing our operators to validate their training and giving them the very best opportunities to be successful while in theatre.”

Along with various U.S. military participation, members of the Polish Territorial Defense Forces (POL TDF), or Wojska Obrony Terytorialnej (WOT), traveled to West Virginia to participate in the planning with the purpose of having an element of the POL TDF take part in the June 2023 exercise.

“This has been one of the best relationships the POL TDF has ever established with a partner nation,” stated 2nd Lt. Marek Zaluski, executive officer for the POL TDF. “We did not know coming here in 2019 [for Ridge Runner] and building this relationship how real life would verify it. Here we are 10 months into the invasion of our neighbor (Ukraine), and we are getting ready to prevent such things from happening within the NATO territories. We are grateful and proud to be working with the West Virginia National Guard, the 19th SFG and the entire National Guard and U.S. armed forces family on such an important endeavor.”

The PTDF took part in exercise Ridge Runner in 2019 alongside the Latvian Zemmessardze where each nation’s Soldiers learned irregular and unconventional warfare tactics from West Virginia’s 2nd Battalion, 19th SFG (Airborne).

Partner nation participation in the Ridge Runner program is coordinated through the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program, which links states and territories with partner countries around the world to foster mutual interests, establish long-term relations, enhance U.S. national security interests, and promote political stability.

Additional planning conferences will be held in the coming months to finalize all aspects of the exercise prior to April 2023.

Story by Maj Holli Nelson, West Virginia National Guard

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SCUBAPRO Sunday – Battle of the Bulge small Truce

December 25th, 2022

On December 24th, 1944, The Battle of the Bulge had started 8 days before with a massive push by the Germans to split the Allies in half and stop the use of the Belgium port of Antwerp. Many soldiers on both sides had become lost from their units and were looking for a place to stay. Three American Soldiers were lost around the area where the shack was. They saw the light from the small hunting cabin and the smoke from the chimney. They saw their chance to warm up. They knocked on the door and asked if they could come in. The German lady had a small chicken cooking for themselves but invited the Americans in to warm up and for the Christmas meal.

One of the American Soldiers was wounded, and the lady tried to make him comfortable. There was a language barrier for a time till one of the soldiers found out the lady could speak French as well as German. So, everything was going well, and the Americans were feeling right at home.

Then suddenly there was a knock at the door. The American’s went for their guns. The lady went to the door and answered it. There were four German soldiers who were also lost from their unit, and they asked the lady for shelter. The lady answered them with this, “Yes, you can come in for Christmas dinner, but I have other guests.” One German soldier remarked, “Americana.” She said, “yes, and that this was Christmas, and there would be no killing on this night.” She also told the Germans that they would have to lay down their weapons while they came in. She instructed the Americans to do the same.

There they were all in the room together, soldiers who a little while ago were bent on killing each other. Now, they were in a small room together with no weapons. Everyone could feel the tension in the air. It was very quiet for about ten minutes. Then one American soldier offered the Germans a cigarette. They obliged. One of the Germans who had medical training asked about the wounded American. He then began to help the wounded American and made him as comfortable as he could be.

By the time the meal was ready, the atmosphere was more relaxed. Two of the Germans were only sixteen, their corporal was 23. As Elisabeth said grace, Fritz noticed tears in the soldiers’ eyes, both German and American.

The truce lasted through the night and into the morning. Looking at the Americans’ map, the corporal told them the best way to get back to their lines and provided them with a compass. They asked if they should instead go to Monschau, the corporal shook his head and said it was now in German hands. Elisabeth returned all their weapons, and the enemies shook hands and left in opposite directions. Soon they were all out of sight, and the truce was over.

thechaplainkit.com/2017/12/24/truce-in-the-forest-the-story-of-a-world-war-ii-truce-between-german-american-soldiers-during-the-battle-of-the-bulge

If you are in the Christmas spirit and want to watch a movie about the Battle of the Bugle, I would recommend Battleground. It was written by someone who was in the Battle of the Bugle. It is an all-time classic.

Sorry, I couldn’t find the whole movie. This is the preview.

Posted in Advertiser, Guest Post, History, Morale | 2 Comments »

Merry Christmas!

December 25th, 2022

peace on earth and good will towards men

Posted in Morale | 1 Comment »

Artist Lorin Michki Creates Tribute to James Yeager

December 24th, 2022

Earlier this year we lost James Yeager to ALS. Artist Lorin Michki has created a great tribute to his life.

He had this to say, “I was commissioned to make this by a friend of James Yeager. I was actually wanting to do one anyway but I didn’t really want to do it unless the family was okay with it. They will be getting this drawing.”

Lorin is selling prints of this drawing in his Etsy store with half of each print sold donated to a charity of the Yeager family’s choosing.

Posted in Memorial | 18 Comments »

Silent Night

December 24th, 2022

It’s Christmas Eve across the globe and I wish peace on earth and good will toward men.

As in years past, I’d like to present a copy of the Christmas card that “Bright Light” author Stephen Perry sent from Nha Trang to his family the week before Christmas 1967. It definitely takes my thoughts to the thousands of men and women defending the great land and her allies who won’t be home this Christmas. America’s thoughts and prayers are with them.

Posted in Morale | Comments Off on Silent Night

DroneShield Successfully Completes Canadian Military Exercise

December 23rd, 2022

DroneShield Ltd (ASX:DRO) (DroneShield or the Company) is pleased to advise it has successfully completed the Counter Uncrewed Aerial Systems Sandbox 2022 exercise in Alberta, Canada.

The Canadian Joint Operations Command (CJOC) has lead the exercise, coordinating with the Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), and Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM). The exercise represented a blending of requirements and characteristics of interest to one or more of the services, as well as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

The US Department of Defense’s Irregular Warfare Technical Support Directorate (IWTSD) has also participated in the CUAS 2022 Sandbox as an official Application Evaluator and Observer, giving international exposure, expertise, and feedback the participants.

Image: DroneShield DroneSentry-X

DroneShield CEO, Oleg Vornik, commented: “North America is the single largest market for DroneShield, and Canada represents a growing segment, where we already have an existing customer base along with a pipeline of further projects. This exercise was a valuable opportunity to connect with key decision-makers at a number of Government agencies, and demonstrate our latest C-UAS capabilities to these existing and prospective customers.”

Image: DroneShield RfPatrol

Posted in International, Press Release, UAS | 2 Comments »

Oracle Arms 2311

December 23rd, 2022

Dayton, Nevada – For Immediate Release

Oracle Arms is proud to release an industry-first pistol design loaded with innovative features. The Oracle Arms 2311™ is the ultimate combination of race gun DNA and duty weapon reliability. It combines the time-tested 1911 operating system with modern engineering and manufacturing processes to create a pistol that is on the leading edge of industry design.

“Our primary objective when designing the 2311 was to combine the fit, finish, speed, and trigger pull of a purpose-built single action match pistol with the versatility and reliability of a striker-fired polymer duty pistol. Not only did we accomplish that, but we did so while wrapping the platform around a magazine that is roughly 1/3rd of the cost of the competition that doesn’t suffer from any of the common issues that current “double-stack 1911” magazines are notorious for. To make the barrier to entry even lower, we priced the 2311 in a range that makes it approachable for the average enthusiast and recreational competition shooters.”

KEY FEATURES:

• Available in five 9mm configurations: Compact, Compact Elite, Combat, Combat Elite, and Competition

• Modular grip and magwell provide unmatched versatility and mission adaptability

• SIG® P320 magazine compatibility allows for the use of readily available, reliable, and cost-effective magazines

• Patented debris clearance channels in critical areas ensure peak-performance in austere environments

• Right-side slide lock; the first completely ambidextrous double-stack 1911-style platform

• Includes four interchangeable slide plates, allowing the use of most popular optics right out of the box

• Innovative linkless barrel and bushing-free design provide for simple takedown and assembly

To get a hands-on experience with the 2311, please visit Oracle Arms at the upcoming 2023 SHOT Show in booth 70143 in Caesars Forum and at Industry Day At The Range.

oraclearms.com

Posted in Firearms, Press Release | 3 Comments »