Crye Precision has announced that the G4 Hot Weather line is now available in MultiCam Arid and Tropic. The Hot Weather line is their lightest, most breathable uniforms engineered specifically for extreme heat with extremely lightweight, fast-drying nylon ripstop fabric featuring MCS Blocker to wick away moisture and provide UV protection.
HAZARD, Ky. (AFNS) —
Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Special Tactics Squadron rescued 19 stranded residents and two dogs in the aftermath of historic flooding last week that claimed at least 28 lives in eastern Kentucky.
The Airmen, assisted by Callie, the only certified search-and-rescue canine in the Department of Defense, rapidly deployed to the region July 28 to conduct rescue operations via boat and helicopter for four days, said Maj. Ian Williams, 123rd STS commander. The team of 23 special operators also coordinated 29 rotary aircraft missions, recovered four bodies, and helped direct operations that led to the rescue or assistance of 40 additional people.
“We found out about the situation Thursday morning at approximately 8:10 a.m.,” Williams said. “Before we had our tasking to respond, we started having our initial team show up to the squadron to prepare gear in the event that we would have to push out and support. We were officially told to support around 9 and were out the door by 10 o’clock.”
Once given the green light, 17 STS members deployed over the road with boats and trucks, while another six operators and Callie departed via helicopter transport provided by the Kentucky Army Guard’s 63rd Theater Aviation Brigade.
“Local, state and federal agencies all have search and rescue dogs, but what we bring to the table is the ability to get a dog, with its incredible capabilities, to normally inaccessible locations potentially faster,” said Master Sgt. Rudy Parsons, 123rd STS pararescueman and Callie’s handler.
“Callie is able to travel via helicopter, boat, non-standard vehicles, rope systems and can even insert via parachute with her handler in order to bring a high-level capability to accelerate life-saving measures in situations where minutes matter,” Parsons said.
Although Callie is trained in live-find detection — searching for living or missing people — “she also did a great job of telling us specific locations to investigate more thoroughly to recover fatalities, to help bring closure to those individuals’ families.”
Williams noted that the entire mission was a team effort.
“Our success at the 123rd STS wouldn’t be possible without our mission support folks. They’re the first to arrive at the unit when something happens because they know that the vehicles, boats, communication equipment and resupply coordination are make-or-break elements of this sort of mission.”
Master Sgt. Joshua Busch, a combat controller with the 123rd STS, noted that homeland disaster response is a unique task for members of the Air National Guard, who have a dual mission of supporting domestic emergencies as part of the state militia while also supporting global military operations as a component of the U.S. Air Force.
“Unique to the Guard, we aren’t just preparing for war, we are preparing for domestic operations too,” said Busch, who served as a rescue and recovery team leader for the flood response. “I’m most proud of how many guys volunteered to be a part of this mission, to help the community and state start to put this natural disaster behind us.”
The rescue mission was a joint effort involving multiple agencies and civilian volunteer groups, including the Kentucky State Police and Army National Guard troops from Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia.
Two Kentucky ANG medevac crews left the state capitol July 28 to augment Kentucky aviation assets already in the area, while Tennessee guard units sent five UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and crews, and West Virginia guard units contributed two Black Hawk helicopters, two UH-72 Lakota aircraft with hoist capability and 14 Soldiers.
“Our relationships with the Army aviation units has been fantastic,” Williams said. “We train with them often and have been in real-world missions with them many times. We couldn’t have a better relationship with the Frankfort 60s and other aviation crews.”
By SSgt Clayton Wear, 123rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
ARC’s embedded IoT sensors to provide unprecedented mission-critical data to ground leadership
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WASHINGTON–Armaments Research Company, Inc. (ARC), a technology and data company serving national security and public safety customers, announced today their Internet-of-Things (IoT) full-stack technology will be introduced in the Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) program of record, in partnership with Sig Sauer. For the first time in 65 years, the U.S. Army’s initiative will replace its individual rifles, squad machine guns, fire control system, and ammunition, helping to modernize and better equip the warfighters of tomorrow.
ARC’s technology platform will provide data on individual weapons at scale. The resulting insights will enable units to regularly assess weapons’ health, reduce failure rates, extend the lifetime of a weapon and optimize maintenance plans, enhancing performance and reducing costs. The data can also improve a unit’s understanding of its readiness, which measures the unit’s fundamental ability to deploy quickly.
“Our team is thrilled to partner with Sig Sauer to deliver this groundbreaking platform and refresh the Army’s weapons for the first time in several decades,” said ARC CEO Michael Canty. “The Army NGSW program office is pushing the boundaries in seeking a modern, data-driven approach to weapons readiness and we are honored to contribute. With tens of thousands of new weapons as data sources in the field, we can optimize equipment safety and reliability, ultimately harnessing this data to save lives.”
The first production delivery of NGSW weapons will include ARC’s round count and inventory management system, gathering weapons usage data on the units over the next several years. The NGSW program’s intention to revolutionize the Army’s tactical weapons comes in response to findings that current weapons systems threaten conflict overmatch. More than 1,000 soldiers provided hands-on feedback during weapon testing and selection.
ARC’s weapons intelligence platform works with tactical tools and frontline AI to ensure mission readiness and improve small-unit performance. The platform enables the U.S. Army to capture mission-critical data from individual- and tactical-level weapons at scale, helping leaders at all levels make informed decisions during and after training to improve readiness, performance and operational efficiency.
ARC technical solutions and case studies are available for individual demonstration. Interested parties are invited to visit armaments.us and contact info@armaments.us for more information.
I tried out NEMO’s Moonlite Reclining Camp Chair at an event during this summer’s last Outdoor Retailer show in Denver.
It’s not only comfortable, but also lightweight (1 lbs, 14 oz) and packs up into a convenient carry case. It will bear up to 300 lbs.
NEMO is showing them as sold out but web searches turn up various colors available on-line as well as in-store at different retailers including REI. Additionally, FirstLite has the Antler model in-stock.
Today at 1300 Mountain Time Mystery Ranch will release the Special Blend versions of the Gunfighter in both 14 and 24 liter options.
Based on the Gunfighter daypacks in the Mission line, the SB variant features a MultiCam Black paint job with Black webbing, zippers, buckles, and pulls. Materials are exactly like you’ll see in the Mission line: 330D Cougar Nylon with DWR and PU coatings and IR complaint fabric and YKK zippers.
I got a chance to take a look at a 14 liter version. The top flap does not integrate a pocket but there’s a small two compartment zippered pocket on the lower back of the pack.
The unique zipper arrangement combines features of both top and panel loaders for access to the main compartment.
Interestingly, the zipper pulls for the lower flap are fitted with toggles which helps get them open or closed quickly.
The pack integrates both a laser cut PALS field on either side as well as stretch water bottle pockets.
They have also added a padded laptop sleeve to the interior of the pack which will accept up to a 15″ screen.
The suspension is comfortable, with padded back and ergonomic shoulder straps, sternum strap, and removable 1″ waist strap. Internally there is an HDPE frame sheet.
Finally, this American made bag is tagged with a production information and flag.
The first 600 packs sold will include a custom Morale Patch. Based on previous launches, they’ll sell pretty quickly.
Offered in both Men’s and Women’s silhouettes, the A9-T of ant from Beyond is made from NYCO Ripstop with a 4-way stretch in the crotch gusset and outside of the knees.
Features:
• Adjustable waistband
• 4-way stretch crotch gusset and side out knees
• Front and side thigh pockets
• Zippered back pockets
• Universal kneepad pockets with vertical adjustment
• Lower leg cargo pockets
• Hook and Loop cuff adjustment
• No Melt, No Drip NYCO Ripstop
• Trade Agreements Act (TAA) Compliant
• Designed in Seattle
The Men’s version offered in several colors with waists from 30-46 in short, regular and long lengths. Currently, the Women’s model is only offered in Rustic Green, sizes 2-12.
Varusteleka worked with Mechanix Wear to produce their classic Orginal Gloves in Finnish M05 camouflage.
Featuring a seamless palm made of 0.8 mm synthetic leather infused with touchscreen technology, the back of the hand is breathable and form-fitting TekDry. Made exclusively for Varusteleka, they bear the Särmä TST logo.
Available August 31st.
www.varusteleka.com/en/product/sarma-tst-mechanix-the-original-gloves-m05
FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — Anyone driving around Fort Leonard Wood these days can spot one pretty quickly and easily, and it seems like there are more and more every day. Electric vehicles, or EVs, are not the future — they are here — and not just the privately-owned ones.
Government-owned vehicles are going electric as well — Fort Leonard Wood received two EVs last month, and more are on the way.
The electric vans in the Logistic Readiness Center inventory are part of the Army’s latest directive of electrifying its non-tactical vehicle fleet. Executive Order 14057 — Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability — requires the Department of Defense to transition its non-tactical vehicles to a 100% zero-emission vehicle fleet, including 100% of light-duty acquisitions by 2027, and 100% of medium- and heavy-duty acquisitions by 2035, said Installation Energy Manager Allen Simpson with the Directorate of Public Works.
Fort Leonard Wood maintains approximately 540 vehicles that meet the definition of non-tactical, and the Directorate of Public Works — or DPW — is working out ways to keep those vehicles charged up and ready for use every day.
“DPW’s responsibility is to assure charging stations are installed ahead of the arrival of the electrical vehicles,” he said. “We must be ahead of the demand for them.”
Because of the lower mileage government-owned vehicles are typically driven — making it less likely they will need to be charged every day — Simpson said the plan will most-likely involve having one charging station for every four to six vehicles, and he expects to see the first seven charging stations up and running within a month or two.
To meet the goal of installing that many stations here, Simpson said DPW has employed a unique solution. They are privatizing the ownership of the charging stations under the already-existing electrical distribution contract — doing this has several advantages.
“First of all, we save on manpower of managing the purchases, operation and maintenance, and we don’t have to worry about life-cycle replacements,” he said. “We will simply pay a monthly fee, just as we do for maintaining our other utility distribution systems.”
The installation’s preparations for an electrified fleet of government-owned vehicles — and the infrastructure to charge them all — is just one piece of a larger energy plan primarily focused on resiliency and the provision of a cleaner, more sustainable environment, Simpson said.
One way DPW is doing that is by working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to install two combined heat and power plants here, Simpson said.
The implementation of combined heat and power, also commonly known as cogeneration, increases energy efficiency by allowing heat that would normally be lost in power generation to be recovered to provide heating and/or cooling, which cuts costs, Simpson said.
“The efficiency comes because we are capturing the heat that’s produced in that process and putting that heat into a boiler plant,” he said. “So, we’re not having to buy that natural gas to heat the boilers. The natural gas offsets itself while we are able to produce our own electricity.”
When they are completed, Simpson said the plants will give Fort Leonard Wood the ability to produce about seven percent of its peak-power demand.
Another newer initiative is a collaboration between DPW and the USACE Prime Power School, which moved to Fort Leonard Wood from Fort Belvoir, Virginia, in 2010. The school has the mission of training service members to install, operate and maintain certain types of electrical power plants.
Leaders from these agencies, along with other stakeholders, are working together to address energy resiliency by looking into the possibility of utilizing the expertise and power-generation capabilities of the Prime Power School should the installation ever experience an electrical energy crisis, Simpson said.
Chief Warrant Officer 5 Willie Gadsden, Prime Power School commander and deputy commandant, said the Army prime power production specialists who graduate from the school are uniquely qualified to assist.
“We have a depth of knowledge that could quickly and efficiently get after that particular problem set,” he said. “It is absolutely a great partnership.”
Simpson said these projects — and others — ultimately aid in Army readiness.
“The goal is to develop and maintain programs and projects that provide each installation the means to stave off or survive a utility emergency,” he said. “The expectation I have for Fort Leonard Wood is to prepare ourselves, so that we can adapt and recover without loss to any mission or support function.”
By Brian Hill, Fort Leonard Wood Public Affairs Office
