XC3 Weapon Light

Ghosthood Light-Belt

August 8th, 2021

The Ghosthood Light-Belt is available from Germany’s Triple Action. Made from a Cordura laminate, the belt is 40mm wide around most of the circumference of your waist except where it narrows to narrower nylon webbing at the front for a lower profile and use of a 20mm SR buckle.

It’s offered in Stone Grey (above) or CONCAMO Green (below) in three sizes (see site for sizing). Both color options are IRR compliant. At 30 to 35 g depending on length, this is not a Battle Belt, but rather a simple trouser belt which can be worn under load carriage systems.?

www.tripleaction.de/ghosthood-light-belt-guertel

SCUBAPRO Sunday – What to Wear Under Your Wetsuit

August 8th, 2021

Most people wear something under their wetsuit to help with getting their wetsuit on and off easier. The other reason for wearing something under your wetsuits is that the extra layers can help keep your body warmer. Instead of wearing a thicker wetsuit that will restrict your movement, it allows you to wear a thinner suit that will give you more flexibility. You can wear a short sleeve top or bottom to help keep your core warmer. The other thing to think about is the air temperature/ wind on your way to the dive site. Suppose you are worried about the air temp/ wind when you are traveling to the dive site. In that case, you can wear heavyweight GoreTex or a linebacker jacket (the kind made for helo’s flights/ football players wear on the sidelines) is excellent to have as you can take it off before the dive and put it on when you are done.

SCUBAPRO 1.5mm Everflex SS top

For colder temperatures, adding layers underneath the suit is the way to go. You have several options to choose from. If you already have a thinner wetsuit that you usually use for warmer environments, a 1mm rash guard, or any other type of garment that’ll provide you with the added warmth around your chest will help. SCUBAPRO makes a great 1.5mm top and bottoms in short and long sleeves, shorts, and long pants. This 1.5mm is very warm, and to me, it feels like I am wearing a 2-3mm.

SCUBAPRO 1.5mm Everflex long pants

When you have to worry about the wind, most surf wetsuits or wetsuits glossy like surf suits are made to stop the wind. That all-suit surf suits are not great for diving as most are not made from a material (yes, surfing is different than diving) that is designed to be used underwater for long periods. Some people like to wear nothing between them and their wetsuits. This can be painful after wearing a wetsuit for a long time, especially on a long wet Zodiac ride. Due to the constant rubbing against their skin, it begins to chafe ( AKA Baboon a$$). Usually, the neck, armpits, behind the knees, and the crotch are the first to go. You can apply anti-chafing gel/ Vaseline to help with this on long dives and rides. There is also stuff like Butt Paste, Triple paste, or Anti monkey butt paste.

SCUBAPRO 1.5mm Everflex LS top

You can also wear dive skin or bike shorts; this will help with donning and doffing your suit on and off also. I have started to use Under Armor UA RUSH™ compression shorts. (They make tops also) They are made with a material called Celliant; it is a mineral-infused fabric to take the energy you give off when you work and reflect it into your muscles, increasing blood flow and helping them work harder. As your body emits energy, the mineral-infused fabric absorbs & reflects it, improving endurance. (I know this sounds crazy, but I am a big believer in Celliant)

Whatever you decide to wear, keep in mind the water/ air temperature, duration of the dive, and what you will be doing. Also, one reason you should make sure to keep a logbook of all your dives. That way, you can look up what you have used in the past for this situation. That should put you at a good starting point. Now that you’re aware of your options, it’s time to get to specifics. What type of undergarment is right for your needs, or do you even need to wear anything under your wetsuit at all?

SCUBAPRO 1.5mm Everflex

Well, that depends on you. In warmer waters, you can get away with wearing undergarments with minimal coverage (swimsuits, trunks, and other similar items)—or even nothing at all. Many people prefer to go commando under their wetsuits, but it’s all a matter of preference. If you plan to rent the suit, however, you’re probably going to want to wear something underneath.

SCUBAPRO 1mm Topical wetsuit

For colder temperatures, adding layers underneath the suit is the way to go. You have several options to choose from. Suppose you already have a thinner wetsuit that you usually use for warmer environments. In that case, you can opt to add a jumpsuit, rash guard, or any other type of garment that’ll provide you with the added insulation you need. This way, you won’t have to purchase another suit.

SCUBAPRO Hybrid Hood Vest

Or, if you’d instead go naked warrior underneath, you can get a thicker wetsuit. Deciding what to wear ultimately depends on the environment (and temperature) you plan to dive in, how sensitive your body is too cold, and many other variables. Make sure to consider all factors before you buy anything, and always try it in training before you use it for the first time when it matters the most.

Terrain Camouflage from Snugpak

August 8th, 2021

Items in Terrain Camouflage by Snugpak is now available from Platatac. Designed for concealment, it utilises a pattern and color palette that compliments the Australian bush.

Starting with Snugpak’s Jungle Bag and Jungle Blanket, Terrain Camouflage will be released in some of Snugpak’s popular products like the Jungle Blanket which is also offered in Olive.

Made with Micro Diamond 100% Polyester outer teamed with Paratex Antibacterial 100% Polyester inner fabric and a polyester insulation, the Jungle Blanket is Antibacterial, anti-microbial, windproof and water resistant. Offered in Standard and Extra Large sizes.

Soldiers Test New Army System to Increase Command Post Mobility

August 8th, 2021

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — Soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), conducted a Command Post Modernization Operational Assessment July 22-26, at the Kinnard Mission Training Complex on post.

Command Post Integrated Infrastructure, better known as CPI2, is a major modernization line of effort. It integrates emerging technologies and capabilities with mobile mission command platforms and command post support vehicles as a means of increasing agility and improving survivability on the battlefield.

“CIP2 will help units succeed in combat by providing mobility of the command post and getting after the signature aspects, like the electromagnetic and physical signature by reducing the number of vehicles and providing the workspace for units to be successful in their mission set,” said Lt. Col. Jeremy Rogers, product manager for CPI2.

The previous program that CPI2 is attempting to replace typically took between four and eight hours to set up and displace, says Rogers. The goal is to reduce this time down to approximately 30 minutes.

Utilizing this program has knocked placement and displacement times down to between an hour and an hour and a half, approximately 80% faster than before. This is done by reducing the footprint that the tactical command post, or TOC, normally creates.

“The TOC tents that we were used to in the past were a large footprint,” said Staff Sergeant Michael Prater, an operations and plans Noncommissioned officer for 3 BCT and battle NCO for the operation. “This is a more mobile, smaller, diverse footprint that creates a better way of getting into the fight and getting out of the fight.”

Prater’s focus, as the operational NCO, has been teaching the Soldiers, officers and other NCOs of his unit how to use, set up and tear down the equipment, focusing on increasing efficiency over time.

Being more mobile enables Soldiers to move, shoot and communicate with the efficiency they need to accomplish the mission. So far, other units that have tested this innovative system include, 2nd Stryker BCT, 2nd Infantry Division; and Headquarters, 4th Infantry Division, each with different command post configurations.

“As we take the unit feedback from both of our operational assessments, it will help inform not only our future requirements, but the baseline of the command post moving forward,” said Rogers.

Spc. Lance Lee, brigade air defense valve management systems operator for HHC, 3 BCT, says that CPI2 makes his life a lot easier because he is able to fall in on a pre-made shelter with network connectivity ports already allotted to him, eliminating time previously spent searching for a spot on the switch.

“CPI2 is a valuable asset for us because we’re able to fall in on an experimental software location where we can try new ideas, and essentially game plan to create new ways for us to affect the fight for the brigade commander,” said Lee. “I serve in the Army to make a difference, to innovate, and to get out there and try to find a new solution to currently existing problems. If I can be at the forefront of finding something that can affect the fight for the future, then I will be.”

By SPC Andrea Notter, 40th Public Affairs Detachment

SOD – S.P.01 Shorts

August 7th, 2021

I received a note from Max at SOD. It’s always great to hear from him, particularly considering how hard Italy was hit with COVID-19.

How are you? Here it’s HOT! We are melting down… this summer is very tropical… and what better way to deal with than by wearing shorts?

Here is what our SF troops are wearing around the world! We have added US WOODLAND CAMO… original from the US… like the MultiCam Crye Original of course!

Max, you had me at shorts. Woodland Camo is just the icing.

So here they are, the SOD S.P.01 shorts. They features classic SOD styling with dual slotted buttons at the top of the fly , wide belt loops, and angled pocket placement for ergonomics.

They are offered in several camouflage patterns and solid colors.

Get yours at www.sodgear.com/product/series/sp01

British Army Seeks New Special Operations Brigade Rifle

August 7th, 2021

Earlier this year the UK Ministry of Defence announced the formation of a “Ranger Regiment” which will be the core of a new Army Special Operations Brigade.

One interesting feature of this new unit is that it will not be issued the SA80 bullpup pattern L85A3 currently standard issue for UK forces. Instead, the MOD has issued a tender for a “Armalite Rifle (AR) platform Alternative Individual Weapon (AIW) System.” Sure, it’s a new rifle for the Bristish Army, but this isn’t as big of an issue as some might claim, considering certain UK Special Forces units already use several alternative rifles and the Royal Marines have adopted the Colt Canada C8.

The AIW system will consist of:

1. A Rifle System (comprising of a Rifle and Signature Reduction System); and

2. An Optic System

The AIW system will be a 5.56mm Armalite Rifle (AR) platform, optimised for use with L15A2, a 62gr 5.56×45 NATO ball round, equivalent to SS109. For the purposes of this tender, an AR platform is defined as being gas operated with a rotating, locking bolt.

The rifle should have a non-reciprocating charging handle.

The rifle’s controls are to include: a magazine release, working parts release and a rotating selector lever that incorporates a safe setting.

The rifle is to have a standard configuration, not bullpup, with the magwell in-front of the trigger housing.

The rifles upper and lower are to be mated using industry standard pivot / takedown pins located at the front and rear of the lower receiver.

Signature Reduction System: The Signature Reduction System is to be detachable, to enable the operator to configure the Rifle System to meet operational requirements.

Optic System: The Optic system is to complement the Rifle and should be ballistically matched to the stated ammunition nature and supplied barrel length.

Offerors, which are referred to as Economic operators, may only submit a Rifle System from one OEM and an Optic System from one OEM. The Rifle and Optic do not have to be the same OEM.

This is a relatively short notice tender. Economic operators only have until 18 August to submit their basic proposals. The MOD will then evaluate proposals and select a maximum of six Economic operator systems to evaluate with a minimum quantity of 88 and maximum quantity of 528 AIW per type.

The MOD states that anticipated delivery of the trial AIW Systems to a UK MOD Location is required by December 2021 or March 2022 at the latest.

One successful economic operator will be awarded a contract for the Rifle and One successful economic operator will be awarded a contract for the Optic. This could be the same economic operator being awarded the contracts for the Rifle system and Optic system to enable the Authority to procure the Full Operational Capability (FOC) circa 3,000 systems with options for the Total Fleet Requirement circa 10,000 Systems for a period of 10 years.

AFSOC Stands Up New Mission Sustainment Team at Cannon AFB

August 7th, 2021

CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. —

A new unit has been generated on base in support of mission readiness and efficiency. Mission Sustainment Team 1 is a group of individuals with diverse skill sets selected from the 27th Special Operations Mission Support Group, with the intent that they will cover and provide every asset required to sustain livable conditions in austere locations for an extended period of time.

The Mission Sustainment Team concept provides a way forward in building small, scattered teams capable of operating independent of main operating bases – a focus area highlighted by Lt. Gen. Jim Slife, Air Force Special Operations Command commander, during his 2021 Special Operations Forces Imperatives Forum earlier this year.

“This idea is not new or unique to the Air Force as a whole, but it is to the Air Force Special Operations Command,” said Senior Master Sgt. John Spencer, 27 SOMSG, Detachment 1 MST 1 team lead. “AFSOC is used to providing for the operators for a short duration, but something like this has never been done before in this Major Command.”

AFSOC currently does not have an on-demand capability to provide and sustain a livable environment in areas without pre-established facilities. To fix this issue, the MST consists of Airmen from different MSG specialties, and trains them all on necessary expeditionary functions.

“We are taking roughly 60 people from different shops in the MSG and making them work together to create livable conditions for a base worth of personnel,” Spencer said. “We have to try these things, see where they fail, then learn from our failures and do it better the next time.”

There are many unknowns surrounding the MST, as with any new unit. The team hopes to benefit from these unknowns however, documenting their experiences and applying the lessons learned to ultimately teach and train those who follow in the future.

The team had the opportunity to test themselves recently in an Operational Readiness Exercise. Select individuals from Cannon AFB were involved in a mock deployment to an austere location and required support from MST 1. This entirely new scenario helped participants as it was an ideal testing ground for the capabilities of sustained support for multiple personnel.

Within a limited resourcing environment, MST 1 gives AFSOC the ability to enable the larger joint force with unique capabilities; things that no one else can do.

The opportunities to blaze new trails are plentiful for MST 1. As the first of its kind in AFSOC, there is no manual or guidebook to follow. Instead, the team will take the knowledge and practices of similar groups in other MAJCOM’s and tailor them to their needs.

During the 2021 SOF Imperatives Forum, Slife spoke on the necessity for the development and continuous acceleration of SOF and AFSOC forces, including those a part of MST 1.

“The standards of yesterday were applicable to yesterday,” Slife said. “The question is, what are the standards of tomorrow and how do we build the force we need, to be most effective in the future? Our competitive advantage will continue to be the men and women who make up our formation, but the challenge for leadership is ensuring… those men and women in AFSOC know that they are relevant to the nation.”

Not many in support roles have the opportunity to see how their work directly affects the mission downrange. The work of this new unit provides Airmen a tangible link between their efforts and the final product, something that boosts morale while transforming them into a team of lethal, multi-faceted Airmen.

“It brings me real joy to see how folks who, before joining this group, had never worked with a services Airman, and then see them training on a field kitchen three days later,” Spencer said. “This is what I like to do. I like building teams, being out in the field, and doing what the Air Force trained me to do in defending airfields. Seeing all this [come together] from my personal perspective is unique and amazing. It also helps the Air Force as a whole as it takes someone from their regular unit for a while, and then returns them 100% better than when they left because they got to learn all the things they would normally never do.”

MST 1 may be new, but they have their work cut out for them. Providing support for active personnel at austere and un-furnished locations is no easy feat, but it means the work done by MST 1 will be vital in helping similar units in AFSOC for years to come.

Story by Senior Airman Christopher Storer, 27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs

Photos by Senior Airman Vernon R. Walter III

Hard Medication Case from CRO Medical

August 6th, 2021

Made in Montana, the CRO Hard Medication Case features:

• Lid retention for syringes

• Hard case design with tether attachment point

• Velcro dots for vial retention

• Loop field for vial placement

• External hook tape for kit integration

L8.5″ x W1.5″ x H3″

www.cromedicalgear.com/products/medication-case-hard