Mission Spec provides a short tour of Zussman Urban Combat Training Center (c 2009) at Ft. Knox, one of DODs premiere MOUT facilities.
Tour of Zussman Urban Combat Training Center – Ft Knox
February 19th, 2022Sergeant Major of the Army Announces Inaugural Best Squad Competition
February 19th, 2022The Army’s Best Warrior Competition is getting an upgrade.
FORT BENNING, Ga. — During his remarks Tuesday to the Maneuver Warfighter Conference at Fort Benning, Georgia, Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston announced that groups of Soldiers will compete together in the inaugural U.S. Army Best Squad Competition.
“For over two years I’ve talked about the importance of building a cohesive team that is highly trained, disciplined, and fit,” Grinston said. “Now it’s time to measure ourselves against that standard.”
For purposes of the competition, a “squad” will consist of five Soldiers:
One Squad Leader – Sergeant First Class or Staff Sergeant
One Team Leader – Sergeant or Corporal
Three Squad Members – Specialist and below
The inclusion of a sergeant first class was authorized to account for staff sections not typically led by a staff sergeant.
Specific details on how the squads will be assembled have not been finalized; the Army execution order is expected to be published before the end of the month. Grinston said his intent is for the teams to come from the lowest echelons of command possible.
“We don’t want divisions assembling super-squads,” he said. “But we have to figure out how that looks because each competing command is operated a little differently.”
For example, he said he would be open to allowing Soldiers from across a garrison headquarters and headquarters battalion to compete together even if those Soldiers aren’t in an organic squad.
“I want units to really think about what makes up a squad,” Grinston explained. “’This is My Squad’ isn’t just about the traditional infantry squad. It’s about those small groups of Soldiers who really know and care about each other and hold each other to a high standard of proficiency, discipline, and fitness.”
As the Army continues to modernize and train for large-scale combat operations in a multi-domain environment, Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. James C. McConville said that begins with the squad.
“The foundation of readiness is the individual Soldier and the small unit – from the team and squad levels,” he said. “The best units in the world ensure their individuals and small units are masters of their craft. If you don’t have a solid foundation of readiness, you won’t have agility. You’ll never be able to execute graduate-level operations.”
Grinston said his goal is to assess squads not just on their technical and tactical proficiency, but also on their cohesiveness and ability to work together as a team.
“By the time the squads get to the Army level, we know they’re tactically sound,” Grinston said. “So we’re going to challenge them in ways maybe they haven’t been challenged before, see how they respond when they’re stressed in other ways.”
The Army-level competition doesn’t begin until the end of September, but units will begin assembling and assessing squads now to earn the right to represent their assigned competing commands. In all, 12 teams, including one each from the Army National Guard and Army Reserve, will compete.
Sgt. Maj. of the Army Grinston also plans to select the NCO and Soldier of the Year from among the 60 competitors, but said they won’t necessarily come from the winning squad.
They, along with the best squad, will be announced at the AUSA Annual Convention in October.
By SFC Will Reinier
Pyramyd Air Launches Sick of COVID Challenge
February 18th, 2022
Solon, OH — Pyramyd Air is excited to kick off the Sick of COVID Challenge to encourage customers to enjoy trigger time with loved ones while getting out some pent-up pandemic frustration.
Customers can receive a free (plus shipping) set of Sick of COVID stickers and targets and enter to win exclusive prize packages by sharing how they enjoy their trigger therapy after a long two years of Rona talk. Whether it’s an action-packed film, creative candids, or an interesting story, Pyramyd Air wants to hear how shooters are showing they’re Sick of COVID. Pyramyd Air will award $5,000 worth of shopping sprees to winners plus weekly giveaways throughout the two-month campaign.
The Sick of COVID Challenge will run from February 7 through April 7, and winners will be drawn after the campaign concludes. To learn more about the Sick of COVID Challenge, visit www.pyramydair.com/soc.
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EUROSATORY: Let’s Meet from 13 to 17 June 2022 in Paris – France
February 18th, 2022The world’s leading land and airland defence and security exhibition will be held in June at the Parc des Expositions of Paris-Nord Villepinte – France. Discover now the event’s latest news.
Eurosatory is the global leading exhibition offering products and services for armed forces, security forces, but also for civil security, customs, safety and private security professionals.
More than 200 high-level official delegations representing over 90 countries are invited as well as international organisations: the European Union, NATO, the United Nations and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Numerous VIP experts such as national technical experts, security directors of private companies, directors of test centres, directors of fire and rescue services, etc. are expected to attend the exhibition.
To date, 1,000 exhibitors are already registered, representing 54 countries, including 25 national pavilions: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Pakistan, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, United Kingdom and United States.
A real networking platform
In 2022, in addition to business advice, Eurosatory offers several networking services to facilitate meetings between individuals and between companies and buyers through pre-scheduled business meetings.
Optimising your time by identifying the right people and planning your meetings in advance is the key to a successful exhibition.
Presentation of equipment
As in every edition, in 2022, many equipments and materials will be displayed on the stands. For more visibility, new technological clusters have been created for this edition: Cyber, Engineering and Manufacturing, Medical/Health, Civil Security and Fire Fighting.
The latest developments and main trends in defence and security technologies will also be presented during outdoor dynamic demonstrations, a special feature of the exhibition. Throughout the exhibition week, manufacturers and institutions will alternate dynamic demonstrations on a dedicated field.
Innovation remains the focus of the show
Eurosatory is a unique opportunity to showcase new products, no less than 500 new products and systems are usually unveiled for the first time to participants. 2022 should be no exception.
In addition to companies and SMEs, nearly 80 start-ups will be gathered at the Eurosatory LAB and on the GICAT stand as part of the “Generate” cluster.
The perfect opportunity to think about the future of defence and security
70 conferences and exhibitor pitches will be organised throughout the 5 days of the exhibition with the participation of over 150 speakers. High-level experts, senior military, government and industry representatives will debate a wide range of strategic issues.
New Concept in 2022: Helped by Coges Events
In 2022, Eurosatory will further highlight the response to crisis issues with the new demonstrator “HELPED by COGES Events” – Humanitary Emergency Logistic Project and Eco Development. Presented for the first time, this demonstrator brings together industrial systems and highly developed civilian innovations. It aims to demonstrate the ability to provide a complete and rapid solution for assistance and support in the management of multiple and complicated crises.
SOFWERX – Personnel Recovery Prototype Virtual Assessment Event
February 18th, 2022SOFWERX, in collaboration with SOF Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (SOF AT&L) Special Reconnaissance (PEO-SR) Program Management Technical Collection and Communications (PM TCC), will host a Virtual Assessment Event (AE) 05-07 April 2022 to identify technologies and techniques for a Personnel Recovery (PR) device for miniaturized and wearable capabilities.
The ideal prototype PR device should be able to function standalone without any local infrastructure (i.e.: no WIFI/Mesh networks/Cellular architectures, etc.), though there could be a version that relies on local infrastructure to provide alternate transport means.
Submit NLT 11 March 2022 11:59 PM ET
Visit events.sofwerx.org/tcc for full details.
Chest Rig Power Up: Qore Performance IcePlate EXO-CRH (Chest Rig Hydration) Brings the Unmatched Power of IcePlate Curve to Chest Rigs
February 18th, 2022Sterling, VA: The incredible power of the IcePlate® Curve plate carrier Cooling/Heating/Hydration system is now available for chest rigs thanks to Qore Performance®, Inc. releasing the newest member of their IceAge Ecosystem: IcePlate EXO-CRH (Chest Rig Hydration).
IcePlate EXO-CRH brings the duty-grade thermoregulation and hydration for which IcePlate is known, with its slim and ergonomic profile, to chest rigs like those from Haley Strategic Partners (shown). Showcasing the incredible versatility and modularity of their IcePlate EXO® plate carrier, IcePlate EXO-CRH uses an IcePlate EXO rear plate bag as the primary holster for IcePlate Curve. The all-new SizzleStick cummerbund attachment mechanism, which provides adjustable fit and adjustable stretch for maximum breathability in the field, then connects to any chest rig or placard with one inch side release buckles. The IcePlate EXO plate bags (front and rear) have open bottom corners so they can be used with Left Exit or Right Exit IcePlate Curves – a feature that was designed into IcePlate EXO from the beginning to facilitate multi-platform functionality: plate carrier, chest rig hydration harness, or cooling/heating/hydration vest (CBRNE, MOPP, HAZMAT, EOD).
“IcePlate EXO-CRH is one our most anticipated releases since our IceVents Insoles,” says Justin Li, Qore Performance Co-Founder and CEO, “not only because it brings the incredible performance-enhancement and environmental inoculation capabilities of IcePlate Curve to chest rigs for the first time, but also because we designed this capability into IcePlate EXO from day one and have been anxious to share it with our customers. As we have said from the beginning, thermoregulation is the next frontier in human performance and IcePlate EXO-CRH now makes this capability available to even more user applications.”
Available in MultiCam, Wolf Grey, Black, Ranger Green and Coyote Brown, IcePlate EXO-CRH is in-stock and shipping now. IcePlate EXO-CRH® is 100% Made in the USA from US materials in-house at Qore Performance in Virginia.
As the inventors of specialized and consumable thermoregulation for PPE users, Qore Performance bridges the gap between human and machine. Their IceAge Ecosystem protects over 31,000 daily active enterprise safety users. In addition to their military, law enforcement, and civilian customers, dozens of America’s Fortune 1000 companies including Dutch Bros Coffee, Boeing, Charlotte Area Transit System, Marathon Petroleum, Black Rock Coffee (Arizona), Valvoline Instant Oil Change, Costco, and FedEx, depend on Qore Performance to safeguard their teams in the field. Qore Performance enterprise customers have worked over 4,000,000 hours since launch in 2017 without a single heat injury.
IcePlate EXO-CRH:
www.qoreperformance.com/collections/iceplate-exo/products/iceplate-exo-crh
For sales inquiries, contact:
Justin Li
www.qoreperformance.com
info@qoreperformance.com
@qoreperformance
P 703.755.0724
Qore Performance, Inc.
22311 Shaw Rd, STE A2
Sterling, VA 20166
In Memoriam – Col Gail S. Halvorsen (USAF, Ret)
February 18th, 2022Earlier this week Col Gail S. Halvorsen (USAF, Ret) aka The Berlin Candy Bomber and Uncle Wiggly Wings passed away. His family was at his side at the Intermountain Utah Valley Hospital in Provo, Utah, where he was admitted following a short illness. Colonel Halvorsen was 101 years old and he is survived by his five children and numerous grand- and great grandchildren.
We received this information from the Airlift/Tanker Association:
Col Halvorsen, a Utah native, began his flying career when he earned his private pilot’s license in 1941 through a Civil Air Patrol program. His passion for aviation led him to join the Army Air Force in 1942 flying transport aircraft. In 1948, peace in Europe was threatened as the Soviet Union blockaded all ground access to war-torn West Berlin. Then, Lt Halvorsen, a member of the newly formed United States Air Force, began flying humanitarian airlift missions to starving West Berliners. During one mission, he paused to share two sticks of gum with nearby German children who were watching the aircraft and busy flightline. Two sticks of gum did not go far and he promised the children he would be back the next day to drop candy from his airplane, telling them, you will know it is me when I “wiggle” my wings. That simple act of kindness and compassion led to “Operation Little Vittles” and, in all, over 23 tons of candy were dropped from Allied aircraft. His impact spread beyond the smiles of German children. He brought visibility to the plight of the German people and put a human face on their suffering—Americans now saw the Germans as humans, not enemies. Strategically, the Allied resolve strengthened, and West Berlin’s freedom was secured without a single shot fired and his act of kindness forged the strong bond between America and Germany that endures today.
After hanging up his uniform Col Halvorsen continued his life of service by inspiring youth and adults around the world to a life of service.
May He Rest In Peace
FirstSpear Friday Focus – Squadron Smock Now Available in Multicam Arid
February 18th, 2022Now available in Multicam Arid— check out the Squadron Smock, an exceptionally popular garment from FS which has maintained its classic design matched with modern high performance materials. The dual layer MID 400 merino package is used throughout the hood, back and shoulders as well as two zippered hand pockets.
With over 18 total pockets this smock serves a load bearing vest style capability many outer garments could not support. An oversized hood works great over the top of a bump lid or helmet.
FirstSpear has also used a low profile padding through the elbow and forearm finished with extra large adjustable cuffs. Webbing attachment points on the back and hood can be used to secure a pack like the ECP or even add foliage for concealment. Like most FirstSpear products the Squadron Smock is 100% American made and Berry Compliant.
Additionally, we offer our popular Wind Cheater in Multicam Arid as well.
For more information, check out www.first-spear.com/squadron-smock or www.first-spear.com/wind-cheater
