Considering my black eye after I qualified with the G3 the first time, I think Håkan is on to something.
Håkan Spuhr Explains Failed G3 Ergonomics
December 24th, 2018CGS Group Incorporates Interchangeable Front Caps On Hyperion 762 and Helios 556 Rifle Silencers
December 24th, 2018
CGS Group is incorporating interchangeable front caps into Hyperion 762 and Helios 556 rifle silencers for 2019. But these aren’t just normal front caps. Due to the unique construction and signature suppression methods used in the CGS Hyperion Tech, which they claim “has actually neva bin fun befo”, by using different types of front caps the user can change the function of the silencer entirely. Use the flat cap to have the quietest rifle silencer ever produced on a bolt gun where back pressure and gas in the shooters face isn’t a concern. For a semi auto rifle host, if the user feels that the already low back pressure design of the default flat cap config isn’t enough, the user can easily install a perforated front cap which vents excess gas into the atmosphere while still being hearing safe for the shooter.
So to put it simply, function swappable front caps, and effectively two types of silencers in one simple, strong, concentric package. The vented front cap have pictured here acts as a flash hider not only for the bore, but also for the peripheral vents. There are multiple types of front caps which have different features depending on what the user is looking for in a can.
All front caps sit on a taper so they don’t come loose but will maintain concentricity. We’ve had these for quite a while but it was never shown publicly before. Patented and multiple patents pending. CGS Group promises more details to follow after SHOT Show.
Army Wins Packard Award for Rapid Delivery of Electronic Warfare Prototypes
December 24th, 2018ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — For their efforts in answering an Operational Needs Statement from U.S. Army Europe and delivering first-of-a-kind electronic warfare prototypes for brigade and below, the Army Rapid Capabilities Office and Project Manager Electronic Warfare & Cyber have earned the 2018 David Packard Award for Acquisition Excellence.
The award, announced Dec. 7 by Hon. Ellen Lord, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, is the Department of Defense’s most prestigious acquisition team award and is given annually to a few select recipients across the armed services and defense agencies. It recognizes organizations with significant contributions demonstrating exemplary innovation and best acquisition practices.
“This award is a remarkable honor and we are proud of the unique partnership that was formed between the two organizations to close a strategic capability gap against a rapidly modernizing adversary,” said Dr. Bruce Jette, Army Acquisition Executive. “Their approach, working with operational units every step of the way, enabled the Army to move much faster than traditional acquisition methods and serves as a model for other Army rapid acquisition efforts.”
In addition to the Army Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO) and Project Manager Electronic Warfare & Cyber (PM EW&C), other winners of the 2018 David Packard award were the Air Force’s Enhanced Polar System Team, the Special Operations Command’s Stand-Off Precision Guided Munitions Team, and the Missile Defense Agency’s Spacebased Kill Assessment Program Management Office.
Soldiers with CEWI Platoon, Delta Company, 54th Brigade Engineer Battalion, provide actionable signal intelligence to help the 173rd Airborne Brigade during Saber Junction 18 in Germany. Soldiers with the 173rd were among the first units to receive the new electronic warfare prototype systems provided by the Army Rapid Capabilities Office and Project Manager Electronic Warfare & Cyber in response to an Operational Needs Statement.
The Army award was based on the delivery of new equipment to the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, and the 1st and 2nd Armored Brigades, 1st Infantry Division. The prototypes, fielded earlier this year, enable Soldiers to implement electronic protection for their own formations, detect and understand enemy activity in the electromagnetic spectrum, and disrupt adversaries through electronic attack effects.
This freedom of action is essential to ground maneuver operations, since the majority of equipment, vehicles and air support Soldiers rely on to complete their missions either emit, receive on, are connected into, or are otherwise networked back into the electromagnetic spectrum or cyber domain.
In Europe, where Russian aggression, tactics and capabilities have demonstrated the ability to use the electromagnetic spectrum to affect military operations, the impact of the prototype capabilities is significant.
“This award is a testament to the outstanding work of the men and women of both PM EW&C as well as our RCO partners,” said Maj. Gen. Kirk Vollmecke, program executive officer for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare & Sensors. “We are extremely proud to have piloted this effort as it afforded the Army an opportunity to accelerate its EW capabilities and close the capability gaps with our near peers. The implementation of agile, adaptive acquisition processes are imperative as we balance the immediate needs of our men and women in the field today along with future enduring requirements.”
The team’s acquisition approach — which adapted existing systems and incorporated emerging technologies to provide new electronic warfare effects and meet the emerging threat — represented a fundamental and innovative shift in how the Army delivers a new capability. In teaming up, the organizations created a phased prototyping, experimentation and fielding approach that incorporated Soldier feedback throughout, infused new technology as it became available, and quickly delivered incremental upgrades to reduce operational risk while also informing the program of record capabilities currently under development.
It also enabled the Army to move faster than traditional acquisition methods have allowed in the past, delivering needed capabilities into the hands of Soldiers approximately a year after they were first envisioned.
“In delivering these electronic warfare systems to Europe in less than 12 months, it demonstrated how the Army can go fast, streamline processes and meet the needs of a combatant commander,” said Col. John Eggert, acting executive director of the Army RCO. “What enabled this success was the total team effort between the RCO and PM EW&C on iterative prototyping that was informed early and often by Soldier advice.”
The systems, which include mounted, dismounted and command and control systems, are prototypes that serve as an interim solution until the Army’s enduring EW programs of record can be fielded.
Winners will receive the award at a Department of Defense ceremony held at the Pentagon in February.
By U.S. Army Public Affairs
SIG SAUER Academy Adds Rifle Fundamentals and Shotgun Fundamentals Classes to 2019 Course Schedule
December 23rd, 2018Newington, N.H. (December 10, 2018) – SIG SAUER Academy, the leading provider of the highest quality firearms instruction and tactical training in the world, is pleased to announce the addition of Rifle Fundamentals and Shotgun Fundamentals to the 2019 course schedule.
Rifle and Shotgun Fundamentals are geared towards new firearms owners and provide students with the basic knowledge and skills necessary to safely handle, load, fire, and unload common types of rifles and shotguns. Students in these fundamentals courses will learn proper safety, operation, handling skills, marksmanship, zeroing procedures, positional shooting, and maintenance of modern sporting rifles and shotguns. Time is spent both in the classroom, and on the range, in a comfortable learning environment to develop a solid skill base with the equipment.
The first offering of Rifle Fundamentals is January 16, 2019, and the first offering of Shotgun Fundamentals is March 11, 2019.
To register and review the course outline for Rifle Fundamentals and Shotgun Fundamentals, find additional upcoming course dates, or review the comprehensive course offering for SIG SAUER Academy visit sigsaueracademy.com.
SCUBAPRO Sunday – Gloves
December 23rd, 2018
Having the right pair of gloves will make your life so much better when you are working in the water. Whether you are doing a two-hour dive in Norway or you are on a zodiac for a long-range OTB. The right pair of gloves will depend on what you are doing, for how long you are doing it, and the water temperature/ weather. If you need to use your hands a lot during a dive like pushing button on a Navigation board or be able to use your hand right after the dive, like climbing a ladder, shooting a gun. Your tolerance to cold will be the main factors to take into account when choosing the thickness of the gloves. The colder the water, the thicker you will need to go.
1-3mm: water between 60- 75 ° F (16-24 ° C)
5-7mm: water between 45-60° F (8-16 ° C)
Here are the two main things to think about when choosing a pair of gloves for military use.
• Freedom of movement with a minimum thickness that allows you the thermal comfort you will need.
• What is on the palm and fingers? A glove that can be used to grab and hold medal and plastic.
When you are trying them on try and grab stuff around the store.
Dive gloves come in a variety of thickness levels between 0.5mm and 7mm. A good pair of 1.5mm Tropical gloves that have a leather palm is a good start. Some Tactical gear companies are making gloves designed for being in a wet environment that are also good for diving. The WETWORX gloves from S&S Precision come in two styles. One is thinner for warmer water and one is a little thinker (2mm) for cold. I know they have put a lot of work into them and they are nice gloves. As more units get back into the water, I am hoping you can get more companies like S&S that will make gear for use in the water. That said S&S makes all their stuff so it can be used in the water as they come from a water background. I like gloves that can hold on to medal like if you have to climb a caving ladder or hold onto a gun. Being able to hold plastic like a navigation board or buckles. Some gloves have small plastic beads that are not the best for working in the water. It is hard to find a good pair of thick dive gloves that meet the above requirements. If you have to be on a boat or mostly about the water you can get a pair of dive gloves that are a couple sizes bigger, then you usually would wear and put wool gloves on as a base layer. Wool even when wet, will still hold heat in and the dive gloves will help keep your hands warm and dry. You can also bring a thinner set of gloves like 1.5mm with you and change them out a couple of minutes before you hit the target. The other thing you can try with a thinker pair of gloves is putting a set of gardening gloves on over them.
When choosing the right glove, they should fit well enough to avoid water circulation inside as much as possible this will help keep the heat in also. They should not be so tight that it will cut off circulation to your hands. The thicker the gloves, the more insulated you have, but the tradeoff is less mobility. It will be difficult to manipulate the equipment and also to done and doff them. Choose the gloves that you think will protect you enough for the type of water in which you will perform most dives. If you are diving a semi-dry suit, choose gloves that don’t have a zipper or Velcro. It will make it easier to place the glove in the most sealed way possible between the inner and outer layers of the suit. You will want them to fit close to your wrist to reduce the bulge that can happen if there is too much material between your sleeves and gloves. If you don’t do this right just moving your hands will let water in.
The material the gloves are made of should align with your intended purpose.
• Kevlar: This material is known for its elasticity and strength. It increases the durability of gloves by avoiding premature deterioration.
• Neoprene: This is the most common type of material used for dive gloves because it’s flexible and mainly designed for use in the water.
• Dyneema: It is an ultra-abrasion resistant, strong material. It is suitable for working around piers and ship bottoms. Dyneema isn’t designed for warm, but it will protect your hands,
• Amara is synthetic leather that is usually used on the palm of a lot of dive gloves. It increases your grip. Most tropical dive gloves palms use Amara
Dive Gloves Maintenance Tips
Treat dive gloves like you treat anything you want to last. You should care for gloves like you do your wetsuit. They should soaked in fresh water after each dive. You want to force the salt out. Do not put them in the washing machine or use detergents to clean your wetsuits or gloves. Allow them to dry in a ventilated place until completely dry. Textile gloves, take longer to dry. Do not dry them in the sun, as with all neoprene it will cause it to age faster.
OpticsPlanet.com Teams up With Folds of Honor to Launch 3rd Annual ‘Operation Gift’ Campaign
December 23rd, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
‘Operation Gift’ is a cause-based promotional campaign created to raise money and awareness for Folds of Honor®.
NORTHBROOK, Ill., Nov. 12, 2018 – OpticsPlanet.com the leading online destination for technical and high-performance gear, announced the beginning of the company’s third annual ‘Operation Gift’ campaign, an online cause-based project that helps support families of fallen and disabled service-members.
This year in partnership with Folds of Honor, ‘Operation Gift’ will focus efforts on providing educational scholarships and support to the families of soldiers killed or wounded in battle. From now through Dec. 28, 2018, a portion of proceeds will be allocated toward this effort. Additionally, after placing an order, customers will get to choose which educational gift their donation will go toward. After last year’s success in raising $63,500 in donations, this year’s goal is raise the bar even higher and raise a total of $70,000.
“Helping military veterans and their families is highly important to both OpticsPlanet and its loyal customer base,” said Emily Regel, campaign manager at OpticsPlanet, Inc. “That’s why this year we are honored to partner with Folds of Honor in an effort to be able to give the families of our nation’s service-members the gift of educational scholarships.”
The ‘Operation Gift’ program works in partnership with Folds of Honor, a 501(c)(3) organization that provides educational scholarships to spouses and children of America’s fallen and disabled service-members. Additionally, this year OpticsPlanet has teamed up with notable brands Leupold, Vortex, Pulsar, EOTECH, Streamlight, Sig Sauer, Nikon, Surefire, Hiperfire, Leapers, Ergo, Zeiss and Steiner which are committed to help multiply the donation amount with the purchase of their products. For more information about ‘Operation Gift’ visit www.operationgift.com.
AFSOC Combat Aviation Advisors
December 23rd, 2018
USAF MSgt Joseph Kimbrell, a Combat Aviation Advisor with the 5th Special Operations Squadron, prepares to load a motorcycle onto a C-145A “Combat Coyote” for a training mission.
The C-145A is capable of moving non-standard cargo into remote locations, usually inaccessible by larger, more traditional cargo aircraft.
Corps Strength – Using the Final Protective Fire to Stay Fit
December 22nd, 2018
Using the Final Protective Fire to stay Fit
As a young Marine grunt one of my favorite parts of field training was when we executed an FPF (Final Protective Fire), especially at night. To see all of our weapons firing at their maximum rate was always something to see, very motivating stuff. Now as most of you know the FPF is designed as a last-ditch effort to prevent the enemy from over running your position. Every weapon available fires into predetermined zones. If you’ve seen done it in person, it’s hard to imagine anything bigger than a cockroach surviving in those kill zones. The main thing is when that green flare went up it happened, automatically and instantly. No debate, no second guessing, through planning and training, the actions were predetermined and embedded in everyone’s head. It had to be to make it effective.
Now in the world of diet and fitness I think that everyone should develop and use their own personal FPF. No, I don’t mean shooting up a pumpkin pie, or case of beer to prevent you from over indulging, but having a solid fall back set of thinking about your fitness program. This is especially relevant during the holidays and right after the New Year when many people decide that as a resolution, they want to lose weight and get in shape.
As I often preach (to the point of nausea), the way you think about working out and eating is the most important factor in your long term success, or failure to meet your goals. Not a specific diet, workout or supplement but the common everyday thoughts that fill your brain housing group. Good habits in the form of consistent workouts and eating start and end with good thinking. Experts will give you many theories on how we form habits, how long it takes to embed them and why. I’m not formally trained in this subject, but I do know from long experience how these things impact our ability to maintain good fitness habits.
One thing I know for sure is that people who are successful in maintaining long term health/fitness by PT efforts and good eating, have a solid set of thought “defaults” that act as their own personal FPF. Meaning that outside of unusual circumstances, they make mental choices and from those thoughts act, in an automatic, predetermined way. Just like how an FPF works when put into action. By human nature these defaults can help provide good results and require little effort, or will power once you get them in place.
As a simple example of how this works. When you go to a restaurant, let’s say a Mexican place. These places typically have big menus with a lot of choices. However, if you’re like most people (not my wife) and this isn’t your first time there, you mentally have established a few favorites. From that smaller list you most likely have one entree that if forced to choose one, would be your pick. That is your default choice. You don’t have to think that much about it either, your mind goes right to it and from that you act. What I’m getting at here is that making choices about your fitness routine should start and be held up by a strong set of defaults. All of these defaults together establish your own FPF. Here are some examples of mine:
· I workout every day, for an hour, first thing in the morning.
· I alternate my workouts between cardio and strength training.
· I always warm-up before PT and stretch afterward.
· Water is my non-alcoholic drink of choice. Light beer is my alcohol go to.
· I skip dessert.
· I don’t eat between meals.
· I don’t do seconds.
· I choose fish over chicken, chicken over beef, beef over pork.
· I don’t do fast food.
· I drink my coffee black.
These are just 10, I have many more “default” settings like these in my head. I don’t think much about them. But they are always there, deeply embedded and they automatically help me make good choices when I need them. Not 100% of the time, but probably 75-80% of the time, which is plenty. Now you may say: “These are just thoughts, I need action.” My friend, all good action starts with thought. My point is that to make these actions a reflex, you need to establish a default thought process. When done so, they will just automatically come up when needed. As such they’re part of my own FPF. Predetermined and ready, no debate needed.
Now you may say how do I embed these defaults to the point where they become reflex? That is the tricky part. First you have to sit down and think it through and come up with realistic, basic and practical points. To try and set silly, or unrealistic thoughts into your plan is just a waste of time. Like:
· I run 10 miles a day
· I lift weights 3 hours a day.
· I never eat bread.
Those are unsustainable long term and frankly silly. How about: I always park at the end of the row so I can get more walking in, or I skip an appetizer before dinner. After you come up with your own (feel free to use mine as they are pretty effective and general), Then post them on your frig, bathroom mirror, computer screen, smart phone, etc. Where ever you need to, until you have them memorized. After that it’s a matter or reps, mental reps till they become embedded and eventually reflex.
You will be amazed at how having these default thoughts can improve your chances of maintaining a long term fitness routine. I teach students this technique all the time and seen it help most of them. This may seem like a small thing, but there is nothing small about the power of the right thinking. Don’t underestimate its influence. Give it a real try it and you’ll see what I mean.
I hope everyone has a safe and fun Christmas and New Years with friends and family. I’m off to do the northeast “test of manhood” winter climb of Mt Washington. (Weather permitting as I don’t plan to become a statistic). In any case say a prayer and lift a glass to our brothers and sisters deployed forward and our 1st responders who are working. It’s their sacrifice that allows us the freedom to enjoy the holidays. Till next month:
“Be Safe Always, be Good when You Can.”
Semper Fi
MGunz
