OTB Maritime Assault Boot, Winner of NAUMD’s Best Footwear Innovation Award
Morristown, TN – May 5, 2017 Since its first public appearance at SHOT Show this past January, the Altama OTB Maritime Assault boot has been widely discussed at tactical gear shows worldwide. The OTB Maritime Assault Boot was designed specifically to replace the old school canvas style shoes commonly used by Navy SEALs during OTB operations. At first glance, the OTB Maritime Assault Boot looks like a typical sneaker, however closer review will show what makes the shoe worthy of elite operators.
Strategically placed drainage ports at the forefoot flex points of the boot helps water drain immediately after exiting the body of water. The water friendly materials feature low absorption and faster dry times. The SEAL rubber sticky outsoles allow for extra grip on slick surfaces and full length one piece ABS shank provides stability and support – making it easier to climb caving ladders. The slim design is specifically for the boots to fit into dive fins used by militaries worldwide. Inevitably, the OTB Maritime Assault has already adopted the nickname “Combat Chucks.”
“We are honored that our boot won the Best Footwear Innovation Award at NAUMD. We want the OTB Maritime Assault Boot to be known as the most badass sneaker in the world,” said Kevin Cole, CEO of the The Original Footwear Co. The OTB Maritime Assault will be released in low cut and mid height versions. The boots will initially be available in Black, Coyote and Original Multicam®. Cole said, “We’ll be releasing more colors at a later date.”
Customers can expect to the OTB Maritime Assault boots on shelves and online beginning in August, 2017.
Last year we mentioned the new Aimpoint Camp M5 which is powered by AAA batteries and currently being fielded to DoS’s DSS agents for use overseas in areas where other batteries are less prevalent. So far, it’s been kept under wraps, but Frag Out! HMFIc, Szasz, captured this image of the elusive M5.
Officially, don’t expect to see it available commercially until SHOT Show 18, but I hear Aimpoint is starting to court Agency and Unit orders, to be fully pursued once the DoS contract is fulfilled.
New Bern, NC (May 2017) – The National Association of Police Equipment Distributors (NAPED) unveiled the new MemberClicks association management website to their members and the public this week. Unlike traditional websites, the new www.naped.com website is a comprehensive software solution that makes the day-to-day job of managing memberships, applications, dues, events and more in one easy-to-use intuitive platform.
“As part of our initiative to increase benefits to the NAPED members, this new website offers our members and potential members more opportunities to communicate with each other, as well as simplify overall management,” Laura Burgess, Administrative Director for NAPED and President of Laura Burgess Marketing explained.
“The new website gives our members a one-stop solution for information on meetings, events, news and more,” Eldon Griggs, President of NAPED and VP of Business Development for GALLS, Inc., said. “Our goal with the new site it to provide our members with the latest information within our industry and while promoting our membership’s businesses to each other.”
NAPED was formed to provide law enforcement, public safety and military equipment distributors and vendors a network for sharing information on new technologies and products developed to protect the men and women who go in harm’s way every day to ensure our liberties and freedoms.
Information on the NAPED Annual General Meeting, June 23 – 26, 2017, can be obtained by calling 252-288-5805 or by email. Interested in becoming a NAPED member? Contact Laura Burgess at 252-288-5805 or director@naped.com for more information and start enjoying the benefits today.
NAPED is now on Facebook! Like us at http://www.facebook.com/NAPEDGroup
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. (May 5, 2017) – Colt, historic manufacturer of what many have heralded as the finest double-action revolvers ever made, is excited to announce its re-entry into the market with the release of the Cobra®. The all stainless steel small frame revolver features the classic lines of a traditional Colt double-action revolver, along with some great upgrades and modernizations, including Colt’s new LL2™ (Linear Leaf spring, version 2) trigger spring which offers a premium trigger pull experience without the need for hand-fitting.
“The bar was set so high,” said Paul Spitale, SVP for Colt, referring to the legacy of fine double-action revolvers in Colt’s history. “And the team in Colt’s Innovation Center really knocked this one out of the park. The grip was moved rearward to not only allow for more comfort and recoil control, but this also opened up the trigger guard area to allow for a flatter, more intuitive feeling trigger, as well as easy use with gloved hands. The trigger pull is phenomenal. The feel of this trigger both in the hand and when measured by a computer is very favorable to, and some might say better than, the triggers in Colt’s legacy double-action revolvers.”
The Cobra® was designed for concealed carry, with its 2” barrel and .38 Special chambering. “To offer new shooters a rewarding experience, we focused on the manageable .38 Special round,” said Spitale. “We want folks to be equally comfortable carrying this great firearm for defense and enjoying it at the range with family and friends.”
The new Cobra® is available in .38 Special (+P capable), has a six round capacity, and features a 2” barrel, all stainless steel construction to aid in recoil mitigation, and a Colt branded rubber grip. The Cobra® also features a user-upgradable fiber optic front sight. The sight can be easily swapped by the user to the available aftermarket tritium night sight. The Cobra® is now shipping; it has a SKU of COBRA-SM2FO, and an MSRP of $699.
One thing I’ve learned in working overseas with international militaries (one of many things), is that no matter how many different countries you deploy to, you’ll be surprised by something you see. My latest trip to Trinidad was no exception. Having had almost a dozen senior enlisted people from Trinidad attend our resident Leadership Course here in Pensacola over the last few years, I did expect to see a professional outfit; I did and that was no surprise. Their ships, weapons, bases and other equipment were in excellent condition; professionally maintained and their people were also professional and well trained and I saw a lot of it up close during my stay.
During my two week’s there we held class daily with about 30 senior enlisted of their Army, Coast Guard and Air Guard. Like most places, the students were like sponges, anxious to learn, with non-stop questions, again no surprise. We had some great discussions during Rules of Engagement, Force Protection and Maritime Security classes. As you could imagine being just 10 NM off the coast of Venezuela, those are all hot topics there nowadays. It was an all-around great training event. I especially enjoyed watching the recruit training of both the Coast Guard and Army, different than ours (British model in many cases), but still pretty good. Especially when I compare it to some other countries I’ve been too.
I was billeted on the Coast Guard station, which was one very steep hill away from their largest Army base and where they conduct recruit training. I had some great PT with the steep hills and the outdoor workout equipment they had on that base. Almost every morning I ran over that hill and while I got my own sweat on, I got to watch them train. Not just the Army, but many Coast Guard people who also ran over that F’ing hill every morning. Of course, I saw more people dragging ass (like me), than hauling ass, as those hills are no joke and that was no surprise either.
However, every other day or so, I saw a group of Coast Guard people (men and women), that were obviously a notch up on the PT scale. They all looked about 6ft tall and flew by my old ass on the hills without a backward glance. A couple times I saw the same group in Army camo, carrying weapons as they ran. What I found out later is that this was a small boat outfit, kind of a SWAT team on the water. Their Coast Guard fills a Navy, Marine and LE role, depending on the mission. Which at any time (or all at once), can be Drug Enforcement, Immigration Control, Firefighting, Anti-Piracy, Search and Rescue, etc. They are pretty much ready for anything, driving some kick ass high tech ships to help them. They get a lot of training from us and from what I gathered, some from the Brits also. If you’re wondering, it’s a very robust natural gas industry that pays the tab for the new high speed ships and gear, (Not our tax dollars).
In any case, I learned that once a week this unit executes a ½ swim, followed immediately by a 4 mile run over the mtns, and ends with a full round of CQB shooting, with MP5’s and SIG 226. I spoke to one of the team members and he stated the shooting after the swim and run was the most important part. “As we have to practice on how shoot well when breathing hard and fatigued”. There is a shooting qualification standard they have to meet every time, it’s not just for practice. That was a surprise, not that he isn’t 100% correct, but that most international militaries don’t train that way, even in the U.S. only certain units in our military do this on a regular basis. The fact is that most of the time, movement on a range is tightly controlled as the focus is on safety and shooting from a fixed point and rested state, especially when qualifying for a shooting badge. Now before you get your panties in a bunch, I know there is “running and gunning” training conducted here, I’ve done a lot of it myself. However, I will contend that we need to do more of it, a lot more, as that’s the real world. Just like I’ve always said we should do more, (if not all) of our PT training in boots and Utes, not running shoes and shorts. It was also a surprise that they recognized the need for continuous practice and training in this type of shooting. As we all know, bullets cost money and shooting a lot, wears out weapons, which is more money. However, they understand it’s a necessary investment that they’re willing to make.
The point here is that military PT has a special and specific primary purpose, that being to prepare people for combat operations and make them harder to kill. Not as many people think, that it’s to prepare you for a fitness test, so you can get a good score for promotion. Yes, getting a good score on a PFT/PRT is important, but not the most important. I also realize that different units have different missions and from that different levels of physical readiness and shooting ability are required, and trained for. However, we all have to shoot and maintain at least a basic level of fitness, so I contend that we should combine these two important aspects together much more often, and for everyone that carries a weapon, not just for Combat Arms outfits. Enough bitching for now, busy summer ahead with lots to talk about. Till then, be safe always, good when you can.
Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment. The question for most of us is how do we make the bad decisions we need to make to get the experience we need to develop good judgment, given that “experience” in our line of work generally involves life threatening violence and is fairly rare here in the US. We can learn from the experience of others, but none of what we see, hear or read is “our” experience. While this does serve an intellectual purpose, it does not create the kind of visceral imprinting necessary to serve as a reliable wellspring of judgment under stress.
So, we are left with a quandary of sorts: in order to be the most capable gunfighter you can be for your mission (be that family protection, police work, etc) you need to experience circumstances requiring rapid judgments, while also being able to make mistakes and learn from them and not be killed.
By now, most of you know where I’m going. Application level training focused on judgment is an absolute necessity, in my opinion, if you desire to grow into a truly capable fighter. Standing up and shooting fast and accurately is only about 10% of gunfighting. While the skills learned, honed and maintained on the square range are of vital, foundational importance, they are merely the price of admission to learn the things that really count… judgment, mindset, and fortitude.
Procedural level CQB, Vehicle Tactics and ECQC courses involving force on force, taught by experienced teachers, is a good start down the path of developing judgment. This is nothing new; every modern military gunfighter was in dozens if not hundreds of simulated gunfights before they ever fired a shot in anger. This does not mean you stop training the fundamentals on the square range, it means you are able to better focus that training on areas you identify as deficient.
After seeking this kind of training, you may find your priorities shifting. What the plate carrier you are wearing looks like or the brand of your pants will seem far less important than working hard to maximize your brain’s processing speed and dialing in your precise shot placement. The lessons learned after receiving a belly full of UTM are not soon forgotten, and serve as the “bad judgment” experiences which will form the core of your good judgment, if you can turn off you ego long enough to internalize them.
Stout Hearts
Born and raised in the tony suburbs of Sacramento, California, John Chapman (Chappy) joined the Navy at 18. After an enlistment served on the USS Memphis, Chappy returned home to Northern California and embarked on a law enforcement career while attending college.
After 16 years of service spanning 4 agencies, with service in Patrol, SWAT, Investigations, Training and Administration, Chappy left full time Police service and began training police officers full time in 2008.
A police firearms and tactics instructor since 1994, Chappy founded LMS Defense as a part time private venture in 2006; and with the help of an amazing team built LMS into a full time venture by 2008. After serving in Iraq as security specialist, Chappy returned to LMS full time and spent the next 5 years servicing domestic and international police and government training requirements, and consulting SWAT teams in Procedural Issues and Equipment Acquisition.
In 2009, Chappy also became a part time adjunct instructor for EAG Tactical, working for his mentor and friend, Pat Rogers. It was through Pat’s mentorship and guidance that Chappy developed his skills as a teacher to the level of becoming a BCM Gunfighter.
In addition to his position as CEO of Raven Concealment Systems, Chappy is best known as a SWAT and Night Vision Instructor and continues to teach at Forge Tactical.
He also maintains his police commission, and serves as an Auxiliary Police Officer with the Alliance, Ohio Police Department, where he serves as a SRT Team Leader.
Gunfighter Moment is a weekly feature brought to you by Bravo Company USA. Bravo Company is home of the Gunfighters, and each week they bring us a different trainer to offer some words of wisdom.
GRINNELL, Iowa (May 3, 2017) – Pete Brownell of Montezuma, Iowa, was elected by the National Rifle Association Board of Directors as President May 1, 2017, following the 146th NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits in Atlanta.
An NRA Life Member since birth, Brownell is the Chief Executive Officer of the legendary family-owned firearm and firearm accessory retailer Brownells. He brings a record of leadership, a passion for the outdoors and shooting sports traditions, and vigor to protect and defend the Second Amendment.
Brownell was elected to the NRA Board of Directors in 2010, and has served as Chairman of the Membership Committee, and a member of the Finance, Law Enforcement Assistance, Publications Policies, and Sport Shooting Committees.
Brownell is also former chairman of the Board of the National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers and a former member of the U.S. Army’s Command and General Staff Foundation Board. Outside the office, he is an accomplished athlete and avid outdoorsman.
“It’s an honor and privilege to serve the 5 million members of the National Rifle Association of America. I am humbled to serve alongside Wayne LaPierre – the true heart and soul of this Association and to walk in the footsteps of my predecessors,” said Brownell. “I’m a proud NRA member from day one who grew up with a passion for guns, our rich hunting heritage, and a passion to strengthen our Second Amendment.”
Brownells COO/CFO Chad Martin will lead the Brownells family of businesses on a day to day basis, while continuing to work closely with company owners Pete & Frank Brownell.
