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10th Special Forces Group Takes First As Best Combat Divers Across Special Operations Forces

June 25th, 2024

KEY WEST, Fla. – “To build the best skilled maritime operators for such dangerous missions, the training these Soldiers undergo is inherently dangerous,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jim Dougherty, Special Forces Underwater Operations (SFUWO) chief warrant officer. “Until now, no memorial existed to honor the memory of the brave Soldiers who took their last breath.”

Dougherty’s opening remarks echoed across the Special Forces Underwater Operations compound during a memorial unveiling ceremony honoring the legacy of eight fallen combat divers since 1964 before kicking off the 2024 USASOC Best Combat Diver Competition at Naval Air Station Key West, Florida, June 10-12.

This year marks the 60th anniversary since the inception of Special Forces Underwater Operations. Under the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School footprint, this is the second year the Special Forces Underwater Operations school hosts the competition at Fleming Key, Key West’s northern point.

“The purpose of the United States Army Special Operations Command Best Combat Diver Competition is to foster camaraderie amongst the joint special operators who combat dive,” said Maj. Alexander Pombar, commander of the Special Forces Underwater Operations school. “The competition tests a number of key attributes of a combat diver.”

The competitors were challenged on academic rigor, physical toughness, mental agility, and adaptability while executing high-risk waterborne operations. The competition included rigorous tactical underwater events, boat movements, and airborne insertion related to real-world combat dive operations.

Twelve two-man teams from across U.S. Army Special Forces, U.S. Marine Forces Special Operations, and U.S. Air Force Special Operations competed in a ten event, multiple day, and night competition to demonstrate skill and capability through performance.

Day one events encompassed a combat dive physical fitness test, safety round robin, and equipment validations.

Day two officially kicked off the competition with a memorial unveiling ceremony straight into a helo-cast kayak race at the SGM Jerry D. Patton Water Drop Zone in Fleming Key. Competitors then performed a subsurface swim, cache race, and neuro-crossover subsurface activities in the pool.

Day three started with a target contour dive in Mole Harbor, where dive teams had to test their navigation skills to tag multiple targets. They went on to conduct an Over-the-Beach dive then shuttle race on Patio Beach and return to the ocean for exfiltration. The final event was a helo-cast, followed by a one kilometer surface swim, and a five kilometer run.

Following the conclusion of the competition, the winners were announced during an award ceremony.

This year’s winner of the USASOC Best Combat Diver Competition is the combat diver team from the 10th Special Forces Group.

The 1st Marine Raider Battalion took second place followed by the USASOC team in third.

CW2 Dante from 3rd Special Forces Group scored highest in the physical training event.

The Special Forces Underwater Operations School is the premier institution in generating the expert special operator in underwater and maritime operations. Combat dive operations reflects one of many advanced capabilities of the special operator in unconventional warfare, integrated deterrence, and irregular warfare.

For more information about the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, visit www.swcs.mil.

The names of the fallen combat divers are the following:

• 2nd Lt. William Koscher, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 15 Aug. 1969

• Spc. 4 John A. James, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), 15 Aug. 1969

• Sgt 1st Class Kevin L. Devorak, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), 18 Oct. 1990

• Staff Sgt. Bruce L. Miller, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), 14 Sept. 1991

• Sgt. Charles L. Glenn, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 15 May 2007

• Staff Sgt. Mark M. Maierson, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 13 March 2009

• Staff Sgt. David J. Whitcher, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 2 Nov. 2016

• Staff Sgt. Micha E. Walker, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 27 July 2021

By Steve Morningstar

Posted in Army, Guest Post, Maritime, SOF | Comments Off on 10th Special Forces Group Takes First As Best Combat Divers Across Special Operations Forces

Australia Deputy Prime Minister Visits DroneShield Facility

June 24th, 2024

DroneShield Ltd (ASX:DRO) (DroneShield or the Company) is pleased to advise that Hon Richard Marles, Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and Minister for Defence, has visited the new DroneShield Sydney facility in mid June.

DroneShield was included into the Australian Government’s Ukraine aid package in late 2023, contributing its rapidly deployable C-UAS sensors and effectors, and was approximately half of the total package amount at the time ($10m out of the $20m total). Its products are continued to be used on the frontlines in Ukraine to stop Russian drones, as well as a substantive number of other locations globally.

The Company has moved into the new and substantially enlarged premises earlier this year, with the facility currently hosting approximately 130 staff, including over 100 engineers, as well as operations, business and corporate teams. With a larger own manufacturing floor combined with growing outsourced manufacturing capacity, DroneShield has a current manufacturing capacity of approximately $400m per annum. All of DroneShield’s R&D and manufacturing is done in Australia.

Hon Richard Marles receiving a brief at the DroneShield facility

Hon Richard Marles, Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and Minister for Defence, commented: “DroneShield is an example of an Australian high-tech success story, with world-class cutting edge local R&D and manufacturing, and growing exports around the world, with focus on the US.”

Hon Richard Marles inside the DroneShield anechoic test chamber

Oleg Vornik, DroneShield CEO, commented: “Over the last 10 years, DroneShield has become a global leader in AI-powered C-UAS solutions. Critically in the current geopolitical environment, it is also a significant sovereign manufacturer. We are pleased to have had an opportunity to brief the Deputy Prime Minister on our operations, and look forward continuing to support Australia and its allies with our advanced technologies.”

Hon Richard Marles receiving product brief in the display area from DroneShield CTO Angus Bean

Posted in Industry, International, Press Release, UAS | Comments Off on Australia Deputy Prime Minister Visits DroneShield Facility

AWS – Command Post Panel

June 24th, 2024

AWS, Inc is offering a Command Post Panel which measures a massive 43.5″ Tall by 93″ long and incorporates 20 clear vinyl pockets for mission folders as well as a central map pocket.

The panel incorporates grommets along the edge to facilitate mounting on a wall.

Finally, it all rolls up in a carrying bag made from 1000D OCP Cordura, just like the body of the panel.

awsin.com/50777-command-post-panel

Posted in Load Carrying | 1 Comment »

Mattermost Partners with BrainGu and goTenna to Enable Tactical ChatOps With Delivery of Low-Bandwidth TAK Integration, Completes $1.25 Million SBIR Phase II

June 24th, 2024

The partnerships deliver innovative software to enhance transmission of mission-critical intelligence from ops to edge and support next-generation technology

Palo Alto, Calif., June 24, 2024 – Mattermost, Inc., a leader in secure collaboration for mission-critical work in complex environments, today announced that it has completed its $1.25 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract, delivering mission-critical ChatOps capabilities for the Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) Tactical Assault Kit (TAK) and ATAK operating systems.

Built in collaboration with the development team at BrainGu, a leader in mission software solutions, the Mattermost integration for TAK improves distributed collaboration and enhances warfighter efficiency, safety and accuracy. Developed to improve TAK’s tactical chat function by providing secure, enterprise-grade ChatOps capabilities, the plugin also leverages the Mattermost open-source secure collaboration platform’s self-hosting capabilities, enabling teams to retain full data ownership and meet communications security (COMSEC) requirements. Additionally, with support from BrainGu, the Mattermost integration creates an extension for TAK capabilities, laying the foundation for future capabilities such as AI-enabled decision support tools.

“We’re pleased to address a demonstrated capability gap with the delivery of the Mattermost integration for TAK, enabling our operators to leverage streamlined ChatOps functionality that facilitates the mission-critical transmission of intelligence,” said Corey Hulen, co-founder and CTO of Mattermost. “In partnership with BrainGu and goTenna, we’ve developed this integration to satisfy the Department of Defense’s need for primary, alternate, contingent and emergency communications protocol.”

In addition to the secure ChatOps plugin, Mattermost and BrainGu also worked closely with goTenna, the world’s leading mobile mesh networking platform, to develop and deliver transmission-layer integrations for TAK on goTenna’s mesh radios, addressing challenges associated with low-bandwidth communications and providing resilient, decentralized connectivity. The goTenna plugin also offers support for ATAK systems, enabling seamless connectivity with TAK servers and ensuring scalability and reliability in diverse operational environments.

With new collaboration features now available, 350,000 civilian, DoD and partner TAK users can leverage the secure chat integration and low-bandwidth capabilities to effectively communicate mission-critical information between operational teams at the tactical edge and their forward operating bases (FOB) in near-real-time. The completion of this contract marks Mattermost’s second completed SBIR Phase II this year, just two months after the company announced the completion of its first contract with delivery of its message acknowledgment and urgency capabilities for the 618th AOC.

To learn more about how Mattermost enables mission-critical collaboration for government customers, visit mattermost.com/solutions/industries/government.

Posted in Comms, Press Release, TAK | Comments Off on Mattermost Partners with BrainGu and goTenna to Enable Tactical ChatOps With Delivery of Low-Bandwidth TAK Integration, Completes $1.25 Million SBIR Phase II

“No Comments”

June 24th, 2024

I’d like to address the recent issue of the comments feature turned off on posts. It’s not by design.

WordPress recently updated their app and new posts automatically default to no comments allowed and there’s nowhere to address the issue via the app, which I use most of the time, unless I’m having issues talking to the server which is a recent hassle due to my new Webhost. I’ve been so used to comments being automatically turned on, I sometimes forget to go back to the desktop version of WordPress to turn them back on.

I apologize for any confusion. Feel free to comment, just please keep it civil.

Posted in Admin | 10 Comments »

SIG SAUER To Appeal Verdict

June 24th, 2024

NEWINGTON, N.H., (June 21, 2024) – SIG SAUER strongly disagrees with the verdict in the case of Lang v. Sig Sauer, Inc. and will be appealing the decision on multiple grounds.

SIG SAUER does not believe that Plaintiff has met his burden to prove the P320 model pistolwas designed defectively or negligently as claimed. There are no facts on the record to support that Mr. Lang’s discharge claim was the result of anything other than his own negligent handling causing him to pull the trigger on the P320 pistol. Plaintiff and both his experts testified that they do not know what pulled the trigger or how the trigger was pulled, and they did not attempt to conduct any testing to confirm how the trigger could have been pulled, other than by Mr. Lang’s own finger.

In this case, the plaintiff, Mr. Lang, initially admitted to the police that he accidentally discharged his gun while pulling it out of the holster, then later changed his story, stating that the firearm discharged without a trigger pull. However, the Plaintiff’s story notably changed again, after hiring trial experts who agreed that the SIG SAUER P320 could not discharge without the trigger being pulled.

The design of the SIG SAUER P320 model pistol is truly innovative and safe, with numerous related patents, including several relating to safetymechanisms. It is among the most tested, proven, and successful handguns in recent history, with versions being selected as the official sidearm of the U.S., Canadian, Australian, and Danish militaries, among many other military and law enforcement organizations worldwide. SIG SAUER is extremely proud of our long history of producing high-quality firearms and our unwavering dedication to safety.

Posted in Advertiser, Industry, Press Release | 6 Comments »

MATBOCK Monday: Stop By Booth 640

June 24th, 2024

Here is a side-by-side video comparison of the MATBOCK OTB Raider Line Vs. a traditional OTB setup.

For their dry bag line, the MR Dry 2.0 they are available in Small 3400 cu-in (56 liters), Medium 4700 cu-in (77 liters), and Large 7450 cu-in (122 liters). Small and Large are the two most popular sizes and all three are compatible with any military-style frame, but MATBOCK offers them with the Mystery Ranch Nice frame (you can also get them without the frames. Here is a brief overview video of the MR Dry 2.0 bag (large size shown in the video).

Check us out at ADS Warrior East tomorrow and Wednesday. Here is where you can register for the event: www.adsinc.com/events

Posted in Advertiser, Guest Post | Comments Off on MATBOCK Monday: Stop By Booth 640

Fort Walker Hosts Collaborative Anti-Mine, Robotic Breaching Exercise

June 24th, 2024

FORT WALKER, Virginia – Deep in the heart of Fort Walker, where most people never go, there is a quiet facility dedicated to research. On June 12, it was exploding with engineers from all around the U. S. with one common goal: finding, and eliminating, land mines.

Organized by U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center, various contracting organizations deployed Unmanned Aircraft Systems of different sizes and capabilities in an impressive exercise to demonstrate to Col. Anthony Gibbs from Program Executive Office Soldier, Program Manager for Soldier Warrior, how emerging technology can reduce battlefield casualties.

As the exercise began, one UAS live-streamed the area of operation to the command center, another identified enemy combatants (who were notionally eliminated by close air-support), while another discovered mines downrange, leading to a barrage of simulated mortar fire to clear the danger. A team of developers, role-playing Soldiers, raced downrange in an M1126 Stryker armored vehicle, deploying a robot dog and plotting a path through the destroyed mine-field and using sensors to identify any imminent dangers.

In a scenario that seemed like something out of a video game, the reality is this future tech will potentially allow for fewer Soldiers to be required to capture an objective, and with much less of becoming a casualty.

Following the conclusion of the exercise, the director of the facility invited everyone to a demonstration of the protection capabilities being researched. Behind thick, steel barriers and blast-proof glass, participants experienced the detonation of an anti-tank land mine from roughly 50 meters, and two anti-personnel mines from three meters, impacts that most, outside of a combat zone, will never see.

It’s simulations like this which provide an insider’s look to battlefield scenarios and environments. For researchers, it’s a critical component to staying one step ahead of enemy combatants and provide our warfighters the most cutting-edge capabilities for mission success.

“Army research partners were able to successfully integrate air and ground robotic assets to reduce the workload for Soldiers during mine clearance operations,” said Mike Donnelly of Research and Technology Integration Division of C5ISR. “I’m proud of the work everyone put in here today.”

By Chris Hall, Fort Walker Public Affairs Office

Posted in Army, Breaching, Guest Post, Robotics | Comments Off on Fort Walker Hosts Collaborative Anti-Mine, Robotic Breaching Exercise