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24 SOW Safety Manager Rescues Large Shark

August 5th, 2023

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. —

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. (Ret.), Tazz Felde, 24th Special Operations Wing Occupational Safety Manager, received an unusual call from his wife Monday afternoon, Jul. 24, about a six to seven-foot nurse shark tangled up in an artificial reef near John Beasley Park in Fort Walton Beach, Fla.

“We were made aware of a nurse shark in distress at a local man-made reef here in Destin,” said Felde. “Another diver reported that he and his buddy had come across the shark, with a large hook in its mouth, and were unsuccessful at freeing the animal.”

In a video posted to Felde’s Youtube channel, you can see the shark sitting on the ocean floor with a large hooked in the corner of its mouth. The hook was attached to a steel leader with 100-150 feet of fishing line that had become wrapped around the reef.

“My wife, Courtney, told me if I didn’t go free the shark she was going to do it herself,” said Felde. “I knew the worst that could happen was that it crushed my hand. He would certainly break my hand if he got it in his mouth, but my concern was making sure that it was freed and able to go about its day.”

Felde cleaned up more than a hundred feet of tangled fishing line while diving to protect other marine life at the reef.

While working in his off time as the co-owner of Under Pressure Divers, Felde says he always teaches his students to not be afraid of sharks or marine life, and to always leave the water better than they found it.

“I don’t want people to be afraid of them because they’re really no harm to us in the grand scheme of things,” said Felde. “Don’t be scared of sharks. A lot of stuff you see on TV during Shark Week can be scary, and a lot of it is real, but for the most part, sharks don’t really bother us much.”

By Capt Savannah Stephens, 24th Special Operations Wing

Posted in AFSW, Air Force, Guest Post | Comments Off on 24 SOW Safety Manager Rescues Large Shark

NEMO Equipment – Heliopolis + Helio

August 4th, 2023

NEMO Equipment’s Heliopolis and Helio were literally made for one another. The Helio is a portable pressure washer and the Heliopolis is a shelter to offer some privacy while you wash.

Helio is offered in two sizes and is pressurized with a foot power pump. The 5.8-gallon sized LX offers 7–10 minutes of strong, continuous spray. the smaller Helio’s 2.9-gallon tank offers 5–7 minutes of spray. Both boast a 7 foot long hose with a spray spigot which is like what you’d find in a kitchen sink and very handy to use. I’ve used both for years while camping and to spray the dogs off after day hikes.

The Heliopolis is a portable shower tent and privacy shelter. You can wash and or change your clothes in it. It’s simple to erect ans doesnt take up much space in your vehicle.

www.nemoequipment.com/collections/showers

Posted in Stuff I Like, Sustainment | Comments Off on NEMO Equipment – Heliopolis + Helio

Elbit America to Deliver Bradley Components for U.S. Army

August 4th, 2023

Gunner hand stations for multiple variants of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle contribute to Soldiers’ lethality and survivability on the battlefield

FORT WORTH, TEXAS – AUG. 2, 2023 – Elbit Systems of America (Elbit America) received a firm-fixed-price delivery order for gunner hand stations for the Bradley Fighting Vehicle (Bradley) through the Defense Logistics Agency to support the United States Army. Production of the gunner hand stations will be conducted in Fort Worth, Texas and deliveries will begin in July 2024.

Gunner hand stations are used by Soldiers to position the turret and initiate signals to the fire control systems within multiple Bradley variants. No matter the mission in which the Bradley is used – transport or scouting – the gunner hand station is the same, providing superior capability to the gunner.

“For more than 20 years, Elbit America has designed and manufactured the hand stations for Bradley variants,” said Ridge Sower, Vice President for Ground Combat and Precision Targeting at the company. “Our expertise producing these components have led to modular designs and commonality across vehicle platforms. The end result is a superior, rugged solution that we can produce quickly and get to Soldiers on the battlefield.”

Elbit America currently provides gunner hand stations, commander hand stations, ruggedized tactical displays, the turret processor unit, and the single card turret processor unit for the Bradley Family of Vehicles.

Learn more about Elbit America’s land and C4I solutions at https://www.elbitamerica.com/land.

Posted in Army, Contracts, Press Release | 2 Comments »

NGSW Is Coming

August 4th, 2023

The countdown is happening…

First Unit Issued, 101st Abn Div, September, 2023.

Posted in weapons | 15 Comments »

SOFWERX x PEO-SOF Warrior (PEO-SW), Family of Special Operations Vehicles (FOSOV) Collaboration Event

August 4th, 2023

SOFWERX, in collaboration with USSOCOM PEO-SOF Warrior (PEO-SW), Family of Special Operations Vehicles (FOSOV), specifically the Non-Standard Commercial Vehicles (NSCV) Program, is hosting a Collaboration Event 30 August 2023, to engage with Industry, Academia, and Government labs, and identify potential solutions for integrating portable and adaptive technologies, including but not limited to Information Technology (IT) and Communications (Comms) kits. Over time, competing and emerging requirements have driven IT and Comms kits to increase in complexity and cost at the trade-off of Special Operations Forces (SOF) mission flexibility, driving the need to develop an updated strategy and identify new, novel solutions.

The FOSOV Program Office has historically added SOF capability to include C4ISR through Systems Engineering and Integration to the vehicle design. In many cases, the vehicles are intended to have the same capability for fielding and deployment. As radios, amplifiers and other technologies have evolved over the years, limiting factors and trade-space have made it difficult to adapt mission capability in the field. FOSOV must deploy Tiger Teams to Areas of Responsibility (AOR), where SOF has freedom of movement, to upgrade technology in Ground Mobility Platforms. In future conflicts, FOSOV will need the ability to deploy new technology insertion packages in semi-permissive or contested environments. FOSOV desires the ability for program engineers to innovate and for operators to deploy and adapt solutions in the field through new deployment strategies and configuration control mechanisms and seeks interface control strategies and/or material solutions that enable technology updates in contested or denied areas of operation. In the future, FOSOV expects SOF will use indigenous vehicles rather than vehicles manufactured in the US and the portability of technology packages/kits between vehicle classes and types will be critical to mission success.

The FOSOV team will discuss the challenges of deploying solutions to inherently congested/denied areas of responsibility to ensure full understanding of the limitations and explore new and innovative solutions to rapidly integrate and deploy technology across all of FOSOV Ground Mobility Platforms.

events.sofwerx.org/fosov

Request to Attend 14 August 2023 11:59 PM ET.

Posted in Mobility, SOF | Comments Off on SOFWERX x PEO-SOF Warrior (PEO-SW), Family of Special Operations Vehicles (FOSOV) Collaboration Event

New T-Shirt Collection from FROG.PRO: Between Style, History and Creativity

August 4th, 2023

(GATTATICO (RE) – ITALY) – FROG.PRO®, the Italian reference brand for tactical tailoring, is finally ready to launch its new T-Shirt Collection. They will be available on their website beginning August 4th 2023.

Among our news for 2023, we are proud to present our highly awaited Apparel line with the new FROG.PRO T-Shirts: a perfect mix of style, legend and a dash of extravagance to create unmatched designs. Each of the three new collections was conceived with an unique story, so that dressing can be a journey between history and creativity.

We worked on these T-Shirts with the utmost attention, because we think that the key to standing out from the crowd lies in the details. From a perfect cut to high-end materials, each part has been carefully selected to make a garment of uncompromising quality.

Our penchant for creativity led us to dare with unique shapes and graphics; the philosophy that drives our creative process is always the will to exceed expectations and to offer something different, and with these T-Shirts, we want to share with you our unique vision.

Here are our collectible lines:

UNBRANDED Collection – Bear our flag high

Our UNBRANDED line is a bold expression of our company’s identity. These T-Shirts are dedicated to those who wish to bring up our name and share our passion for experience and innovation.

Wear “Unbranded” T-Shirts proudly and let the world know that you are part of the FROG.PRO family.

TIMELESS Collection – When style embraces history

The TIMELESS Collection is a real bridge between the ages, connecting ancient charm to the current age.

This exclusive line of T-Shirts blends historical elements with modern design, through three iconic headdresses that used to be worn the valiant warriors of the past.

We represented these helmets through a mosaic of triangles, that gradually disassembles; the fragmentation is a metaphor the passing of the years, where the history is lost as time passes.

Our TIMELESS Collection is an invitation to explore the world through the ages, to embrace the beauty of the old and appreciate its legacy in the present.

By wearing these shirts, we want to make you feel the valiance of the ancient warriors. Because armor changes, but the spirit of warriors lives on forever.

SPECIAL FROGS Collection – From smile to adrenaline

In this collection our iconic logo comes to life: a frog that wears the gear of special forces operators. A real tribute to operators from all over the world.

With the SPECIAL FROGS line we wanted to play by incorporating some of our most iconic products.

The protagonists of this initial series are these three funny fellows.

• “Wave Dave” with his MP7 sub machine gun and his panoramic NVG, recalls the spirit of Navy TIER 1 units.

• “Nash The Flash” is the quintessential urban stormtrooper, with his flashbang grenades and his ability to move with agility in CQB environments, namely the urban and restricted ones.

• “Smokey Joey” is a skilled rifleman with an M4 carbine and his reliable Modular Reconnaissance Task Bag. He is always ready to support his teammates with the best strategies.

Packaging and technical features

Our focus went beyond the T-Shirt design; from the choice of fabric to the creation of an eco-friendly packaging, we wanted to create a T-Shirt line that could achieve the best results both for the wearer and for the environment.

The T-Shirts are made of 100% organic cotton from a controlled supply chain, STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® certified, guaranteeing the maximum possible sustainability. With a weight of 180 g/m2 and 145 g/m2, they are also perfect for the hottest days of summer; an ideal weight that gives them texture and durability without making them feel too heavy or restrictive. Also, as they are all pre-washed, they will not lose their shape over time.

The packaging was created keeping in mind our commitment to environmental sustainability. The T-Shirts are shipped in boxes specifically designed to minimise the use of materials and the dimension of the package, thus also reducing the environmental impact of transport. The boxes are made of FSC cardboard from a controlled supply chain, to ensure a responsible and ecological shopping experience.

Unique T-Shirts for collectors: limited edition supplies

With the launch of these three extraordinary collections, we invite you to take advantage of this limited edition offer, knowing that each piece is a treasure because it is able to tell a story.

This is just the beginning of a long apparel line that will continue to grow over time. In the future, we plan to expand it introducing new themes, subjects and identities that can enrich the hearts and minds of our wearers.”

The new T-Shirts will be available on www.frogpro.eu starting from August 4th 2023 in four sizes: Small, Medium, Large and X-Large. They offer free shipping to USA on orders over 200 EURO (about 220 USD).

Posted in Clothing, International, Morale, Press Release | Comments Off on New T-Shirt Collection from FROG.PRO: Between Style, History and Creativity

FirstSpear Friday Focus – Contractor Bag

August 4th, 2023

We’ve released our Contractor Bag in some travel-friendly colors since apparently, none of our Tier 1 operators have ever used it in a raid or an ambush. But hey, if you’re looking to store your loot or getaway gear in style, this duffel bag on caffeine, with a removable wheeled frame, is perfect for you! Plus, the oversized zippered opening makes it easy to load up and the frame is lightweight enough to dodge any pursuers. So, take your travel game to the next level with the FirstSpear Contractor Bag.

Visit FirstSpear to find American Made kit and accessories, Built For The X.

Posted in Advertiser, FS Friday Focus, Guest Post, Load Carrying | Comments Off on FirstSpear Friday Focus – Contractor Bag

Army Accepts Prototypes of the Most Advanced Version of IVAS

August 4th, 2023

This week, the Army accepted delivery of the first 20 prototypes of the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) 1.2 variant. The milestone is the latest step in the process of getting the most advanced version of the situational awareness system in the hands of Soldiers.

Microsoft delivered the 20 prototypes to Project Manager Soldier Warrior (PM SWAR), the program office within Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier responsible for overseeing the development of IVAS.

IVAS is a single platform that features an all-weather fighting goggle and a mixed reality heads-up display that integrates next-generation situational awareness tools and high-resolution simulations to provide Soldiers with improved mobility and lethality, during the day or at night. IVAS provides Soldiers with a single device to fight, rehearse and train.

“This is a really big deal for the program,” said Col. Anthony Gibbs, PM SWAR. “A little over a year ago we did an operational test with version 1.0 of the system. We learned a lot. We got a lot of good Soldier feedback. So last summer we came back and restructured the program. We took those lessons learned and all that Soldier feedback and in less than a year have what we now call version 1.2 of the system.”

Soldiers and squads will use IVAS to gain a fuller understanding of their operational environment. Its enhanced low-light and thermal sensors improve target identification. IVAS integrates with ground and air platform sensors, allowing Soldiers to see outside vehicles before dismounting into a hazardous situation. IVAS provides 3D mapping and navigation capabilities and can ingest data from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.

“[IVAS] complements what’s currently in the Army’s inventory while expanding close combat force capabilities by leveraging the digital architecture for shared awareness and computing at the edge,” said Lt. Col. Denny Dresch, Product Manager IVAS. “IVAS provides a first-person augmented reality perspective that enables the integrating of operational data such as routes and control measures into the person’s field of view.”

The system’s embedded training tool, the Squad Immersive Virtual Trainer (SiVT), also provides Soldiers objective-based scenarios and battle drills through holographic and mixed-reality imagery, giving units the flexibility to train their squads with minimal resources.

IVAS 1.2 builds and improves on the capabilities of previous versions of IVAS (IVAS 1.0 and IVAS 1.1). Specifically, IVAS 1.2 incorporates reliability upgrades, features an improved low-light sensor and introduces a new form factor with a lower profile heads-up display (HUD) with a distributed counterweight for improved user interface and comfort.

IVAS 1.2 also has the capability to attach to a combat helmet with a “hinged” device to allow Soldiers to raise and lower the display, similar to traditional night vision goggles.

IVAS 1.0 and IVAS 1.1 will primarily be issued to schoolhouses and operational units for use in training to support the Army’s Campaign of Learning. The close combat force will receive IVAS 1.2.

“Anybody who has had IVAS on, even the early versions, knows that this is a transformative capability and really has the potential to change the way that we fight,” said Gibbs. “This new version, 1.2, we think it’s really going to hit the mark in terms of what we need to put out there for our Soldiers to give them the situational awareness and the leap-ahead capability they need to stay ahead of our peers.”

The 20 prototypes will be featured at a User Assessment in August, during which two squads of Soldiers will use IVAS 1.2 to measure the system’s performance and ensure engineering efforts are on schedule and meeting design objectives.

Story by Frederick Shear, PEO Soldier

Posted in Army, Guest Post, Optics, PEO-Soldier, Sensors | 3 Comments »