Nike has added the popular SF boot to their Nike iD program. While you’re sitting around waiting for the big game to start head over to nikeid.nike.com and try out a few combos.
With color and material options including synthetic suede and full grain leather lowers and leather or canvas uppers, including solids and camo prints you can build exactly the boot you need.
Man, “those” guys are fast. Already, someone has knocked off the S&S Precision Plate Frame. It’s not “inspired by”. It’s not an alternative. It’s just a blatant copy of the original, albeit with fake materials including fake ballistic plates. It’s only purpose is to play dress up.
It’s being made in China, the land of “no shame” so it will be difficult to get them to stop. On the other hand, SSD readers can spread that word that this is a ripoff and to boycott the product. If anything the perpetrators are, ironically capitalists, and won’t build something that doesn’t sell.
Thanks guys for the heads up.
The Israeli defense technology firm Eltics recently released an interesting video explaining Black Fox, an “active, adaptive multi-spectral 
stealth technology” that does “thermal image shaping”, built to act as a sort of cloak for armored vehicles. Not necessarily an invisibility/chameleon cloak, per se, but something that allows the vehicles to look like something else, i.e. to make a Humvee look like an Abrams, or an Abrams look like an M1078 LMTV.
This isn’t the first time such measures have been taken. Similar static systems have been used by Tactical Deception organizations for many years. However, this is the first time we have seen this technology applied to a mobile platform. Such mimicry or ‘disinformation’ has obvious tactical advantages (or even strategic: remember Patton’s fake army prior to Operation Overlord?).
This is an Eltics video posted by Defense Update.
-DR
Air Force Specialty Code 3E9 (Emergency Management) has been known By other names over the years. For example, when I was a kid, I remember they were called Disaster Preparedness. Interestingly, they are kind of like EOD in that they are part of Civil Engineering even though it isn’t a good fit and this is recognized with a special careerfield badge that reveals their true focus, bugs and gas. They are the CBRNE specialists of the USAF.
Specifically the careerfield, “Prepares, plans, trains, educates, and equips Air Force personnel to respond to, maintain mission capability, and recover from the full spectrum of physical threat events including major accidents, natural disasters, weapons of mass destruction, and wartime chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosive (CBRNE) attacks. Provides technical expertise to commanders during full spectrum threat response operations. Performs detection, monitoring, warning, and reporting of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear (CBRN) events.”
If you were in the Air Force prior to the current conflict you were probably pretty familiar with them. We regularly trained in MOPP 4 conditions (even in SOF) and Ability to Survive and Operate (ATSO) was an important part of Operational Readiness Inspections. Maybe it was all institutional momentum from the Cold War, but it was drilled into Airmen enough that they could do it.
Now, NRA’s Life of Duty has prepared a report focusing on this small community of specialists and why they are more relevant now than ever. Here is a teaser.
Kryptek‘s family of camouflage patterns was chosen as a finalist in the US Army Camo Improvement Effort. Here are a few shots of the Highlander pattern in the field.
At least make sure your buddy can aim.
At last week’s Military Mountain and Cold Weather Symposium I had an opportunity to check out several creations from Natick’s Load Carriage Prototype Lab. One of those items was a much needed facelift for the Individual First Aid Kit pouch which was rushed into service not long after Operation Iraqi Freedom began.
The current issue item is a modified SAW ammo pouch and it really isn’t well executed for what it needs to do. It’s kind of like attaching a brick to the armor vest. PM Soldier Clothing and Individual Equipment’s Rich Landry worked with the Army’s medical community to determine the latest and greatest contents list and then set about redesigning the pouch. One big change is that the Soldier is now issued two Combat Application Tourniquets so the new insert accommodates that.
The biggest change is the pouch’s basic shape. It is now a horizontal envelope-style with PALS webbing along its face and openings on either end to accept the insert. I was able to try the pouch out and it is easy to access the insert and restage. The insert is still attached to the pouch via an elastic coil bungee which can be detached via Velcro if needed. Both ends of the insert feature pull loops so it can be deployed left or right depending on the preference of the Soldier and mounting location. Additionally, its flat format allow it to be mounted on the lower back or under other pouches on either side of the cummerbund.
In a Natick press release, Landry commented, “We designed it literally about three or four months ago, the medical community said, ‘Awesome idea. Let’s move out with it.’ Overwhelmingly, they thought this was a huge improvement over the current IFAK.”
Unfortunately, I’m not sure when it will become a general issue item but recent testing at Ft Polk was very promising.
SOTech developed a similar pouch in 2010 based on the contents of the SOF IFAK. It completed testing and was released for sale late last year.
We first published this article in March of 2010. It’s still classic. Then again, there’s the Craig Sawyer method.
If you are a fan of our WTF? series of articles then this one is for you. We think we have identified the mother of all WTF?’s and all future articles will be judged against this one. This is awesome!
Professor Ronald Duncan is providing instruction in the art of Hoda Korosu; the art of improvised weaponry. I was actually quite pleased to see this since I have been telling my kids since they were little that you could turn anything into a weapon. I don’t think they really ever believed me until now.
Ever get your ass kicked with a rolled up magazine? Well be careful with this information. It can be dangerous. Seriously, someone (yes it was one of those doubting Thomas children of mine) almost put my eye out earlier. If you do put your eye out, (or anything else) remember, we warned you.
Finally, I gotta say, seeing this guy I immediately think of Pootie Tang and the belt.
