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Spiritus Systems Welcomes Two New Key Hires: Tom Snukis to Research and Development and Bill Amos to the Apparel Division

October 3rd, 2025

Tom Snukis will be stepping into the new position of Associate Designer at Spiritus Systems. Tom’s extensive military experience provides valuable insight into the needs of the end user. We believe his background will offer a fresh perspective to our R&D and New Product Development departments. Tom brings with him over a decade of operational and design experience. As an Officer, first in the U.S. Army Infantry and then in the Army Special Forces, Tom has spent years using some of the best, but often the worst, available equipment in some of the harshest operational environments on the planet. These experiences imbued a deep desire to create the best possible equipment for the professional end-user and prepared citizens alike. A sentiment that will now be put into practice at Spiritus Systems.

Bill Amos, formerly of NW Alpine, will be joining the Spiritus Team to head up the new Apparel Division. Bill brings with him 20+ years of experience in the outdoor apparel industry and will oversee the design and procurement of all of the apparel projects we may undertake. He founded and served as CEO of NW Alpine Gear, an American-made outdoor apparel company based in Salem, Oregon. He also served as President of Kichatna Apparel Manufacturing (KAM), overseeing contract cut-and-sew services for apparel brands from 2014 to 2022.

Tom and Bill bring a wealth of experience to the Spiritus Systems team and are a valuable resource to the company for product development going forward.

Posted in Advertiser, Industry, Press Release | 1 Comment »

The SureFire Turbo Series

October 3rd, 2025

The SureFire Turbo series pushes the limits in both handheld and weapon-mounted lights to give you the upper hand in any hostile encounter, near or far. Every Turbo model delivers high-candela illumination that reaches out to extreme distances. Our tightly focused Turbo beams are ideal for LE and military use, where piercing through tinted windows or assessing threats from a safe distance can provide a crucial advantage. You can count on them to offer the far-reaching light you need while also retaining a corona of diffused light, so you maintain situational awareness. And they deliver the same proven durability and dependability that’s synonymous with SureFire.

www.surefire.com/turbo

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FirstSpear Friday Focus: Operator Glove

October 3rd, 2025

The FirstSpear Operator Glove (OG) is built for moments where maximum dexterity and precision are non-negotiable. Designed with cutting-edge materials and modern construction methods, the Operator Glove delivers peak performance without compromise.

Its patent-pending trigger finger design sets a new standard in tactile sensitivity, giving operators precise control for critical weapon functions, magazine changes, and other high-stakes tasks.

The Operator Glove excels as a lightweight, standalone solution for missions that demand speed, accuracy, and superior touch. For added durability and protection, it is engineered to seamlessly integrate with the Operator Outer Glove (OOG), creating a complete combat system for the hands. This versatility makes the Operator Glove adaptable across a wide range of operational requirements.

Constructed from ultra-thin, high-performance fabrics, the OG is optimized for unmatched dexterity and lightweight feel. The palm features FirstSpear High Dexterity Leather (FS-HDL) with a digital-textured Pittards Goatskin overlay for enhanced grip and precise weapon handling. Core-spun Merino Wool with a nylon core provides breathability, durability, and moisture resistance while remaining inherently flame resistant with No Melt, No Drip protection.

Touchscreen-compatible index and thumb tips allow seamless use of PDAs and tablets without breaking stride. The natural odor resistance and antibacterial properties of the materials add to long-wear comfort in demanding environments. While the OG is not designed for prolonged heavy abuse, it is engineered to excel throughout a full training cycle and deployment, making it an ideal tool for operators who need performance at the highest level.

To request an estimate click image above or visit First-Spear.com/Request-For-Estimate. FirstSpear is the premier source for cutting edge-tactical gear for military, law enforcement and those who train. For more information visit First-Spear.

Posted in Advertiser, FS Friday Focus, Guest Post, Handwear | 1 Comment »

Anniversary of the Battle of Mogadishu

October 3rd, 2025

On this date in 1993, US service members were engaged in what is now known as the Battle of Mogadishu. They were assigned to a joint organization named ”TF Ranger” to deploy to Mogadishu, Somalia in support of a UN-led humanitarian mission. Tgeir mission was dismantle an armed militia which was threatening that aid program.

By October 3rd, they had been conducting operations for quite some time, but that day’s raid would be unlike anything they had yet experienced. The mission was to raid the city’s Olympic Hotel in order to capture key leaders of the Aidid Militia who had been opposing UN efforts to feed the locals.

Unfortunately, during the exfil portion of the raid, a battle ensued which claimed the lives of 18 Americans and wounded another 73. Additionally, CW3 Michael Durant was captured by the Aideed militia after being shot down while piloting his Blackhawk. Fortunately, Durant was later repatriated and went on to retire from the 160th.

Of the men killed that day, two would be awarded the Medal of Honor, Delta Operators Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart, for their selfless efforts to protect Durant after his aircraft, callsign Super 64, was shot down.

A few years ago, the US Army reevaluated the awards presented to the participants of that battle and amongst the Ranger element, upgraded 60 veteran’s awards including 58 Silver Stars and two Distinguished Flying Crosses. The order of battle included other organizations and their Soldiers have received similar upgrades.

If you are unfamiliar with the events, one of the best accounts of the battle is contained in the book, “Blackhawk Down” by author Mark Bowden. Much of the information was serialized prior to the book’s publication in the Philadelphia Enquirer. Later this was made into a movie bearing the same name.

Please take a moment to remember these men and their sacrifice.

Additionally, the 75th Ranger Regiment was created on this day in 1984, along with the stand up of its 3rd Battalion. Four decades later, the Ranger Regiment boasts five battalions of some of the most elite warriors on the face of our planet.

Posted in Army, History, SOF | 1 Comment »

Carrington Textiles Stretches the Standard at A+A

October 2nd, 2025

Global workwear textiles manufacturer Carrington Textiles has announced the launch of 12 new fabrics at A+A in Düsseldorf this November. With 75% of the new range featuring stretch technology, eight products incorporating sustainable fibres and four delivering flame retardant protection, the company is reinforcing its drive to raise comfort and performance standards across workwear.

With a campaign called Stretch the Standard, Carrington Textiles is aiming to highlight the benefits of stretch without compromise. Supported by a new film combining high-energy visuals with a female model fronting the concept in a hard-wearing garment, the production highlights Carrington Textiles’ effort to represent today’s diverse workforce while presenting the fabrics’ core qualities of durability, flexibility, flame retardancy and sustainability.

The collection spans from lightweight 170gsm solutions such as Michigan and Rivington to midweight fabrics like Denver at 210gsm, offering comfort and durability in everyday workwear.

At the heavier end, Flamemaster 365 Eco at 365gsm provides robust protection with recycled polyester content. Other protective developments include Flametougher 240AS Flex and 290AS Flex, both incorporating XLANCE® stretch fibre alongside flame retardancy and antistatic properties. In a major first for the industry, Flametougher 290AS Flex was tested in stretched condition by the independent, accredited testing laboratory STFI in Germany, proving that FR protection can be maintained under tension. Flameflex300AS has also been engineered to combine mobility with flame retardant performance.

Sustainability and advanced stretch are central to the rest of the line. Circularis 245 is produced using chemically recycled polyester from textile waste. Marano delivers four-way stretch powered by LYCRA® T400® EcoMade fibre for long-lasting flexibility, while Varano, Grasmere and Grizedale achieve sustainable comfort through blends with bio-based stretch polyester.

This year’s stand has been designed with visitors in mind, spanning 150sqm across two floors with dedicated display areas, garment presentations and relaxed meeting spaces. Carrington Textiles’ redesigned product guides will also be officially launched at the show.

Paul Farrell, Sales Director at Carrington Textiles, said:“A+A is the most important platform for our industry. It gives us the opportunity to show how we are stretching the standard in workwear textiles by introducing fabrics that combine durability, comfort and sustainability with the high performance customers expect from us.”

For more information visit carrington.co.uk or see the team at A+A in Düsseldorf from 4–7 November in Hall 16 Stand F44.

Posted in FR, International, Materials, Press Release | Comments Off on Carrington Textiles Stretches the Standard at A+A

NSA’s 12th Annual Codebreaker Challenge is Underway for 2025

October 2nd, 2025

The National Security Agency (NSA) is launching their annual series of critical real-world scenarios for U.S.-based academic institutions titled Codebreaker Challenge. In its 12th iteration for 2025, the Codebreaker Challenge gives students the opportunity to analyze high-risk situations closely resembling the Intelligence Community’s classified tasks, equipping them for national security challenges. Participants will go head-to-head with other schools to accomplish mission-driven tasks aimed at enhancing their skills in reverse engineering, vulnerability research, cryptography, programming/scripting, and beyond.

This year’s challenge is to assist the Air Force’s Cyber Operations Squadron in maintaining the U.S. military’s cyber dominance against advanced foreign adversaries attempting to infiltrate and steal information. The goal is to investigate unusual behavior detected by an Air Force analyst and defend American interests against sophisticated nation-state threats. Maintaining vigilance and reinforcing the defense of robust yet vulnerable military networks is paramount.

“The Codebreaker Challenge is an opportunity for the future leaders of cyber defense to showcase their skills, and it’s extraordinary to see the enthusiasm and dedication they bring to the competition,” said Lieutenant General William Hartman, performing the duties of the Director of NSA. “I look forward to announcing this year’s winners and celebrating their success.”

The seven tasks in the challenge each have a particular point value and ramp up in complexity as students advance. After completion, points are earned by schools, and the highest totals win in three divisions, each based on the count of student participants.

The Codebreaker Challenge is open to anyone with an email address from a recognized U.S. school or university. All players register and log in individually. Students, professors, and alumni can participate, but only students will earn points and awards.

Join in and register for the challenge at nsa-codebreaker.org, where you can also watch this year’s kick-off video. Get ready to make your mark in the world of cybersecurity!

Via NSA

Posted in CEMA, Guest Post | Comments Off on NSA’s 12th Annual Codebreaker Challenge is Underway for 2025

How Anduril and the Army Are Rewriting Fire Missions with NGC2

October 2nd, 2025

Only eight weeks after Anduril was awarded a $99.6 million prototype Other Transaction Authority agreement for the Army’s Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2), the 4th Infantry Division became the first unit to use NGC2 in live fire training. The event, known as Ivy Sting 1, demonstrated a division-level targeting process running entirely on Anduril’s Lattice Mesh and Palantir’s Target Workbench (TWB) from headquarters down to the gun line—firing faster, more reliably, and more resiliently than legacy systems.

NGC2 is the Army’s initiative to modernize the command and control ecosystem. Built on an open, modular architecture, NGC2 connects the entire battlefield—soldiers, sensors, vehicles, and commanders—with resilient, real-time data. Anduril leads the effort alongside partners Palantir, Striveworks, Govini, Instant Connect Enterprise™ (ICE), Research Innovations, Inc. (RII), and Microsoft, integrating their capabilities into a single ecosystem.

For decades, artillery fire missions required soldiers to manually compute firing data with charts and protractors—a slow, error prone process that tied up fire direction centers. The process was digitized in the 1990s with the development of the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS). But while it was progress, AFATDS was slow to set up and unable to interface easily with other systems.

At Ivy Sting 1, the Army’s new Artillery Execution Suite (AXS) replaced that model. Integrated into NGC2, AXS delivered fire control at speed. The gains were measurable. With AFATDS, gun crews often spent time troubleshooting digital connections before they could fire. Using AXS on Lattice Mesh, crews were digitally ready in under 30 seconds.

Running on Voyager rugged edge computing kits, Lattice Mesh, Anduril’s software backbone, kept the workflow seamlessly connected and resilient in concert with Palantir’s software platform. Ghost, Anduril’s modular UAS platform, also ran on the mesh, providing immediate battle damage assessment through full-motion video, and Army Forward Observers fed inputs directly into Lattice via Android Tactical Assault Kit (ATAK) integrations. Palantir’s TWB managed, tracked, and allocated resources for each target taking geolocation data and translating it to actionable targets to process through the kill chain.

This was no tabletop exercise. Soldiers fired 26 live missions with M777 howitzers on Fort Carson’s live-fire ranges, running AXS side-by-side with legacy crews. The contrast was visible: one team struggling with delays, the other firing digitally in seconds. Ivy Sting 1 proved that NGC2 works under operational conditions and set the stage for future events that will scale across more nodes and integrate partner applications.

To make it all happen, Anduril’s NGC2 engineering team embedded directly with the AXS developers using the NGC2 Software Development Kit (SDK). The SDK gives third-party developers the tools and open interfaces needed to rapidly build and integrate new applications and data services for NGC2, ensuring flexibility and avoiding vendor lock-in. That integration allowed the Army to move faster than planned—pulling a milestone originally set for January 2026 into Ivy Sting 1. The first M777 round was fired just 12 hours after the beta software was installed.

The workflow demonstrated has now been adopted as the division’s standard operating procedure for artillery fire control. Every future 4ID training event will build on Ivy Sting 1 mission thread, reinforcing and refining the process.

Ivy Sting 1 is only the beginning. Anduril and its partners will expand the number of nodes integrated into Lattice Mesh and use the NGC2 SDK to pull new mission threads into the data fabric. What started with fires will extend to sustainment, aviation, logistics, counter-UAS, and medical evacuation within Army operations. During Ivy Sting 2, a new mission thread will demonstrate how Lattice Mesh connects data generated by AXS to Ark, Govini’s sustainment application, enabling warfighting functions to interoperate seamlessly across the division. By Ivy Mass in May 2026, the division will be operating those workflows on Lattice at scale, treating the event as a full dress rehearsal for Project Convergence Capstone 6 in July.

Ivy Sting 1 showed how fast the Army and industry can deliver when they work as one team. In just two months, Anduril and its partners delivered a live-fire NGC2 capability that connected headquarters, artillery crews, and autonomous systems on a single mesh network.

Posted in Army, C5ISR, Press Release | Comments Off on How Anduril and the Army Are Rewriting Fire Missions with NGC2

Two New Additions to Reptilia’s AUS Mount System

October 2nd, 2025

Hillsborough, North Carolina – October 2, 2025 – Reptilia®, a leading innovator in firearm accessories and mounting solutions, today announced the launch of two new products in its AUS™ Mount System: the AUS™ Offset for MDT SEND IT® GEN2 and the ROF™- 90 for Leupold® Delta Point Pro – 35MM.

“At Reptilia, every product we design starts with a simple mission: give professional end-users the tools they need to move faster, stay accurate, and perform with confidence,” said The Reptilia Team. “The AUS Mount System has always been about modularity and precision, and these two new additions make it even more versatile.”

Engineered in direct response to feedback from military, law enforcement, and professional shooters, the new releases address real-world challenges in both precision shooting and rapid engagement scenarios.

AUS™ OFFSET FOR MDT SEND IT GEN2

The AUS Offset Mount for SEND IT GEN2 positions the electronic level at the perfect angle for quick, glanceable confirmation—allowing shooters to stay level without ever breaking their sight picture. With four mounting positions, left or right side, the mount adapts to individual setups and shooting styles.

Machined from billet 7075-T6 aluminum, Type III hardcoat anodized
Nitrided 4140 steel hardware
Weight: 30 g
Made in USA

The ROF – 90 provides a secure mounting position for a Leupold® Delta Point Pro on Reptilia® AUS or Geissele® Super Precision™ 35mm optic mounts. Specifically designed to clear Leupold® Mark 5 turrets, it delivers a reliable, unobstructed sight picture and enables seamless transitions between magnified optics and a close-range red dot.

Machined from billet 7075-T6 aluminum, MIL-STD Type III anodized
Weight: 23 g
Compatible with AUS and Geissele 35mm mounts
Made in USA

SHOP NOW – reptiliacorp.com

Posted in Advertiser, Optics, Press Release, Weapon Accessories | Comments Off on Two New Additions to Reptilia’s AUS Mount System