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Qore Performance launches CATAMARAN (Universal MOLLE Plate Carrier Ventilation Adapter Panel)

October 16th, 2023

Knoxville, TN — Wearing a plate carrier can be oppressively hot and uncomfortable. Any gear that keeps bullets out naturally also traps heat in. One of the few ways to find necessary relief is to get air flowing between your body and the plate carrier, but getting that airflow to be constant and persistent without lowering your defenses is a huge challenge. It’s a challenge for manufacturers as well; very few plate carriers today are built with any type of stand-off ventilation capability (our ICEPLATE EXO® is one of a few exceptions). Instead, many manufacturers use dense foams and other inferior technologies like spacer mesh to provide a soft feel – but which trap heat and retain moisture.

ICEVENTS® Classic Plate Carrier Ventilation Pontoons facilitate air flow and eliminate hot spots between your carrier, your armor plates, and your torso. But up to this point, they haven’t been compatible with most carriers, as they required plate bags equipped with loop Velcro fields on the interior face (a small number of carriers have this feature) or plate carriers that were modified with aftermarket sewn-on Velcro loop (a heavy, if sometimes impossible, lift). Today, that changes with the launch of our all-new CATAMARAN Universal MOLLE Plate Carrier Ventilation Adapter Panel. CATAMARAN brings the magic of our ICEVENTS® Classic Plate Carrier Ventilation Pontoons to every MOLLE-equipped plate carrier on the market today (and even some that are not equipped with MOLLE).

Like any great tool, CATAMARAN solves a complex problem, but it is incredibly simple to use. CATAMARAN works as an ultralight interface that attaches securely to the MOLLE field on your plate carrier and provides a Velcro-loop field interface to secure ICEVENTS® Classic Plate Carrier Ventilation Pontoons in place. Constant airflow. Hotspots gone. On all carriers – in an incredibly easy to install package.

CATAMARAN is now available for purchase exclusively on QorePerformance.com. For more information or media inquiries, please visit www.QorePerformance.com or contact Qore Performance via email or by calling 703.755.0724.

Posted in Advertiser, Armor, Press Release | Comments Off on Qore Performance launches CATAMARAN (Universal MOLLE Plate Carrier Ventilation Adapter Panel)

You May Need To Reestablish Your RSS Feed To Get SSD Updates

October 16th, 2023

Last Friday night we found ourselves under assault so we turned on war mode on Cloudfare to protect access to the site for legitimate visitors. Everything is back to normal but this may have interrupted RSS feeds.

To establish a feed:

1) Visit www.soldiersystems.net/feed. It’ll look like this:

2) Subscribe to the feed using the dropdown menu. You can utilize Live Bookmarks, Microsoft Outlook, or any other program which supports RSS feeds.

3) Alternatively, a number of web services also allow for subscription to an RSS feed. Just search ‘RSS Reader’ or a similar term in your search engine of choice and work from there. Usually, with online services you’ll simply have to provide the website for the feed to pull from, which in this case would be www.soldiersystems.net.

4) Enjoy your new subscription to the SSD RSS feed!

Posted in Admin | Comments Off on You May Need To Reestablish Your RSS Feed To Get SSD Updates

OSI Takes Aim at Laser Pointers, Aircraft Safety

October 16th, 2023

QUANTICO, Va. (AFNS) —

As the Office of Special Investigations safeguards the Department of the Air Force, they are confronting a surge in incidents involving laser pointers, which pose significant threats to Air Force aircraft, especially at night.

These seemingly harmless beams, often used for classroom presentations or amusing a house cat, can also disrupt flight operations and create challenges for pilots.

“We refer to these as lazing incidents. It’s crucial for the public to understand that aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft is not only dangerous but a felony,” said an official from the OSI Center.

Officials added the importance of real-time reporting and response by all agencies and law enforcement, both stateside and overseas, as a key strategy in addressing these incidents.

In addition, individuals may incur fines up to $250,000 and face imprisonment for up to five years.

Additionally, the Federal Aviation Administration has the authority to impose civil penalties, with fines escalating to $11,000 per violation and $30,800 for multiple incidents.

Officials said the necessity of ensuring smooth information lanes, emphasizing that efficient communication between pilots, command posts, OSI and local law enforcement is crucial for rapid responses to incidents.

“The challenge is not just in reporting the incident. What makes it actionable is the pilot’s ability to specify, with a degree of certainty, a geo-coordinate from which the laser originated,” officials said.

The effect of a laser beam on pilots is like a camera flash in a pitch-black car at night, resulting in sudden disorientation and temporary blindness. This risk is worse during critical phases of flight, potentially leading to the loss of aircraft and crew, thereby imperiling lives on the ground.

“These are not harmless pranks. There’s a risk of causing permanent visual impairment. From the public’s standpoint, misusing lasers can severely impact a person’s ability to see and function,” said an OSI Center official.

According to the FAA, the United States has experienced a notable surge in reported laser incidents, with 2021 marking a 41% increase in aircraft laser strikes compared to the previous year. Since 2010, a total of 244 injuries have been reported, underscoring the escalating and pervasive threat. The nearly 9,500 laser strikes reported to the FAA in 2022 highlight the severity of this growing concern.

The OSI Center officials underscored the significance of public awareness and reporting. They encourage individuals who witness such incidents to describe the individual, location and event, and report it to both local law enforcement and OSI, regardless of whether the aircraft is military or civilian.

If you or anyone you know witnessed an individual directing a laser towards an aircraft, report the incident to laserreports@faa.gov or contact OSI here.

By Thomas Brading, OSI Public Affairs

Posted in Air Force, Aviation, Guest Post | Comments Off on OSI Takes Aim at Laser Pointers, Aircraft Safety

VK-1 Wins The Golden Triggr Award for Most Innovative Long Gun at TriggrCon 2023

October 15th, 2023

Wichita, Kansas– VKTR Industries is proud to accept the Golden Triggr Award for Most Innovative Long Gun presented at TriggrCon 2023. Representing a showcase for the most cutting-edge developments in the industry, TriggrCon fosters new technologies and recognizes innovation in design and execution.

Our submission, the VK-1, is a lightweight, low-profile, feature-rich, piston-driven AR-15 for the discerning shooter. It features patented state-of-the-art internal components, offering shooters a flatter, cleaner, more consistent shooting experience than traditional DI or legacy piston-driven ARs in the lowest profile footprint on the market. VK-1 is fully ambidextrous, including a patented billet machined magazine release and bolt catch. Heat-treated billet construction on these components ensures they will perform for a lifetime of service even in the most hostile conditions.

At its core, VKTR Industries firmly believes in evolution through design, and the VK-1 represents the precision, craftsmanship, and innovative design necessary to deliver the highest standard of quality in firearms manufacturing.

For more information on the VK-1, visit vktrind.com.

Posted in Firearms, Press Release, Tradeshow | Comments Off on VK-1 Wins The Golden Triggr Award for Most Innovative Long Gun at TriggrCon 2023

Lubbock SWAT Takes 1st Place at the 2023 Texas Tactical Police Officers Association Annual SWAT Competition

October 15th, 2023

ROUND ROCK, Texas – October 8, 2023 – The Texas Tactical Police Officers Association recently completed its annual SWAT competition, title sponsored this year by Sons of Liberty Gun Works. Thirty-six teams competed this year, with nine out-of-state teams and collegiate marksmanship teams entering. Past recent years have included international competitors as well. The competition was held over four days, and teams ran in eight separate events.

Friday & Saturday of the competition included a vendor show, with 5.11 Tactical, Cobalt Kinetics, Point Blank Enterprises, Safariland Systems, and Triarc Systems helping the competition as Platinum sponsors.

TTPOA President Dan Calosanto applauded Lubbock SWAT for their win – ” This was a record number of entries for us with 36 teams, and Lubbock PD deserves congratulations.”

Kolton Pirkle, member of Lubbock SWAT and sniper for the winning team, had high praise for the event. “This year’s TTPOA SWAT Competition was great. You could immediately see that the TTPOA Staff and hosting agency put in a ton of work to make the competition flow. The events were challenging and placed a large emphasis on understanding the mission, team communication during the mission, and executing the plan as a team. There was a high value placed on accuracy and accountability with high round counts and penalties for every miss or procedural violation. They provided teams with opportunities for strategy and creativity to think outside the box on how to get to the finish line. Our team has competed with TTPOA since 2012 and the event seems to get better each year. We believe that this year’s event was up there with the best. This competition definitely pushes us to train hard and get better as a team each year as well. If you are on the fence as a department or as a business looking for exposure in the tactical world, this is the event to get into. We are already looking forward to next year’s competition.”

Andy Adkins, TTPOA Vendor Coordinator, had specific praise for the vendors and sponsors at the competition. “This year was another phenomenal year of support from our beloved sponsors and vendors at the Competition. There’s no way that we could accomplish our mission of networking and providing training to officers from around the country without the support of our vendors and I must acknowledge their contribution.

Our Competition vendor show is smaller in scale than our annual conference, but still packs a serious punch when it comes to the exhibition of dynamic products designed to make the lives of our officers better, safer, and more effective.

This past year at our Conference, we hosted 200 vendors, who brought their ‘A’ game to be sure. We saw an incredible display of innovative products and I encourage anyone who is toying with the idea of attending as a student or as a vendor to find a way to get to our conference in April!”

The TTPOA will celebrate its 40th year anniversary in 2024, and the annual Conference, Training Symposium, and Vendor Show will be held April 24-28 at the Kalahari Resort in Round Rock, Texas. If you have interest in attending, please visit our website at www.ttpoa.org; prospective vendors can contact Andy Adkins at andy.adkins@ttpoa.org.

Posted in LE, Press Release | Comments Off on Lubbock SWAT Takes 1st Place at the 2023 Texas Tactical Police Officers Association Annual SWAT Competition

SnakeStaff Systems Launches Pocket Protector EDC IFAK (First Aid Kit)

October 15th, 2023

Salt Lake City, UT (October 10, 2023) SnakeStaff Systems launched its everyday carry (EDC) first aid kit (IFAK) in partnership with North American Rescue®.

This mini but mighty lifesaving kit contains everything you need to stop a bleed in an emergent situation until emergency services arrives, and includes NAR medical gloves, NAR wound packing gauze or optional Quickclot™, and two Hyfin™ chest seals. The IFAK can be bundled with the ETQ, the smallest windlass tourniquet on the market.

The Pocket Protector EDC IFAK is about the size of a smart phone (3.5” X 5.25”X.75”) and can fit in your pocket, fanny pack and even in your plate carrier mag holders, making safety accessible anytime, anywhere.

See the video at www.snakestaffsystems.com/video

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Federal Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Posted in Medical, Press Release | 1 Comment »

Digital Transformation: Laying the Foundation

October 15th, 2023

WASHINGTON — The Army becoming a data-centric, technology-driven service is one of the Secretary of the Army Christine E. Wormuth’s top objectives.

During her keynote speech to kick off the 2023 Association of the U.S. Army Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C., she spoke about the importance this plays in fielding the Army of 2030.

“We must continue to embrace innovation and transformation or risk failing to address future threats,” she said. “In close partnership with industry, the Army has pressed ahead and stayed on track to implement our most ambitious modernization effort in 40 years. With the introduction of each new system, we continue to increase our force’s capability to respond to various threats and serve as a credible deterrent to our adversaries.”

To expedite changing the Army and its business and operating model to leverage data strategically, the service created the Digital Transformation Strategy in 2021.

This outlines three key areas the Army must improve to leverage innovative and transformative technologies: modernization and readiness, optimized digital investments, and a technically savvy, operationally effective digital workforce.

In the last two years, the Army has been laying the foundation of the strategy by implementing the right policy, guidance and resourcing so it can quickly integrate technologies in the future.

“I think that is a big piece of where we are moving right now, and as you look at the next couple years, it really is about maturing that foundation,” Army Chief of Information Leonel Garciga said during an AUSA panel this week. “I don’t care how good an algorithm is. If you don’t trust the platform, or you don’t trust the network, do you trust the output of that algorithm? I think the answer is no.”

One of the key foundational pieces is making sure that the data being collected is properly labeled across the entire Department of Defense. This will allow the systems to communicate and scale quickly.

“We’ve got to ensure across all the functional communities in the Army, we have a common way of tagging, governing and ensuring that the data is accurate,” said Under Secretary of the Army Gabe Camarillo, who serves as the Army’s chief operating and management officer. “Once we do that, then I think we’ll be able to really start humming.”

The Army is taking an enterprise approach to change and transform faster. It is working on a more unified and coherent network. It’s changing how it trains Soldiers to use and interact with emerging technologies. It’s also adopting industry best practices for software development and updating its acquisition policy.

“In order for us to succeed, the challenges aren’t really technical because industry has most of this stuff already figured out,” Camarillo said. “The real question is how quickly can we adopt and change our processes to make the most advantageous use of capabilities that are already in the market.”

All this work is being done to give commanders and Soldiers on the battlefield the timely information they need to make informed decisions.

“So much of what we do involves software, involves data, it’s going to impact the entire range and spectrum of military operations in the future,” Camarillo said. “For us to maintain [our technological] advantage, we absolutely, as an imperative, have to get this right.”

Story by Christopher Hurd, Army News Service

Photos by Henry Villarama

Posted in Army, Guest Post | 5 Comments »

Suunto Introduces Race GPS Sports Watch

October 14th, 2023

Suunto presents a new sports watch for outdoor sports enthusiasts, featuring AMOLED display, HRV, free offline maps & impressive battery life

The large-screen Suunto Race GPS sports watch – with AMOLED display, advanced training metrics, and detailed offline maps – is designed for athletes who want to improve their performance and challenge themselves. A sports watch perfect for training, competitions, and the time in between

VANTAA (October 13, 2023). Some people choose to chill on weekends, while performance-oriented athletes choose to challenge themselves and enjoy the community vibe in races. Passionate athletes want to reach their personal best and need a tool they can trust to guide them. With the highest standard of toughness, together with offline maps, training, and racing features, SUUNTO RACE provides information on progress and helps to maintain the balance between training and recovery.

“A strong choice for athletes who appreciate a companion at the starting line and don’t want to worry about battery life.”

-Petri Lehtovirta, Suunto’s Head of Product

The new SUUNTO RACE presents itself with a high resolution 1.43″ AMOLED display and a digital crown that makes accessing the numerous functions quick and easy. To bring the needed confidence to the starting line, the watch comes with improved training metrics. With SUUNTO RACE, one can track their training, recovery, and progress easily. By measuring heart rate variability, HRV, one can assess their recovery state and compare their latest values to long-term HRV, and analyze if their recovery is being compromised. The free, detailed maps can be downloaded directly onto the watch so that athletes can always find their route, even offline.

SUUNTO RACE impresses with its battery life: one can train for 40 hours non-stop, with exact GPS tracking, and in daily mode, the watch can last up to 26 days. SUUNTO RACE comes in titanium and stainless steel. Both models are tested according to Suunto standards, are military tested, and can withstand weather conditions from -20 ° C to +55° C. The watch is equipped with robust sapphire crystal glass and is water resistant up to 100 meters.

Suunto Race Titanium and Stainless Steel with AMOLED display, sapphire glass, new digital crown.

SUUNTO RACE – YOUR TRAINING COMPANION

Athletes can now see a detailed overview of training load, recovery and progress directly on the watch. The statistics provided by the enhanced tracking can be used to ensure that goals are being met each week. Data is compared to the previous week’s average, so it is easy to stay on track. By measuring heart rate variability (HRV), athletes can assess their recovery status and compare and analyze their current values with their individual long-term HRV.

For optimizing training, workout plans can be created in the Suunto App or partner services and be synced with the watch for real-time coaching and guidance.

95 sport modes and SuuntoPlus™ Store delivers over 50 sports apps directly to your watch.

SUUNTO RACE supports various outdoor and indoor sports with more than 95 sports modes. Each sport mode has two to four training views where key statistics are visible during training, as well as a map display when exercising outdoors. New features include Strava segments for sports like running and cycling and a new movement feature for added metrics when calculating training intensity for weight training and ball sports, for instance.

The ever-growing SuuntoPlus™ Store works like a free app store for Suunto watches, with sport-specific apps for individual needs. Here, you can find, amongst other things, tools to manage training or other functions to get more out of your favorite sport.

GREAT SUPPORT IN COMPETITIONS

The display can be individually adjusted to your own needs, so that during the race one look is enough to get all the important information. Instead of memorizing the race course by heart, the route and most important waypoints can be displayed on the map. When competing in the dark, the bright AMOLED display makes it easier to find the finish line.

Also, other beneficial functions can be used during races. The RaceTime feature gives an overview of the total time, whether the pace is maintained and how long it will take until the finish.

Especially during longer competitions, the nutrition function is extremely helpful. It reminds you to drink in time and sufficiently and to take in nutrients, when necessary. A well-thought-out plan of how to use the aid stations to stay strong and finish well is important.

Whether they want to race against others or race against themselves, the watch offers the tools to help perform better. With SUUNTO RACE, athletes can track their performance, evaluate and assess their progress with general endurance tests such as the classic Cooper test, they can perform an anaerobic running test, run an FTP test or a Beep test. All these tests are available in the Suuntoplus app store.

A long battery life is a crucial criterion in a watch suitable for racing. After all, the longer the race, the more important it is that the athlete can rely on it. Even with the bright AMOLED display, The SUUNTO RACE lasts up to 40 hours with GNSS positioning and maximum accuracy through full power dual-band (L5) tracking, in daily mode with activated heart rate measurement up to 10 days.

“The Suunto Race combines the best features of all sports watches. The super bright AMOLED display, combined with a battery life of 40 hours in performance training mode and detailed recording of the most important vital stats – with it I can be sure to stand in top form at the starting line.”

– Ida-Sophiee Hegemann – Professional Trailrunner

Reliable navigation in training and racing

SUUNTO RACE has detailed offline maps showing trails, contour lines, waters and all other important landmarks. Global maps are available for free and can be downloaded with the Suunto app. With navigation features like route navigation and breadcrumbs, the watch guides athletes on new and old routes so they can focus on their training without getting lost.

SUUNTO RACE – THE DAILY COMPANION DURING RECOVERY

Even when not training or competing, SUUNTO RACE provides information about the general well-being and important daily activity information. It supports a healthy and active lifestyle with information about the recovery phase, steps, calories, heart rate, sleep and much more.

It provides at-a-glance information about current weather conditions and the weather forecast. With its music controls, you can easily select your preferred music, adjust volume, pause, or skip songs.

Suunto Race – Variants