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US Marines Move Snipers from Infantry Battalions to Recon & MARSOC

March 1st, 2023

There’s been quite a bit of grump king recently over USMC plans to move their Snipers from Infantry Battalions where they are organized in Scout Sniper Platoons to Reconnaissance Bns and Marine Corps Special Operations Command.

The move was made official late last week with release of a message which “directs immediate transition of Scout Sniper Platoons to Scout Platoons.” The move comes as part of Force Design 2030 and is reportedly due to the inability of Scout Sniper Platoons to provide continuous all-weather information on the battlefield.

Currently, Scout Sniper Platoons consist of 18 Marines. According to the message, “The Commandant of the Marine Corps agreed to establish a scout platoon within the Infantry Battalion to provide the commander with relevant, reliable, accurate, and prompt information. The Scout Platoon consists of 26 Marines, four teams of six infantry Marines led by a First Lieutenant and infantry Gunnery Sergeant. Trained designated marksmen and precision rifles will remain within the Infantry Company.”

Along with the move comes a new Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) for Snipers. They will no longer have the secondary MOS of 317. Instead, Marine Corps is establishing the Reconnaissance Sniper (0322) MOS, for designated 0321 MOS Reconnaissance Marines, which will be organic to reconnaissance battalions.

As for relying on MARSOC Snipers, the Marine Corps is writing a check they may not be able to cash since MARSOC provides forces to Special Operations Task Forces and not Marine Expeditionary Units.

Posted in USMC | 17 Comments »

Enforce Tac 23 – S4 Supplies

March 1st, 2023

S4 Supplies which is the retail arm of German distributor CSC had two bespoke items on display.

First is CSC’s new helmets which were shown in Mid and High-cut variants. They’ve passed testing against 9mm threats. We’ll follow up with some more definitive tech data soon.

They will also be releasing ballistic plates in the future.

The second item from CSC is an as-yet-unnamed pack. This 120L internal frame features top, panel and bottom access along with two removable (via zippers) side pockets which can be used for stand alone assault load carriage. It’s also lightweight, coming in at less than 7 pounds. It’s made from 500D Cordura and offers different sized hip belts. The shoulder straps, back pad and belt features a high ventilation mesh which guarantees airflow.

There are also some nice side release buckles at the sternum and pack bag which are easier to open while wearing gloves.

Posted in Enforce Tac, Helmets, Packs | 2 Comments »

Enforce Tac 23 – Direct Action

March 1st, 2023

Direct Action has released their rope bag. Designed to be leg mounted, it will control the rope during rappel descents.

Posted in Advertiser, Enforce Tac, Load Carrying, Mountaineering | Comments Off on Enforce Tac 23 – Direct Action

Enforce Tac 23 – Act In Black

March 1st, 2023

Sure, Act In Black is a night vision company, but they also have some of the coolest mannequins.

Take for instance this guy who is outfitted in a back to the future outfit featuring NVA (that’s the East German National Volks Armee and not the North Vietnamese Army) Strichtarn or as it’s known in the US, Raindrop camouflage.

Unfortunately, you can’t go one place and get all of this goodness they’ve carefully curated the look including some pieces from my buddy at Flimmuur Tactical.

Posted in Camo, Enforce Tac | 6 Comments »

Access and Opportunity: How the Naval Studies Certificate Starts the Journey of Lifelong Learning

March 1st, 2023

OAK HARBOR, Wash. – AWO2 Brooke Graham was one of the first 34 students to complete the Naval Studies Certificate, a naval-relevant education program offered as a part of every associate degree program with USNCC.

“Petty Officer Graham, you have a visitor,” says one of the chief petty officers attached to the command. Naval Aircrewman (Operator) 2nd Class Brooke Graham, of Oakley, California, looks at the senior enlisted leader with furrowed brows. Sgt. Maj. Michael Hensley introduces himself and congratulates her on her recent completion of the Naval Studies Certificate.

“I’m used to being around Navy people all the time,” said Graham about her experience with USNCC. She said her interactions with active duty Sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen in the five courses that comprise the Naval Studies Certificate “makes me take a step back and see how we fit in. It gave me more awareness of our place in the world and how our mission impacts it.”

Graham was one of the first 34 students to complete the Naval Studies Certificate, a naval-relevant education program offered as a part of every associate degree program with USNCC. These five courses were taught entirely online and asynchronously, giving service members access and opportunity to balance their work life with the pursuit of naval-relevant education.

“We can’t spend our way to victory,” said USNCC’s Sgt. Maj. Michael Hensley. “We need to educate our Sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen if we want to invest in our success.”

“The Naval Studies Certificate is designed with fleet input to be both a part of the student’s associate degree and build skills the operating force needs,” said Russ Evans, associate dean of Naval Studies at USNCC. “Whether it is expeditionary advanced operating bases or distributed lethality, we will ask more junior individuals to make bigger decisions with less support more quickly. The Naval Studies Certificate is designed to prepare students for those challenges.”

The Naval Studies Certificate’s 15-semester-credit program is a stackable certificate within each of the associate degree programs offered by USNCC. These stackable certificates mean USNCC students will be able to build on the education they earn to develop a journey of lifelong learning.

“We want our Sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen to continually progress in learning. Through continued lifelong learning, our men and women in uniform are key to enhancing operational readiness and advancing the warfighting advantage over our competitors and adversaries,” said President Randi R. Cosentino, Ed.D., of USNCC. “This Naval Studies Certificate program is a key component to ensuring the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard better develop the intellectual talent we have at all paygrades in the services.”

The Naval Studies Certificate program opened up for a pilot command-referral phase February 1, 2023. These Sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen will be directly referred by their commands as prime candidates to earn an independent Naval Studies Certificate.

“For the USNCC to be successful, we have to provide naval-relevant classes and content,” said Dan Goff, Ph.D., professor of Naval Studies and a retired Marine. “The only way we can really ensure that is feedback from the students, but also the commands where those students come from.”

After her studies, Graham was meritoriously promoted to petty officer 2nd class, a process that relies on the Sailor maintaining sustained superior performance as identified by command leadership. While the promotion was not the direct result of her education, Graham said the Naval Studies Certificate helped her take a step back and see how she fit into the bigger picture of the mission.

To learn more about the Naval Studies Certificate program, or to find out more about the command nomination program, go to www.usncc.edu.

The United States Naval Community College is the official community college for the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. To get more information about the USNCC, go to www.usncc.edu. Click on the Apply Now link to become a part of the USNCC Pilot II program.

From Chief Mass Communication Specialist Xander Gamble

Posted in Guest Post, Navy, Press Release | Comments Off on Access and Opportunity: How the Naval Studies Certificate Starts the Journey of Lifelong Learning

DroneOptID Firmware Update for Enhanced Drone Detection, ID and Tracking

February 28th, 2023

DroneShield is pleased to announce the release of the latest update for its DroneOptID platform.

DroneOptID is a computer vision-based system used to control various thermal and optical sensors, detect, classify and track small drones or UAV targets.

Customers enrolled in DroneShield’s DroneSentry-C2 with DroneOptID software subscription, receive quarterly updates to the proprietary DroneOptID classification engine. DroneOptID is a camera agnostic software solution and DroneShield offers multiple camera options along with it to support various customer use cases, performance and budget requirements.

Major upgrades include:

• Improved Scan Pattern Performance: Major performance improvement to the optical scan pattern algorithm for faster target acquisition from radar and RF detections.

• Improved Object Size Estimation: Significant improvement to the passive optical object size estimation, enabling dynamic optical distance estimation adjustments when distance was previously acquired by other sensors.

• Deep DroneOpt2 Integration: Full featured integration of the DroneOpt2 model supporting both thermal and optical feeds with DroneOptID classification.

• AI Model Optimisation: Detection model optimisation for faster acquisition and improved high-speed target optical tracking.

• Integration for Sensor Fusion Applications: DroneOptID provides data stream designed to integrate with Sensor Fusion based systems such as DroneSentry-C2.

• Reduced Optical False Detections: Expansion of the DroneOptID data sets, reducing false detection probability.

DroneShield DroneSentry-C2 Command-and-Control System with DroneOptID module

Angus Bean, DroneShield Chief Technology Officer, commented, “As the counterdrone industry matures and our end user community begin taking back control of their low altitude airspace, the use of electronic countermeasures becomes a vital part of the response action. Our partners often require visual confirmation of target prior to the use of such countermeasures. This DroneOptID quarterly firmware release expands the reliability, accuracy, and functionality of a critical piece of technology.”

Posted in Press Release, Tac Apps, UAS | Comments Off on DroneOptID Firmware Update for Enhanced Drone Detection, ID and Tracking

PEO Soldier Delivers CTAPS to Two Brigade Combat Teams in the Arctic

February 28th, 2023

Project Manager Soldier Survivability (PM-SSV) began the issuing of the Cold Temperature and Artic Protection Systems (CTAPS) system to two Brigade Combat Teams (BCT) of the 11th Airborne Division at Ft. Wainwright and Anchorage, AK on February 13, 2023. Soldier feedback on CTAPS will inform the Army’s next generation Cold Weather Clothing System requirement for protection in extreme cold weather operating environments, with a more modular, adaptable, and packable system.

PM-SSV in conjunction with the DEVCOM Natick Soldier Center worked tirelessly to fulfill the June 2022 Army directed requirement to outfit soldiers in Alaska in support of winter field training exercises, inform the Army long-term requirement for Arctic Clothing and provide the 11th Airborne Division with this improved interim capability.

CTAPS allows soldiers to effectively operate and sustain combat operations in extreme conditions increasing their ability to fight is temperatures as low as -65 degrees Fahrenheit.

The team transitioned the CTAPS from Science & Technology to production and began delivering CTAPS to the 11th Airborne Division within six months of receiving the Directed Requirement. This included transitioning three novel materials to production that had never been produced in large quantities by the industrial base, establishing production contracts with multiple vendors, and ramping up the entire supply chain to support this effort. Currently vendors are producing between 250-400 sets of CTAPS per day and 300-500 soldiers are being issued CTAPS every day.

Posted in Army, PEO-Soldier, Press Release | 5 Comments »

USMC Scout Sniper Association Annual Sweepstakes

February 28th, 2023

FOR FOURTEEN YEARS, USMC Scout Sniper Association has offered the public the opportunity to win some of the finest and most authentic clones of US Marine Corps sniper rifles ever seen. Built and donated by our tremendous supporters in the shooting sports industry, these “0317 Day” raffles raised much-needed funds for our programs that continue to support the families of our fallen Marines, provide assistance to our Scout Snipers in transition and recognize the dedication and achievements of our active-duty Marine Scout Snipers.

From the Vietnam-era Winchester Model 70 that Bret won in 2022 and the authentic Mk13 Mod7 package Rad took home in 2020, to the entire M40-series of Marine Corps sniper rifles going back to the beginning, we’ve offered an example of every sniper rifle used by Marines from the Vietnam-era to the present day.

These raffles have been great fundraisers for our charitable programs, but they have also served as an important history lesson about the weapons and the men who carried them in service to our country.

The sad fact is the parts and components required to build an accurate M40 series clone are becoming more scarce and much more valuable. While it’s still possible to build a good clone, it’s not realistic to expect a donor to part with such valuable, original gun parts. So, we’ve decided to change up our offerings a bit.

We’re going to focus on great modern rifles that anyone would be proud to own

for a variety of uses, from hunting and competition, to hard use on the job.

We can’t think of a better rifle to start with than KMW’s Zealot in .308!

We’ve made our raffles available to the shooting public for 14 years, and that will not change as we transition to a sweepstakes. In fact, most of our 0317 Day raffle rifles have been won by folks outside of our Scout Sniper community. The support we’ve seen from military families, hunters, shooters, collectors and gun enthusiasts everywhere has been absolutely tremendous, so…

Enter here:

support.scoutsniper.org/give/456685/#!/donation/checkout

The USMC Scout Sniper Association (SSA) www.ScoutSniper.Org is the only non-profit membership organization for Marine Scout Snipers in the world. We exist to support the Scout Sniper community through programs that inspire brotherhood, encourage professionalism, and foster resiliency. Our community is comprised of those who have carried the long gun, those who have enabled our successes on the battlefield, and our families.

The USMC Scout Sniper Association is a non-partisan, nonprofit, tax-exempt, charity under Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code. Founded in 1998, we received our IRS tax exemption as a 501(c)19 Veterans’ Organization in 2004, and were re-designated as a 501(c)3 Charity in February, 2022.

Posted in Charity, Contest, Fundraising, Veterans | 1 Comment »