The Daily Gunfight Belt from Viktos is a new option for EDC.
Constructed of several layers of material for rigidity paired with an aluminum dual-lever quick release buckle. Its 1.5″ width fits most belt loops.
Offered in MultiCam, MultiCam Black, and Nightfjall in sizes Small – XLarge.
www.viktos.com/collections/new-products/products/gunfight-belt
Pineland Initiative will expand Foundation’s scope of programs and services to now include pre-9/11 Green Berets and families
SAN ANTONIO, Nov. 10, 2021 // — The Green Beret Foundation (GBF) announced today the launch of the Pineland Initiative, a new campaign which will focus on expansion of the Foundation’s scope of services to now include pre-9/11 U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers and their families.
The Pineland Initiative, launching in 2022, will reflect a 3-year phased approach to growth and expansion of existing programs and services in order to accommodate the needs of the pre-9/11 Green Beret population. One key aspect of this expansion will be the welcoming of additional Veteran Service Officers (VSOs) onboard GBF staff to meet anticipated greater need for assistance with the preparation and prosecution of Veterans Affairs benefits and disability claims. These new VSOs will bring with them the added benefit of providing a Foundation presence geographically located at each of the five Active Duty Special Forces Groups, and two National Guard Special Forces Groups, located around the country.
The name “Pineland” pays tribute to the shared legacy of Green Berets, past and present. GBF Executive Director and Green Beret, Brent Cooper, explains: “Pineland, a fictitious country located in North Carolina where U.S. Army Special Forces trainees consummate their training and selection with the legendary Robin Sage exercise in unconventional warfare, is a universal term that all Green Berets recognize and hold dear. It is a key rite of passage on the path to earning the coveted Green Beret. Being immersed in this fictitious country is a defining experience in all Green Berets’ lives, so it is also the perfect name for this pivotal moment in the GBF’s history, where we can now expand our services to Green Berets of all generations. Though we’ve helped many Green Berets and their families, the job will never be done until we are in a position to help all Green Berets–past, present, and future. The bond between all Special Forces soldiers across the generations is strong. We had to do more, and the Pineland Initiative is how we plan to go about doing so.”
This new initiative for GBF is well-timed, as the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the U.S. Army Special Forces will be commemorated this coming June 19th. With Pineland being the first initiative in GBF’s history to support Green Berets of all generations, “There’s an opportunity to honor those that laid the groundwork to make the Green Berets the world’s premier, elite special operations force,” Cooper says.
GBF is asking that those wishing to support the Pineland Initiative campaign consider making a commitment of support to the Foundation at the amount of just a $12 monthly recurring contribution. The number 12 is symbolically significant to the Green Beret community, as it is the number of Green Berets on each Operational Detachment Alpha team–a fact which emphasizes that the Pineland Initiative will be a team effort. GBF offers multiple means by which supporters may choose to give, including one-time contributions and monthly recurring donations. For every dollar donated to the Green Beret Foundation, $0.84 goes directly to support the existing programs that the Pineland Initiative will now make available to pre-9/11 Green Berets and their families.
These programs and services include:
Casualty Support
GBF provides support to wounded or injured Green Berets, ensuring that their hospital stay, recovery, and rehabilitation is more comfortable, along with other financial support for family needs not covered by the Department of Defense.
Health & Wellness
GBF supplements the care that the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Defense Health Agency provides to ensure total long-term health of a Green Beret’s mind, body, and spirit.
Family Support
A program to provide a welcoming community of support to families of Green Berets. This includes the Steel Mags program–the exclusive program of wives, mothers, sisters, and daughters of Green Berets–and educational scholarships provided to the children and wives of Special Forces soldiers.
Gold Star & Surviving Families
GBF provides Gold Star and Surviving Families with support, tools, and financial assistance to navigate through the death of their Green Beret, assisting families in building long-lasting, supportive relationships within the Special Forces community.
Next Ridgeline™ Transition Support
With the Next Ridgeline Program, GBF provides current and transitioning Green Berets with the resources and tools they need to be successful in their next careers, along with Veterans Affairs benefits and disability claims preparation and prosecution.
GBF has now expanded their ability to accept donations, beyond the traditional means of accepting support through recurring donations and corporate matching programs. To streamline the giving process for donors, they now have partnerships with AmazonSmile, Ebay Giving Works, PayPal Giving, the Combined Federal Campaign, and Network for Good. Cryptocurrencies are also accepted.
Support the Green Beret Foundation |fundraise.greenberetfoundation.org/gbfpineland
Every year thousands of Reserve and National Guard service members from across all forces of Department of Defense (DoD), come to Fort Bliss before deploying. While service members are at Fort Bliss, they execute different levels of training based on individual and unit proficiency, naturally a unit does not execute URM training if they have not qualified with the individual weapon; we, at Task Force Stallion, under 5th AR BDE, see qualification as a pre-requisite for any advanced training. Observer-Coach/Trainers play a crucial role in the units training, as we observe first, then coach and train to give them honest feedback through After-Action Reviews. One of the training events that service members go through at Fort Bliss is the Gunfighter Gymnasium (GfG).
5th AR BDE GfG, OC-Ts, Instructor Trainer Course, Nov 2020: (left to right) SSG Pleinis, SGT Barton, SSG Gomez, SSG Ziegler, SSG Beavers.
5th Brigade has made an Investment in the Service Member and the effect is Revolutionizing Readiness across the Brigade through what is being called the Gunfighter Gym (GfG). This investment is not a material solution, but rather a wholistic Soldier investment in eyes, mind, central nervous system, and body. The gym’s focus is to rapidly guide service members to reach their Peak Human Potential (PHP) in a very short time. By, investing in the service members cognitive decision making under stress, while fighting in a 360-degree environment, we are witnessing, measuring, and analyzing data across multiple units, as our great men and women, are going from Zeroing their rifle in Basic Rifle Marksmanship (BRM), into Urban Rifle Marksmanship (URM) in the GfG, culminating out at the live-fire range; and reaching new personal bests across all qualifications. Thus, creating and confirming a more lethal, faster thinking and reacting service member. The same effect is happening in pistol and automatic weapons training.
The GfG provides service members with opportunities that they rarely see at home station training. Some examples are the new Army Weapons Qualification for the M4 carbine, where service members complete their virtual marksmanship qualification tables (Table II), as outlined in TC 3-20.40, “I attempted this qualification standard once and got 18 or so 3 times, this time, at the range I got 35 out of 40, first time and it seemed so much easier” (SSG, 864th Theater Support Group, Feb 2021). Others are the execution of training packages which include Urban Rifle Marksmanship (URM), Close Quarters Battle (CQB), Team/Squad Battle Drills (with their assigned weapon or Conflict Kinetics Synthetic Weapons) and this Gym can easily add support by fire, call for fire and crew served weapons. The ability to change the environment in the GfG is limitless, which has allowed us to truly focus on the servicemembers needs based on their area of deployment.
During the first 6 months of throughput in the GfG, while under COVID restrictions, exceeded 1 million shots fired, over 3.5 million decisions made, and over 4108 Servicemembers from U.S. Army, Air Force, and Navy having been trained and mobilized. Our gym is being run 24/7 and there have been zero down training hours/days due to equipment malfunctions. The GfG is leveraging video-based roll players, with further capabilities to bring VR/MR and shoot-back capabilities for full mission profiles. They are capturing big data on cognitive, emotional, and physical performance for the life of the service member, that further down the road, we could leverage in the unfortunate event of a TBI or MTBI incident. The ability that the GfG gives us, knowing what a service members PHP was prior to suffering the trauma, can more rapidly map them back to full operational capacity. It is great for the service member and great for the United States of America.
The GfG provides much more realistic training and scenarios, than a live-fire range ever could. In one day, service members can fire over ten times the number of rounds than they would at a live-fire range. Not only that, but they can also switch up scenarios in a matter of minutes and train in different situations and environments. Using the Conflict Kinetics (CK) training methodology is less costly, gives service members more time to sharpen their marksmanship skills, lets them have more repetitions, gives service members more time training because they do not have to worry about how much ammo they are allotted, or how much time they have left on the range based on scheduling or daylight. As stated by a member of the 864th Theater Support Group, “Being scheduled for the gym on the training calendar, allowed us to focus on only this task for the first time in years” (1LT, 864th Theater Support Group, Feb 2021).
After going through the Instructor Training Course provided by CK, having served over 18 years of service to my country and the Army, I improved my lethality, cognitive skills, speed, and accuracy in 5 days of training. With my years of experience, I have not seen a better system, that truly helps the individual service member and units collective training that CK provides through Human Performance. There are over 3200 drills that Soldiers can train on, so the ability to game the system is impossible. With varying scenario’s, Soldiers are trained to react to threats rapidly and in a more lethal manner. All drills have lethality zones built into the target, which takes the shooters actions into account as well as the drills actions, and provide a lethality score per shooter. Another unique advantage to this system that I have seen, is the ability to create a Unit Identifier (UID) that can follow the service member anywhere there is a GfG. This is an area I have not seen before with simulators. My personal UID, if I were to PCS to the 173rd in Italy, as an example, I could see the site tech at the 173rd, give him/her my UID, and in no more than 1 week time frame, my profile and everything I have shot will be in the system at my new duty station. Potentially, if this system were across the Army, we could track a Soldiers shooting career from Basic Training until they exit the Army, what I could have done with that data as a 1SG, would have been limitless! PVT X goes to shoot in the GfG, he is a lethal shooter but that day shoots horribly, this lets me know his mind is somewhere else, and provide focused attention to care for the Soldier through his leaders.
The GfG has been certified to Army Doctrine standard by DOTD, Maneuver Center of Excellence and has created a training path called the “Principal Path” that has been proven to be more efficient and effective than taking the troops to the live fire range. In a recently published Marine Corps MCOTEA study the GfG was shown to be a “viable substitute for live fire.” As we see it here at 5th Brigade, if we continue to invest in the wholistic training of the service member, how they see, think, react and more, we are delivering highly trained, problem solving, lethal service members in the shortest amount of time for Combatant Commanders within their Theaters of Operation.
By MSG James S. Sharp, TF Stallion 3-362 IN, 5th AR BDE
MSG James S. Sharp is an Infantryman and has served for 18 years. He joined the Army in 2003 and has been on 7 combat tours, 3 to Iraq and 4 to Afghanistan. He has served most of his time at Fort Drum, but was also in Alaska at Fort Richardson, and was a Drill Sergeant at Fort Benning. MSG Sharp is currently at Fort Bliss were he serves as a Senior OC/T for 3-362 IN, TF Stallion 5th AR BDE. He has been an Master Trainer for the Gun Fighter Gym system for over a year. He is 44 years old and has a wife and two sons.
The views of MSG Sharp are his own personal opinions and do not reflect official DoD policy or endorsement.
There are a lot of Veterans in my family, but all of my fellow Veterans are my brothers and sisters. This goes for America’s allies as well. ?
Thinking of you all today.
YUMA PROVING GROUND, Ariz. — Project Convergence, the Army’s campaign of learning, has returned to U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) to test a vast and astonishing array of new technology.
For the first time ever, every branch of the United States’ armed forces are testing their sensor-to-sensor capabilities in tandem.
In addition to representation from all branches of the military, this year’s iteration features all eight of the Army Futures Command’s cross-functional teams (CFTs). There is also a dramatically larger Soldier presence.
Among these CFTs is Future Vertical Lift (FVL), which is aggressively testing virtually every facet of the Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) and FVL, as well as advancing knowledge on electronic warfare. Unmanned aircraft, air-to-ground missiles, rotary cannons, and all manner of ancillary technologies to expand communications capabilities and Soldier survivability are all being tested simultaneously here.
“There is a lot of learning going on out here over these several weeks,” said Jim Thomson, Acting Deputy Director of the Future Vertical Lift CFT. “Yuma Proving Ground is really a unique place to enable us to do this.”
YPG’s vast size includes nearly 2,000 square miles of restricted airspace. The proving ground’s clear, stable air and extremely dry climate combined with an ability to control a large swath of the radio frequency spectrum makes it a desired location for this type of testing.
YPG’s vast institutional UAS and counter-UAS testing knowledge is an added bonus, as is the presence of a wealth of other infrastructure meant for other sectors of YPG’s broad test mission that can be leveraged to support aviation evaluations. YPG is home to things like technical and tactical targets, as well as generator and combined maintenance shops.
“YPG in particular has been an outstanding host,” said Lt. Col. Tanner Spry, FVL CFT experimentation planner. “It’s a great area based on the distances that exist here to challenge our platforms.”
The breadth of equipment tested here over the course of the six-week demonstration is astonishing, and boasts multiple firsts. Testers say this year’s demonstration increased their ability to integrate into the joint force and improved the command and control network to extend the range Army aviators can operate in. This was shown multiple time in realistic scenarios in which Soldiers from the Army’s 82nd Airborne conducted simulated air assaults across YPG’s vast ranges.
“We’ll take a use case and run through multiple iterations to stress and challenge the technologies to make sure they are resilient,” said Spry.
One of the more exciting technologies used was Air Launched Effects (ALEs), drones attached to a helicopter or other vehicle that can be an aviator’s eyes in an area of interest. These remarkable and low-cost surveillance UAS can also be launched off of light ground vehicles, but integrating them into aviation platforms is much more complex.
“They’ve done a tremendous amount of work to get the ‘air launched’ into the name air launched effect,” said Thomson. “But there are a lot of other options, too.”
As for the FARA and FVL themselves, multiple other facets are being tested here. A new Gatling-style 20mm machine gun that could serve as one of the platforms’ rotary cannon was integrated into a UH-60 Black Hawk serving as a surrogate and fired in flight for the first time here.
“It shoots fast, it shoots well, and it shoots accurately,” said Lt. Col. Cameron Keogh, Chief of Flight Test for U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command. “As a previous attack and recon pilot, I like it.”
With things like the Gatling-style gun, artificial intelligence-aided threat targeting and detection systems, and even the ability to fly autonomously, developers are using a modular systems approach that would enable these things to be used on a variety of aircraft as needed. During PC 21, the testers demonstrated flying a legacy UH-60 completely autonomously.
“We have to be able to demonstrate autonomy in any environment,” said Stuart Young, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency program manager. “Yuma is a great location to be able to bring all of these different pieces together. We have a lot of flexibility that we don’t have in other locations: we have large safety margins and here we have the space we need to conduct all of these firsts safely.”
All of these technologies are being refined to prepare for the potential of warfare with a near-peer adversary. As such, the participation of hundreds of Soldiers in PC 21 was useful for testers: Engineers had the opportunity to gain input about systems under test from Soldiers who have operated earlier iterations of the platforms in theater overseas.
“We are leveraging technology to reduce Soldier workload,” said Spry. “Sometimes moving yourself out of chaos by being able to operate at greater distances and ranges can give us a strategic advantage.”
By Mark Schauer
Today, True Velocity released information that they are purchasing LoneStar Future Weapons. As you may recall, the US Army novated (that means legally transferred) the Next Generation Squad Weapons contract from GD OTS to LoneStar. Notably, LoneStar was formed in February of 2021.
Interestingly, the companies shared several personnel prior to this acquisition. Also in the mix is LoneStar affiliate Automatic Products Corporation. The relationship between LoneStar and APC was disclosed in a press release earlier this year.
The release also claims that they are one of two companies remaining in the NGSW program.? I know that SIG is still involved based on discussions during AUSA. So by elimination, True Velocity is telling us that Textron and their Case Telescoping Technology is out. There are some legs to this assumption. I had heard several rumors while in the UK attending DSEi that Textron was out. At AUSA, I visited the Textron booth and there were no NGSW candidates in the booth. I inquired at the front desk and they told me they would get back to me after accepting my card. About two hours later, I received an email which informed me that they would be unable to discuss the program with me during AUSA. I furthered my investigation by speaking with some of their suppliers in attendance at the show, who quite properly told me they couldn’t comment on the matter.
The three NGSW vendors had to send in their latest proposals for the program a few weeks ago. I have inquired with the Army as to which companies submitted proposals and I’m awaiting their answer. Until we get a definitive answer from either of the Army or Textron, ?it’s all an educated guess.
GARLAND, Texas, Nov. 10, 2021 // — Texas-based True Velocity has announced that it will acquire next-generation weapon manufacturer LoneStar Future Weapons in a transaction valued at approximately $84 million.
The strategic acquisition enables True Velocity to extend its innovative approach to lightweight ammunition development and advanced manufacturing technology into the weapons industry, leveraging LoneStar Future Weapons’ substantial expertise in research and design, precision manufacturing, quality control and production efficiency. As a result of the transaction, True Velocity will add LoneStar’s preeminent patent portfolio around next-generation weapons and projectile technology to an already-robust collection of more than 340 patents either issued or pending in the lightweight ammunition space.
LoneStar Future Weapons will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of True Velocity parent company TV Ammo, Inc.
“The LoneStar team is extremely excited to work more closely with True Velocity to implement our next-generation weapons, projectile technology and recoil-mitigation technology into the amazing polymer ammunition ecosystem,” said Craig Etchegoyen, chairman of LoneStar Future Weapons. “Together, our American-owned, American-based companies will provide our warfighters with the very best weapons and ammunition to protect our nation.”
In April 2021, LoneStar Future Weapons announced a strategic partnership with True Velocity to compete in the U.S. Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapons program. Under the arrangement, LoneStar Future Weapons assumed the prime contractor role from General Dynamics Ordnance & Tactical Systems and True Velocity continued to serve as a subcontractor responsible for the provision of its advanced 6.8TVCM composite-cased cartridge.
True Velocity’s acquisition of LoneStar Future Weapons allows the two companies to leverage substantial synergies and business efficiencies in the development and production of advanced weapons and ammunition for the Next Generation Squad Weapons program and other forthcoming force modernization contracts.
“Incorporating LoneStar Future Weapons’ innovative approach to weapon design and manufacture, along with their significant intellectual property portfolio and licensing expertise, into TV Ammo’s holdings strategically positions our business to have a lasting and meaningful impact on the lethality of U.S. fighting forces,” said True Velocity Chairman and CEO Kevin Boscamp. “It provides a path forward for the development and co-optimization of advanced weapons and munitions for the U.S. Department of Defense, our international allies, and the domestic commercial market.”
True Velocity and LoneStar Future Weapons are one of two teams remaining in the NGSW program, which is expected to culminate in January 2022. Current production includes a semi-automatic rifle and an automatic rifle designed to fire True Velocity’s proprietary 6.8TVCM composite-cased cartridge. LoneStar Future Weapons and True Velocity also plan to develop a lightweight medium machine gun, as well as commercially available products, in the future.
To learn more about True Velocity, LoneStar Future Weapons and the NGSW program, visit TVAmmo.com.
SIG SAUER is proud to partner with Operation Hat Trick, a non-profit organization that generates awareness and support for the recovery of wounded service members and veterans. Through the sale of branded merchandise and products, OHT donates proceeds to selected organizations that fulfill the OHT mission.
OHT is dedicated to American service members as they recover from the visible and invisible wounds of war by helping them move past the traumas of battle so they can focus on their lives and families at home.
Proceeds from the sales of OHT branded merchandise are donated to Operation Hat Trick to support its mission to assist American service members and veterans.
This Veteran’s day, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, we are shutting down our website for 24 hours to raise awareness for mental health. There are people in our lives today fighting battles that we cannot see.
Please. Take a moment and reach out to a Veteran to remind them they have loved ones in their corner. We’re all in this together. We’re all fighters of the good fight.
