Year in the Arghandab AO - AAR

[MikeL]

"Michael Knight, this is Airwolf. Good job with the VS-17 Panel with the FREQ. We are 2 x Kiowa's with M3P .50 cals with xxx rounds and xx Hydra 70 rockets, and 1 x Apache with 30mm M320 with xxx rounds, xx Hydra 70 rockets, and xx Hellfires - we have approximately xx minutes on station."

"Rock on, let's lighten that load. You are cleared hot for everything but the hellfires, need to talk to The Man Upstairs for approval for those. We are in a compound, GRG #XXX, Grid XX XXXX XXXX marked with VS-17, sister element in GRG #XXX 600 meters away at azimuth XXX at grid location XX XXXX XXXX, marked same."

"Word up. man's always trying to keep us down. I copy GRG #'s XXX and XXX as friendly, we have eyes on both marked with orange VS-17."

"Cool. No ANSF patrols out, if they're Afghans with guns they aren't ours. We regularly take contact from the grape hut 400 meters southeast at azimuth XXX at grid location XX XXXX XXXX and the small break in the wall 325 meters due south at azimuth XXX at grid location XX XXXXX XXXXX."

"Badass, thanks for the heads up, preparing to take a pass along the wall now. Okay, we got eyes on two dudes with AK's hugging that wall, we're gonna light em up then have the Apache will rocket that grape hut for good measure."

"Happy hunting you nasty ass honey badgers, we'll watch for squirters."

I'm sure some dudes would have a coronary listening to that exchange, but Pilots are badass people who want actionable intel as fast and as accurate as possible and they're not sticklers for protocol. They're in the zone (daaaanger zoooone!  ) so just talk to them like they're someone you met at a Van Halen concert you would have attended if your Unit was squared away and could effectively transport personnel in a timely manner. If the Pilots have an issue with it, they'll let you know - but it was never cause for concern with me or the AWT's I integrated with.

8) Use AWT's To Your Advantage

Sometimes you just need to straight up use AWT's. They excel in locating and identifying personnel around you. They also are terrifying to the Talib - bad guys tend not to fuck with you when choppers are on station. It may not be a fun job for Pilots, but they realize the tactical necessity of providing overwatch and aeriel cover for ground elements. besides, they get hours flying anyway. This applies to both infil and exfil if stealth isn't required either. Don't be afraid to request AWT's if you determine you need them (worst that can happen is the request gets denied)- they're here to help after all, and they know the bad guys ain't waiting around all the time...they just hope that they are and that they stick up their heads so they can shoot them off.

9) Be SUre To Thank Them On Their Way Out

Congratulate them on a job well done. These dudes have more kills than most ground elements and strike fear into the dark hearts of evil smelly bearded men everywhere. Give them props for their efforts...as if the Kings Of The Mountain require a boost.

Helicopters are nothing short of epic, wondrous inventions made even cooler by modern adaptation by giving them lethal armament and crewed by some of the best in the death-dealing business. Having AWT's come on station was never a bad experience, just a smiling grim reminder that even more hell was about to be unleashed. Bring the motherfucking ruckus. Cheers, those who harness the reins of JP8 guzzling rotary winged steeds. The only time you can have too much CAS is when you're the ones buying them drinks at the bar or when you're trying to jerk off on a rooftop but not end up on TADS camera footage later.

It's reassuring to hear from knowledgeable folks in their respective fields that I'm not off base. The last thing I want to do is pout out bad intel for Joe. I owe my existing knowledge to the Soldiers/Airmen serving in these positions that taught me their jobs, requirements, what to look for and how to best integrate them for their mission. We were a joint-level success due to teamwork and lack of ego on both sides of the sense - it's nice to have this validated.

EODDoogie,

Outstanding addition - this had escaped my focus because we worked solely with Army EOD.

Do you guys from sister services encounter a lot of issues due to that? You would think most would place mission success over petty rivalry over service branch which accomplished nothing.

wrparrish,

"Machines don't fight wars. Terrain doesn't fight wars. You must get into the minds of humans - thats where the battles are won." - COL John Boyd

I think Scout PLT's would be your biggest asset. Soldiers typically undergo a Selection & Assessment process for that PLT and will be a higher caliber individual with greater maturity, professionalism, and common sense. Leaders are typically hand picked due to strong backgrounds, experience, and work ethic. Add a broader mission profile and higher physical standards along with capabilities and that seals it.

FM 17-98 will shed info on their duties and responsibilities. I also recommend reading up on the FM called Special Reconaissance & Surveillance, I don't recall the exact number. This will give you a baseline for their mission sets, but it is best to ask them directly as their use and employment can vary greatly. Our Scouts were typically in Overwatch positions sniping and launching TOW's at dudes while up in the mountains and were insulated from the populace, so a TPT would have been of little value attached to them for the majority of their operations.

Providing them with a Capabilities Brief and a short interaction showing you understand the basics and fundamentals of their role and duties would be a great step in the right direction. As you state, don't just focus on what you can have them do - but also how you can help them. This allows that element to start thinking and problem solving.

I think your biggest hurdle now will be the Qu'ran Burning Crisis. This has COIN implications greater than the DA / Network implications the jailbreak had.

A thing not a lot of people are admitting is how little positive influence a non-Muslim group can and will have over a Muslim culture. They may tolerate us and work together towards a common goal, but we will never be accepted or truly trusted due to religion.

Understand that most of my work centered around Direct Action and Find, Fix, Finish, Exploit, Assess, and Discriminate. We typically didn't interact with the populace on a regular basis and MISO elements were a BN level asset and not directly partnered with us, we were just told to provide them security and capitalized on the strategic value of the information they were collecting. I also failed in integrating with GPF MISO elements due to a poor experience with them initially (hence why I stress that the first impression is the most important in establishing a working relationship)- I subsequently neglected to follow up on this later and wrote them off. We could have been more effective had we been more compatible and I'll show what could have arose had this occurred.

In addition to establishing patterns of life, tracking enemy movement by using assets at your disposal to force their movement is paramount. Track them to their bed down sites and it is a step further to taking them down and provides you with a wealth of information necessary for attacking the network.

i also think a valid initiative MISO could institute would be a Taliban early warning network in villages. Not sure what assets would be best / available, but if this could result in manipulating the battlespace in such a manner to draw them out somehow for some Small Unit Kill Team action that would be epic. This requires a hard charging CO, however, and potential consequences for this on the citizens is severe.

My Michael Jordan / Larry Bird MISO Team would have been one that supported the HVT / TST mission set. This required us going into heavily populated areas and entering compounds to capture / kill bad guys with surgical precision. Having a MISO Team that had personally worked the area, done Cultural Mapping for the village and its citizens, knew the people and culture and able to contribute to the initial Planning Process would have been invaluable. A mock-up of the village with a ring of 3x5 index cards outlining population breakdown / individual information drawn from this would have been greatly enhanced by active input from them. The more information we have, the better we can fine-tune our plan and mitigate risk - not just for us but especially for the innocents living there. Having a TPT element prepared and ready to aggressively put out information to the populace as to why we were there and what this accomplishing and why and that this was done for them and their way of life would have been far preferable to being reactive and trying to counter whatever OPFOR IO messages arose from the operation after. We are getting our collective ass kicked in the IO War, and I'd be interested to hear what problems you guys are facing on your end.

 

[MikeL]

MickFury's MCLMM Files, VOL II

Tripwire Booby Trap Detection: Covert Clearing Skillsets & Strategies


The vast majority of IED's we encountered were victim-operated, meaning pressure plates and tripwires. We sought to mitigate risk for the latter, and came up with an SOP for mission sets that required covert clearing skillsets and strategies. We did a lot of work clearing compounds and this came in handy. This SOP was drawn from former SMU members and LEO's.

There are three elements in question for these operations. Port / Cover teams, Lethal Cover teams, and the Detection Team. Each role will be explained in broad terms so as to not break OPSEC. If needed, the MIL/SWAT forum can expound on select parts.

Port / Cover teams - I want as many eyes and guns looking in as possible. With a coordinated multi-point breach, you can lock down several parts of a compound depending on configuration - layout, number of levels, available windows, cutouts, low overhangs, or other means of putting a head and gun in. Not only does this give you tactical domination of areas and a solid foothold, but also more eyes to scan, assess, and communicate what they see. They are invaluable for having the ability to assess whether or not a door is booby-trapped from the inside.

Lethal Cover - This element has the primary responsibility of security. They are arrayed in a Fighting Formation to best deal with threats quickly and efficiently by effectively massing fires in a safe manner. They protect the Detection team. They also are responsible for link-up procedures with Port / Cover teams and perimeter elements with a PACE Plan set in place.

Detection team - Primary responsibility is interrogating / clearing areas. They are arrayed on line and moving at the same pace, typically a very slow one. They work together and in concert. It helps if they are friends and close knit capable of knowing what the other is thinking and capable of interacting without words.

This works best with a buddy team as a dedicated clearing element. One person will be lazing in a slow, steady manner with the VIS Laser activated to provide a constant output. We always used the Low Ready shooting position (muzzle slightly below belt line) for this so as to not inhibit our ability to engage a threat if needed. This also reduced fatigue level, and the team can switch roles to reduce eye strain as well. The other will be actively observing the VIS Laser for any minute changes or refractions. Communication is paramount. Do not be afraid to call out a change of pace or requesting to re-laze an area. Both are good practices.

Lethal cover will be in place. The buddy team tasked with booby trap detection does not provide security, their primary responsibility is interrogating / clearing areas. The lethal cover team will typically be within a Fighting Formation such as Rolling Thunder in order to provide the best posture for security, threat assessment/ discrimination and massing effective fires. Team members will also be utilizing port / cover venues if available. These will be the same individuals who initially breached and locked down the area looking in.

When the VIS Laser encounters a tripwire, the laser output will refract off of the tripwire. Depending on the size of the tripwire, this can be a very small refraction hence why the element moves very slowly and methodically and re-lazing areas is a very good idea.

This is one of those things able to better be explained via pictures than with text.

The first photo shows the VIS Laser interrogating uncleared ground. Note the unbroken circle with the bright reference point dead center. This denotes relatively flat terrain devoid of tripwires.



The second photo shows the VIS Laser detecting a tripwire. Height is 1-1.5" off ground. Note the somewhat broken circle and the bright reference point not being dead center. It is refracting off of the tripwire and "sparkles", for want of a better word.



This can be performed at night under NODS with IR Lasers with little change to the system. It is easier to detect tripwires at night using NODS / IR due to the "sparkle" being brighter.

It is a slow and systematic process, but it is far preferable to evacuating a wounded teammate.

If a tripwire is detected, this information is relayed to leadership and EOD is called up if available.

There are two means of egress - controlled and emergency. They are exactly what they sound like. In both instances, link-up and consolidation procedures are instituted with PACE Plans in order to mitigate fratricide issues. I am being very vague here intentionally. LEO / .mil can PM me for specifics with an agency e-mail or read up on a certain topic in the MIL/SWAT forum.

I hope this helps in your profession and you can take something away from it. It's not always a viable solution, but it can and will work in certain situations.

 

[MikeL]

reply by another poster

Mick,

Awesome reply brother! i appreciate your time and the consideration. I can make your dreamteam a reality for these guys, and just your idea of what "could have been" gives me the foundation to run with that idea and make it even better.

As far as IO goes, you are 100% right on the elephant in the room as far as muslim vs non muslim influence. No one wants to talk about it or admit it, but we all know the reality all the same.

Regardless, we cant just throw the towel in on the IO front because the enemy is making efforts there, and we should deny him success.

In Kunar we have pushed our RIAB's ( radio in a box ) out to all FOB's and COP's. We use these as a vehicle to win the truth war mostly by getting our message out first, and getting it out widespread. This is especially important in mitigating the blowback from civcas on both the insurgent side, and through our own mistakes. We are also working to make it a vehicle for the reporting of criminal activity or IED placement, and trying to help the communities police themselves.

Without going into details, we are currently pushing themes to encourage infighting between various well known insurgent and extremist groups in the area, and have different products setup to publicly belittle certain key figures, or downplay one groups legitimacy in an effort to get them to lash back and make themselves known. We are doing good things here, but i cant even begin to go into how bad our credibility was hurt by the quran burning. Sweet jesus that was and is a disaster.

I like the idea of a Taliban early warning system, but your right that it carries significant risk to the citizens. A big push here has been the ALP as led and trained by ODA, sort of a community watch program on steroids. Maybe using them as the vehicle for reporting could accomplish the same goal, and mitigate some of the risks to the villagers. I like this idea alot, and i am going to start working through the channels to get it done.

As far as guys sitting on a mountain top waiting to kill people, we have a wide array of speakers we can air drop or physically insert to do feints or broadcast fake troop movements, and other items that simulate UAV or CAS presence, or a drawn out firefight. Some of them are some real inspector gadget kind of shit. My initial plan is to be able to draw the enemy out into the open for observation or engagement. I know i can sit at a distance and reach out to the enemy, and anger, annoy, or make him curious, and cause him to react. Thats gotta be helpefuhl somehow. Ill read 17-98 and start drafting my sales pitch.

 

[MikeL]

Good deal, Brother. Rock on...

I sent out the official notes to the company, and I may edit this later but here is the inebriated review of M72 LAW Force Modernization from last night. All in good fun, I'm a lightweight now.

------------------------------------------

You know what's cool?

Motherfucking rocket launchers. Specifically, easily transportable rocket launchers.

But slinging multiple weapon systems sucks Arghandab abused donkey dick. Fact. It may prohibit the effectiveness of your primary weapon, the strap may try to cross collar choke you out or work itself off your shoulder if you carry it like Alan's satchel...Indiana Jones carries a satchel. It may limit your mobility depending on configuration and make working in cornfined areas even harder. I like none of those things.

I bought my S&S Precision LAAW Clip due to all this. They specialize in leap ahead technology, aerospace materiel engineering, and custom solutions for warfighters. But like my man Levar Burton used to tell me - don't just take my word for it.

S&S Precision operations include product development and manufacturing. We are compelled to innovate tactical gear and obsessed to do things that others can’t or won’t.

Extraordinary customers require unique solutions. This goes beyond the common practices exercised from behind an engineer’s desk. The crew at S&S precision eliminates the disparity between end user requirements and design/material/manufacturing expertise. We merge technical knowledge with real world experience to advance tactical equipment.

They're the only crew who makes a materiel solution for this requirement. Probably because Consigliere is the only civilian that has a weapons rack of LAW's in his vault. I got it from ATS. Why? Because they sponsor this site, idiot. They got it out to me very quick, like. I need to send them a thank-you card. I'll draw it myself later today, with a picture of of a LAW. In neon or glow in the dark colors.

I used the LAAW Clip secured to the side of a Tyr Tactical Assaulter Sustainment Pack for select mission sets such as Support By Fire's (SBF's) and Small Unit Kill Teams because sometimes you just need to blow something up. Welcome to the party, pal!

Overall, it is a very useful item that fulfills a niche role. It's made of a thermold plastic. I forget what it weighs in at, but will update with a revision soon.

It attaches via MOLLE, and requires 2 columns of 4 MOLLE channels.The straps are AOR1 pattern,a nice touch. The S&S LAAW Clip is similar to the newest iteration of Plate Carriers in the market utilizing the open slots to attach. This meant that MALICE Clips are not the best solution due to both surfaces not being flat, and that the existing MOLE method of strap attachment is the only way to go. The issue was that the end straps didn't have a stiffened pull tab or loop, so they often worked themselves out of the MOLLE slot to hold them in place. They, however, never unwove themselves and retention was never an issue. I realize existing patents and copyright infringement are issues, especially in the MOLLE world, but it would give me peace of mind to know the attachments straps are safe and secure. After all, it is holding a rocket launcher.

The LAW is awesome. Not as awesome as the rocket launcher in Commando, but still awesome. Like the M2 - it's old because it works and its effectiveness is proven time and time again. If you never worked with LAW's, read the FM. It's 23-25. I remember it because 25 is a day late, and $23 is a dollar short, and 24 isn't mentioned because it's off the air. Light Antiarmor Weapons.

It fires a 66mm rocket. My line of thinking is I'll only shoot rockets bigger than my dick. None of this Will Brink piddly-ass 2.75" Hydra 70 nonsense. This rocket is 2.2 pounds and 20 inches and makes Ron Jeremy jealous.

Not a lot of information can be had about the S&S LAAW Clip, however. The website only offers a few pictures, and their Technical Specifications .pdf file is rather sparse on information. I realize the constraints due to propietary information in an industry rife with intellectual property theft, though, but I took a leap of faith not knowing much about it. I reckon not many will, especially with the price tag. $129.99. A lot had to go in for initial R&D and prototypes and all that entails in designing a product from the ground up, but damn, that's 260 50 cent drafts at Jake's Bar in West Chester PA or a down payment on a pair of shoes for my wife.

It's brown, which is a decent color and much better than Target Indicator Black. It would be nice to have Multicam and AOR1 patterns available, but that may drive the price up higher. My only issue was the subdued gold logo on the side.

My main concern with this was if the Clip would have retaining issues due to the ends of the clip spreading with multiple loadings / unloadings of a LAW - similar to feed lip separation with M4 / M16 magazines. Over the course of the year, I loaded / unloaded LAW's 32 times and retainment was never an issue. I measured the distance between the ends of the clips, and they did not deviate from original measurements.

I also never had retaining issues on patrol. The LAW did not separate from the LAAW Clip. The terrain here is very adverse, and a day typically saw us traversing wadi's, canals, grape rows, and leaping over grape walls anywhere from 4-12 feet in height. Teammates never had issues with drawing the weapon system using the Asymmetric Warfare Group (AWG) "Fight Off Your Buddy's Back" concept. I could also draw the weapon by myself if needed.



But wait, this is the 21st Century. Time to upgrade. The military added a length of Picatinny rail to the M72 LAW's latest iteration. No length of Picatinny rail should go unadorned. You can co-witness it with a PEQ-15/ PEQ-15A so you can blow shit up better at night. It's scary enough getting rockets fired at you in the daytime, imagine when you can't see a damned thing at night and then a rocket comes flying at you.

Tubular style optics didn't work due to a higher seight height with standard mounting solutions inability to cowitness. It also required craning your neck around like what your dog does when he's confused. Due to ITARS I couldn't source an Aimpoint T-1 in a low mount, so had to make do with what I had - an Eotech 512. I wasn't worried about auto-shutoff because if I need to blast away Hard Boiled style, I have time to prep the weapon system and optic. Battery life wasn't an issue because I made sure to shoot them before it became one. Battery housing is always an issue, especially from the force of a 66m rocket, but I am Lucky.

LAW's were one of the few weapon systems that could A) be easily procured and B) penetrate grape huts and C) made for Bruce Campbell / epic 80's action film one-liners.

PREPARE TO BE FUCKED BY THE LONG DICK OF THE LAW.



I was blown away (pun intended? Sure, why not) that not only did a company provide a meteriel solution for such a niche need, but that it surpassed all expectations I had and was consistently reliable even in a harsh non-permissive environment for a year.

 

[MikeL]

LESSONS LEARNED - COUNTER SNIPER

We heard bits and pieces about snipers in the AO, but nothing remotely concrete until a sister element came under precision direct fire in a tower. The round impacted directly into ballistic-rated glass right in front of his face. It was only one round, and it would have caved his face in otherwise.

I took this as a personal affront and began prepping a target packet. I began at the most logical place - the beginning - and looked for historic enemy sniper activity starting with the previous Unit here as we were just starting Fighting Season. There was one case several klicks away from us where one Soldier took a single round between the eyes as he was climbing up a ladder to tower guard. The story board was printed out and a section in the target packet entitled "Historical Precedence" was started. There were several other instances of towers coming under direct fire, but the focus was limited to single shots to better isolate the threat. A sister element working in a nearby AO had a Soldier receive a single shot through the shoulder during guard. This story board was printed out as well and I proceeded to interview the Soldiers there and noted several discrepencies between the official report and intel from the dudes on the grounds. Shooting the shit as opposed to being someone in authority asking pointed questions can yield surprising results. It turned out the Soldier wasn't wearing his body armor in the tower. This and other insights allowed me to better analyze the threat and get in his mind. Sun Tzu had it right, and this is where the battles are won. COIST and S2 were consulted to receive their input from the threat, how they operate, how often they are employed, methods of employment, and attacking the network. This provided the baseline for initial threat assessment and gave me something to work on during my downtime from missions. I began brushing up on the Joint Sniper Defeat Handbook.

Soon enough we rotated to the outpost where the ballistic glass provided a save. I talked to the Soldier and inspected the pane of glass, then looked up the ballistic rating classification. Based upon this, round impact, and it's failure to penetrate the initial pane of glass I concluded it was a 7.62 round, most likely ball ammunition. Pictures were taken and annotated in the target packet, then the next bit of business was surveying the the area in the direction of where the round was likely fired from, from the tower with a spotting scope and Vectronix PLRF. I asked myself where I would set up shop that allowed for both optimal position and a rapid exfil that included a quick cache site. I assessed several potential sites and ended up writing a PACE Plan for positions. This included lasing the distance to each potential hide site, annotating the azimuth and elevation angle, confirming 3 x per SOP. We then used this data and the tower grid location with a DAGR to plot Grids for each potential hide site. Then it was on to te TOC for the follow-up - using a combination of open Source programs (Google Earth, NASA World Wind) and .mil programs (Falcom View, TIGR, PSOF) for detailed aeriel imagery for the hide sites. These were printed out and cross-referenced with analog maps because all the technology in the world ain't a substitute for a good old printed map. After a good days work, I retired to my hootch to update the target packet after requesting S2 / S3 provide any and all updates to sniper threats.

Most of them were largely unfounded - a lot of ground reports from troops who couldn't possibly have eyes on, some aerial assets staffed by folks who don't know the difference between an AK-47 and a Mosin-Nagant. A lot of misinformation resulted in more reports with little go off of, so I ended up dismissing most of them outright. It quickly became apparent that I needed to filter these better and the best way to go about that was getting footage from aerial assets and only relying on ground reports with evidence.

We sourced some transparency sheets like the ones in high school and set about conducting likely enemy exil routes for the Position PACE Plan. Each transparency sheet used a different marker color and only one exfil route per sheet. Terrain analysis played a large factor in this. The exfil routes were completed to satisfaction and laid them over the imagery in the target packet. This identified converging points in the routes, choke points, and most likely avanues of egress. Special characters denoted those on each transparency map and a legend was constructed, then it was shelved waiting for something else to come into play.

This came a couple weeks later - PTIDS imagery of a tango with an SVD Dragunov rifle. They recorded the loop and I analyzed it. It had an optic on it, most likely a Soviet-era one - a PSO-1, though this could not be verified off the imagery, just a deduction. It tracked him to his bed down site, a known hotspot for Small Arms Fire and IED's. Even with all this information, we were denied a request to roll him up due to risk. I guess allowing him to continue his work unhindered was a manageable risk to Higher. I was pissed off, and set out to work on an area I had neglected - ballistic holds for the Position PACE Plan and for leading a moving target. I did the math for MOA adjustments for the distances lased, then the lead formulas longhand. I do good work when I'm angry. A thorough chat for bullet drop, windage, and different target speeds for moving targets was created and added to the target folder and then I smoked a cigar and watched the lightning storm under NOD's.

I waited a few days to calm down so I could subjectively analyze information. The bed down site was close to the potential hide sites, and I asked myself how I would get from Point A to Point B and back again. The direct tactical route would be right up the wadi - it afforded cover and concealment even from select aerial assets. What if'ing the situation and talking to folks, we would carry a load of wheat or similar crops in a blanket on our back concealing the rifle, or blend in with foot traffic with a wheelbarrow or moving alongside shepards. I set up a hide site on the wall with a full view to monitor and establish patterns of life as well as the major traffic routes and took to posting up there taking notes after the days missions. We also got shot at a lot so it worked out well. I made overlays for possible routes to them and back and added it to the target packet.



Our outpost came under a complex attack on 4 July. It was downright fucking epic. My Boss beat me to the M14 EBR and started blasting away at an enemy team behind the berm. My intent was to see if I could slice the pie further. Sniper threat was due east, majority of fire was coming from south and southwest. A single shot from the east rang out spiderwebbed the tower ballistic glass. A small dust cloud arose from the Alternate Hide Site, but no movement. It made sense that he un-assed the AO after taking the shot. I decided that the best way to go about eliminating the threat would be saturating the area with 40mm from several 320 Grenadiers. The fight continued until an A-10 did a gun run and mowed down 4 tango's in a treeline less than 200 meters away who thought they were tucked in tight. A stand-down was called and we reset and re-armed hoping there would be an encore. I talked to the dudes in that tower and assessed the glass - again, it was a single round impacting the glass directly in front of the face of a Soldier. Another ballistic save. I reloaded, high-fived my Boss for kicking ass due to being all out of bubble gum, lit up my cigar and started writing down whether we were dealing with a Level II or Level I Sniper Threat. Even though he was likely set up in the Alternate hide site, the round impacted in the exact same place as previously. This led me to believe he fired from the same position both times. His marksmanship wasn't in question - he was a superior shot and would likely have two KIA racked up otherwise. The issue was his snipercraft, using the same hide sight for consecutive missions with the same end result and inability to mask the report of his shot from terrain. He was likely confused as to the force protection measures in place. I confirmed all my data, shelved the target packet, and thought. Same kind of moon, same kind of jungle. You lose it here, you're in a world of hurt.



We wanted to assess the sites we were being shot from, but the request was denied due to risk aversion. Not only would this have provided a better big picture, we could have hit on some cache sites or installed lethal countermeasures in place. Far too few comprehend manipulating your battlespace. We also could have tracked enemy personnel via blood trails and spoor along exfil routes. Due to no one seeing the sniper egressing, I concluded he cached the weapon along exfil and used the wadi to exfil. He worked covertly and technically, dependant upon the situation. He was a crack shot but confused by defensive countermeasures in place. Odds are he was increasingly frustarated with his failures and this allowed us to be in a position to capitalize on his eventual mistake. We set up a supplementary fighting position on the wall with a pintle-mount MK19 and a sniper / observer area where our entire element could bring the motherfucking ruckus. Being in a tower with sister elements sucked, we wanted to stay internal. It had clear fields of view and awesome sectors of fire, adequate concealment to the east. It made the most of the situation and we were oriented to best deal with all threats, not just one.

In the end, complacency proved his undoing.



We were alerted due to a proactive presence in the towers when enemy infil was noticed. An excellent FO NCO took a stand and authorized 60mm mortar fire against a machine gun team. We were increasingly disgusted with the CO we were attached to - his inaction included doing nothing against an IED emplacer and firing smoke at confirmed enemy with weapons. We were glad to see someone stand up and do the right thing. I took the tripod with spotting scope and the battle rifle up to our supplementary position and set up shop, sighting in on the alternate hide site. My Boss was directing mortar fire calling out distance and using hand signals to line the dismount 60mm mortar up and it was epic to watch. They were fucking shit up with effective rounds on target. My teammate manned the MK19 and I noticed what looked like a barrel jutting from the alternate hide site. I fired a round into the position and the MK19 went to town devastating that site. He stopped only when the tactically impotent retard of a 1SG calling a cease fire despite not even having eyes on the situation or even his rifle on him. He epitomized the risk-averse careerist whose sole focus was on COP Improvement for a good NCOER to appease his handlers. We ignored him initially, as we always did for war-waging endeavors. Observe and orient led to the mortar dropping two rounds directly onto that area. After the dust cleared all that was visible was a red smear. Tango down. We didn't encounter any further occurrences of a sniper threat in our AO. AWT's came on station and laid waste to fleeing machine gun teams and I started to engage squirters. They stayed overhead as a maneuver element was to collect enemy bodies and wounded and we provided overwatch. Good day.


LESSONS LEARNED:

1) Do Your Homework: It is long, mentally ardous work - but it can lead to the best grade you can ever receive - in combat, this is successful target engagement and increased soldier survivability. Developing a target set will assist in this endeavor.

2) Coordinate: Everyone has a piece of the puzzle, and we are all victims of our own frame of reference. We used everything from internal assets, S2, S3, fusion centers, FM's, handbooks, AWG GTA Cards, and SF. Aeriel imaging programs, operational imaging enablers, storyboards / AAR's / interviews to better gain the big picture.

3) Don't Fight Fair: Bring everything you have to bear at the target at the moment of maximum effectiveness, even if it's redundant - especially if its redundant. Efficient eleimination of the enemy is the objective.Use every available means to accomplish this. Saturating an area with explosions in a concentric manner can be a valid TTP.

4) Lose The Ego: I wanted to drop him, to prove I was better. This was bullshit, and I should have checked the ego far sooner. Sniper duels only sound good when you're reading about them. It was better to integrate the element, being only a part of the solution, and needed to be a true team player. Simply put, I fucked up by internalizing this fight initially. Unacceptable.

5) Manipulate Your Battlespace: We weren't authorized to do this as extensively as we wanted. Being vigilant and alert and knowing likely enemy infil routes allowed us to be proactive and set up shop via custom battle drills prior to being fired on - circumventing the enemy's decision making process and ensuring they were dealing with severely outdated information for the duration of the engagement with them being on the defensive until they were killed.

6) Do Your Own Thing: If select people knew what I was up to, odds are I might be ordered to stand down which would have been unacceptable. So I just didn't tell anyone and did it anyway, disguising my work efforts. If we waited for CO approval for the 60, the targets short exposure time would have closed and likely would have engaged us and exfil'd prior to obtaining it. If we listened to a risk-averse manager in charge of an Infantry Company who didn't know Battle Drill 1, the sniper threat may still have been active. If problems aren't being solved to your satisfaction, you just may have to work under the radar and do your own thing. Mission accomplishment is the primary objective, don't let anything stand in your way.

 

[MikeL]

reply by another poster

Bigred,

Not sure were micks TTP originated, but at least one of the senior NCOs in the BN was with me when we had some grenade issues after a IED strike. We never completely worked it out, due to handling casualties. But, the soldiers grenade contributed to his injuries. I evaced him and reviewed all his injuries up until we loaded him on the A/C. We relooked how we carried grenades after that.

The original TTP came from a hand out I got at LRS Leader. I have to see if I can find it, but it was something about B-52 or something. It was a collection of TTPs from LRRPs in Vietnam. It used basicly masking tape to hold the spoon. It would retain the spoon if the pin dislodged, but you could break it as you preped it to throw easily. You did need to check it between missions thoug.

Mick

I learned the taping from a former Section Sergeant who was in Mogadishu and OIF 1. I think he got it from some of the folks he worked with.



Okay, I updated various posts with the first round of photos. I'm going to wait 'til I collect them all before I rehost them.

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SPECIALTY WORK

This is what I looked like during fighting season / specialty work. Fighting was fierce and heavy, and Higher was initially overwhelmed at the violence. Our element wasn't, we established a reputation early on that Talib would come to rue every single time they engaged us. They did. They learned who we were and in some instances held off on an ambush directly due to this. Recognizing the need to do our own thing both in regards to TTP's and kit, certain freedoms were allowed internally. We were too busy fighting to be concerned with anything else, and Higher wisely chose not to harp initially. These freedoms are clear in the picture of the below supreme ultimate badass.

As I am fond of saying (blatantly stolen from a mentor of mine), I ain't trying to be Prom King. (I've only seen two attractive female Soldiers locally anyway, but I have incredibly high standards. Plus, you know, I'm married and shit.)

Everything I elected to use had a specific reason and methodology behind it that I could clearly and concisely articulate if called to. Tyr LWPC in lieu of KDH? More soft armor coverage and no sagging of hard plates. Crye Combat Clothing? More functional, didn't rip, and kneepads stayed in place over patella. Aimpoint T1 + 3x Magnifier, free floated rail, SOPMOD stock? Mission requirement to engage out to 600 meters and function interchangeably as a member of the team. Beard? Pre-existing medical condition, plus it helps me blend in. Peltor ComTac II's? I'm fond of keeping what hearing I have left. Lion King ballcap? I'm king of the jungle and am not going to wear a helmet behind the long gun (also, my multicam ballcap was stolen). The fact that "Long Tall Sally" started playing out of nowhere and this all made me look even more the badass motherfucker I am was just an added bonus.



Tyr Tactical LWPC:

I saw the need for PC-based systems on my last combat deployment. After going on a few ruckmarches and to the shooting range to get a frame of reference for the RFI KDH PC, I knew it was time to upgrade. I traded my Paraclete SOHPC for other kit that was needed and I knew my CIRAS from last deployment wasn't going to fly due to it not being Multicam. I ran into a few dudes from Tyr at a VTAC Course and took note of their professionalism, shooting skills, and interesting kit - so that was where I first looked.

I opted to go with the LWPC because it was lightweight and would fit my SAPI's as well as Level IV SA Plates, and added the 7x8 external cummerbund adapter for increased soft armor coverage and issued side plate attachment. They have some seriously smart dudes staffing the place, a lot of this stuff is pure genius. One of the features I liked was their concept of "symmetrical body armor" - you can insert the soft armor facing either way with it still retaining ballistic integrity in either facing direction, unlike most companies soft armor that mandates wear of one side facing body. It sounds easy enough to do, but I have seen people screw even that up. The shoulder pads are breathable but supportive, and the padded front and backing of the interior (and the sides with the cummerbund) make it an incredibly comfortable chassis. This was reinforced when coming into contact with hard surfaces / resistant objects, dropping into the prone, and when worn for prolonged periods of time. Between the cummerbund and shoulder straps - the LWPC hugs you, no homo. It doesn't hang, it doesn't feel like its exerting force and pressure down on you - it just fits, like an extension of you. To date it's the best armor system I've used (IOTV, IOTV GEN II, Eagle MARCIRAS, Paraclete SOHPC, KDH PC). I also like the kangaroo pouch, and not just because I'm a sucker for 'Roos. It allowed me the ability to transition from M4 (5.56 insert) to M110 (7.62 insert) to M14 EBR (no insert, but this wasn't ideal when navigating difficult terrain but its such a niche item I doube it would make fiscal sense to design one). It could also hold medical supplies in the inserts, which was a bonus for me as I keep my PC as slick as possible and work with reduced combat loads daily.

Crye Combat Clothing, GEN II (No, you can't have them)

The built-in knee pads are genius. They form directly in front of the patella and remain there even under a wide range of motion. I've slid down rubble piles, hills, sprinted, dropped to one knee for corner clears, dropped to both knees to grab cover quick, proned out - without them ever shifting out of aligment. They are awesome for being in the prone for prolonged periods of time because it diffuses the pressure affecting your knees and elbows. I have previous knee injuries, and will take all the help I can get.

I like the majority of their pocket placement, and their Velcro is far superior to the FRACU offerings. I add layered medical supplies to my pants. My reasoning is simple - I want to be able to perform self-aid when slick. Also, it never hurts to have extra medical supplies on hand, especially when there are those with you who do not have them or there is a MASCAL and Doc has his hands full.

These pants have not seen so much as one rip, tear, or hole and they've been used more than all my FRACU bottoms, having seen use in two combat deployments. Their durability and resilience is a testament to Crye worksmanship.

Lastly, putting these things on just gives you confidence. This may sound stupid, but when you had your big boy pants on you were ready to put in work and were just straight up better. I was ready to go fight in Mortal Kombat once that Cobra buckle clicked.

I wore Yates Gear CQB Cobra belts exclusively. I just bought several so I don't have to feed them through various belt loops because I am lazy. Superior QA/QC and they have performed well for damn near 4 years now.

The only drawback (aside from the khaki portion since it's GEN II) is that they tend to sag when loaded up (as previously mentioned, I add layered medical supplies to my pants. This is usually 2 x Quick Clots, 2 x Muslin bandages, and 2 x Chest Seal's.) This occurred even with a belt. Whenever I wore them, I used them in conjunction with Tyr's suspenders. Or maybe BFG's suspenders. I don't remember which one they are, I like both. This helped immeasurably when we had to tread water and they took on weight. You'd think I would have learned after breaking in my ghillie suit, but nooooooo.

Sometimes I had it polo'd out, other times I had the Mandarin Collar up because I always watched Kung Fu movies on Sundays and knew I didn't want to get stung by those Wu tang Killa Bees...I mean hot brass. Sometimes the collar tried its best to strangle me, though, which I did not like. Too David Carradine for me.

The Crye top dried a lot faster compared to the Massif Combat Shirt, and I never had an issue with it retaining funkiness either. Only thing I missed on it were those slots for pens - I used to throw loose tracer rounds in there to mark targets in case the ADRAC wasn't picked up on.

I wish the whole thing were Multicam, but I'm one of those dudes who wants everything to be camoflauged for maximum effectiveness. Too few understand that the whole of camoflauge is the sum of it's parts...all of its parts.

Curiously enough, my current kit set up mirrors to an extent what I wore when doing specialty stuff in Iraq - only I had a BFG SOC-C beltline with equipment and a handgun as well. Also, I was much better looking in the 08 /09 time frame...I don't know what happened.



OPS CORE BALLISTIC FAST HELMET:



I strongly prefer the Ops-Core Ballistic FAST Helmet. Weight savings clock in at 1.5 pounds when compared to an ACH. While 1.5 pounds may not sound like a lot, every ounce counts when it's centered on your cranium. The H Harness was built in, along with the OCC-Dial. Honestly, I prefer the Crye Nape Pad to the OCC-Dial, although I like the ability to tighten the helmet up. The VAS Shroud was infinitely better at stabilizing NOD's compared to the issue base plate, especially when used in conjunction with the bungee retention straps. The accessory rails are built in and a host of Velcro offers placement for IR squares / Flags / strobes attachable by Velcro. I wore this whenever possible, and always for night missions when people couldn't tell the difference. The high cut wasn't an issue with me due to lack of ballistic coverage, it is negligible compared to an ACH but the comfortability of the FAST when wearing electronic ear pro is substantial.

 

[MikeL]

ACCURIZING THE M4

"On the battlefield - you can be marksmen, or you can be targets." - (Then) COL McChrystal

The M4 is an incredible assault rifle, much maligned by the un-informed and/or the un-initiated. It is mechanically capable of more precision than most Shooters are able to bring to the table. That being said, there are several improvements (personnel and product) that can be made to turn it into a more viable combat effective weapon system. "What's important or preferential, does not equate to essential" - Borebrush.

My process is focused on COTS / GOTS solutions able to be procured by General Purpose Forces (GPF's) with an emphasis on the essentials and not tipping the scales funds-wise, but with the admonition that it is the Indian - not the arrow.

1) Training
2) Barrel / Upper Receiver
3) Ammunition
4) Free-Floated Rail System
5) Sensitized Trigger Assembly
6) Quality Optic In Quality Mount
7) Aftermarket Stock / Pistol Grip / Bipod

1) TRAINING:

By far, the bigget factor is the ability of the individual behind the gun and how well they are able to apply the basics and fundamentals. You need to learn how to shoot effectively, accurately, and quickly - then on to actual gunfighting.

Do your damndest to get you (or your Soldiers) to one or more of the several Army schools dealing with precision direct fire. These include:

A) AMU Squad Designated Marksman
B) AMU Close Quarters Marksmanship
C) Long Range Marksmanship
D) Short Range Marksmanship
E) US Army Sniper School (Benning)
F) ISTC Sniper School
G) German Army Mountain Sniper School
H) ISTC CQB Course
I) USAREUR CQB Course

There are a few Units out there with Post / Unit level schools / Shooter Programs as well. My previous Unit had a fantastic in house shooter program taught by Tier One military and top competition shooters thanks to an awesome BDE Commander.

If you can't get slotted for these schools and are serious about your craft, consider taking a commercial class with a reputable instructor on your dime and time. You need to do your research and adequately plan and source this. (For personal reference, I once lost tuition AND several hundred rounds of LR ammunition shipped to the training site for a commercial sniper/observer course once my leave dates changed despite being told I would be refunded if this did occur, and they just kept my ammunition after I inquired as to whether they would consider purchasing it at a discount.) This is a high-fiscal endeavor and odds are those of us seeking this out don't get paid much. Do your homework and go with proven performers.

If you can't do either of the above, you have to hope your Command Team recognizes both the threat and a training deficiency of the Unit as well as the need to correct it by training those in their formation to engage the enemy at distances in excess of those found outside of a Qualification Range - 300 meters. Hopefully a hard-charging NCO will take the reins and get you out to either a Known Distance (KD) Range or even a Machine Gun (MG) Range with an instructor cadre drawn from the Sniper Section / SDM ranks. I, however, wouldn't count on this as odds are it's not going to happen in most Units, sadly.

If you're a stud and someone offers to mentor you during off-duty hours, jump on that opportunity. If courses are on your Post, consider being a walk-on (especially it its not funded by your Unit). Several cancellations and no-shows happen and this is how I got into several courses in Germany.

2) BARREL / UPPER RECEIVER

The Colt M4A1 Accuracy Standard is 5 MOA as per MIL-C-71186. The worst I have seen an M4 shoot in the hands of a proficient shooter (and verified by others) was 6 MOA with M855 ball ammunition. The rack grade barrel will typically shoot between 2-4 MOA with standard ball ammunition. It has a 1:7" twist.

The problem with just procuring an aftermarket barrel is that re-barreling an M4 is a -30 Level Direct Support procedure. Even if you're a certified Colt M4/M16 Armorer, Army does not care - it is still unauthorized to do at the Operator level. Odds are Direct Support would not be amenable to helping you in this particular endeavor, and I wouldn't advise even asking them.

Due to this (and the need for a rigid barrel / receiver interface), it's a whole lot easier to get a dedicated upper receiver. You can have them shipped to your door in most states, and the important thing is that they are not classified as a firearm. This allows it to not fall within the "No Personally Owned Weapons" provision.

Reasons to go with an aftermarket upper receiver include Cold Hammer Forged (CHF) Barrels, barrels capable of match grade accuracy, and barrels with other than a 1/7" twist to stabilize heavier bullets.

Provided that you go about it correctly - yes, you can place a personal upper receiver on an issue M4 lower receiver and not be in violation of existing rules and regulations. What you will need is a Memorandum Of Record or even a Policy Letter from a hard-charging CO and a legal statement prepared by JAG confirming it is not in violation. The proponent Army Regulation is AR 750-10: Army Modification Program. TACOM released a MIM that has a lot of Units running scared, but they have overstepped their boundaries as they can only offer advice through items such as ALARACTS, MIM's, and SOUM's. We had CQBR and SPR upper receivers at my previous Unit courtesy of Wes Grant of Mid South Tactical Network (MSTN). He may be able to help you navigate the process.

An internal AAL of sorts should be incorporated into the Policy Letter to prevent Soldiers from bringing crap / combat inadequate personal upper receivers. My previous Unit simply mandated that only upper receivers from Wes Grant of MSTN were authorized and had in place accuracy testing standards to confirm / validate the requirement. You need to know exactly what you're getting into and have an in depth understanding of the subject matter and be prepared to brief superiors and have the foresight to be able to shoot down the good idea fairy interjections...in a tactful manner.

If your CO isn't hard charging and simply doesn't understand or care, it may be time for Plan B. The alternative is to do your own thing and play by Big Boy Rules. This entails hand carrying your upper receiver with you on deployment and swapping them out when you go to reconfirm zero. They don't really check you too hard coming in during transit to third world countries, and things like spare barrel bags make a great place to stow them when you're coming back. Plus, you have a spare upper recieiver and parts, which is always a good thing especially in the military. Not that I've done this personally or anything...

3) AMMUNITION

Due to being in the military and abiding by the woefully outdated Hague Convention, we are limited as to what ammunition we can use. (There's some legal murkiness in that terrorists may not be classified as enemy combatants due to lack of a uniform, but I'm not about to be a legal case study for shooting them with anything not in the system.) Generally speaking, we are authorized the following for 5.56 ammunition (I'm leaving out tracer and M193)

M855 Green Tip
M855A1 Silver Tip
MK 318 MOD 0
MK 262 Mod 1
M995 Armor Piercing (AP)

The only Match grade 5.56 round in Army inventory is MK 262 MOD 1. (MOD 1 has the cannelure, MOD 0 did not). It is capable of 1 MOA precision.

M855 Green Tip is a standard ball ammunition that can be expected to shoot 2-4 MOA, but which has performed as poorly as 6 MOA.

M855A1 contract specifications list the accuracy standard as 5 MOA, and it may get that poor if QA/QC is pushed to the wayside in order to field more bullets. 95% of rounds tested were capable of 2 MOA or better. I am told by reliable sources it is averaging 1.5 MOA. My limited personal testing has it midway between 1.5 and 2 MOA.

MK 318 MOD 0 is avering 1.5 MOA as well. All of these rounds are STRAC'd ammunition, currently in use by General Purpose Forces (GPF's).

An important aspect of this is Ammunition Forecast. Even if you have a DODIC / DODAC, NSN, and STRAC Manual on hand you need to ask yourself the hard question of if you can procure a certain type of ammunition for your element for the entirety of a combat deployment. In some cases, this is simply not feasible. Thinking ahead and problem-solving potential issues in training pays off big dividends when you actually get boots on ground. I'm putting the final touches on an enhanced Ammunition Capabilities Brief and may add that information here at a later date.

4) FREE FLOATED RAIL SYSTEM

The issue Knight's Armament Corporation Rail Attachment System (KAC RAS) is a non-free floated solution. (Not digging on KAC, it was probably a requirement from the military). This results in inconsistent flexing of the barrel when fired and the need to re-zero whenever SOPMOD items are attached / detached due to the differing pressure / weights exerting on the barrel. With a free-floated rail system this is a non-issue as the barrel does not touch anything but the point where it is screwed into the upper receiver. This gives it consistent barrel harmonics and tremendous accuracy. Shooters can likewise yank on their slings for long range precision shots without throwing rounds off.

(I use and prefer the Daniel Defense 7" Omega Rail System because it requires no permanent weapons modification, looks almost identical to the issue KAC RAS, and has integral slots for QD connectors on the sides.)

5) SENSITIZED TRIGGER ASSEMBLY

1) A Crisp Two-Stage Trigger With Smooth Take-up And A Clean Break.

2) Superior Engineering To Eliminate Weapons Maintenance Issues

The stock trigger system, while reliable, is not one for accuracy. Once you get the hang of shooting and specifically trigger squeeze, you will realize that it is a very gritty trigger. Once you make the move to a sensitized trigger assembly suitable for combat operations, it really drives home that fact.

The Geisselle also has superior engineering behind it. Colt M4's suffer from broken hammer pins. The Geisseelle's are specifically designed against hammer bounce and thus have removed the center detent groove - consistently the point where Colt milspec hammer pins break.

I don't know of anyone who has found success with a competition style trigger in a combat weapon system. Geisselle's are the standard trigger for a reason or two.



6) QUALITY OPTIC AND A QUALITY MOUNT

Quality Optic:

I'm going to break quality optics down to two - scopes (variable power) and non-scopes (fixed power, to include non-magnifying optics.

I'm not going to devolve this into an Aimpoint vs. Eotech discussion. Determine what your requirements are, and which optic is best suited for your particulars. Often times, the best optic is the one in your Arms Room. You don't have to pay for it, the Army lets you use it. ACOG's have stacked Taliban up like cordwood and are the best solution available in a lot of Arms Rooms. I personally don't like them due to eye relief issues and ballistic Drop Compensators (BDC's) that don't work for new ammunition types, but don't take my word for it - different strokes for different folks. You might love the damn thing, and I'm not one to discount them. Most LRM / SDM schools utilize an accurized M4/M16 with the ACOG, which allows your Soldiers to train on a weapon system that they will carry into combat that they are proficient with and has the same manual of arms.

(I use and prefer the Aimpoint T-1 and 3 x Magnifier combination for most general purpose work. Durability, battery life, small dot size, ease of adjustment, light weight were all factors. The Aimpoint Magnifier is better glass than the Eotech offering. Both optics are in Larue QA/QD mounts. If I need to navigate restrictive ROE or am on select mission sets, I bust out the scope.)

For variable power scopes, you need to train with them prior to carrying them into harm's way. The learning curve is steep. Ask around the tactical community for who is using what and why. Don't rely on gun magazines or what new competition shooting fad is out there (though some good information can be gleaned from these sources and they aren't without merit) - solicit experiential input from trained shooters who use scopes on the one and two-way range. The industry is constantly surging forth with new optics. Leupold, Schmidt & Bender, Swarovski, Nightforce all have decent offerings. Test and evaluate what is the best decision for you and your requirements, then shoot the shit out of them under varied conditions and distances to see what you like best. A Zero Stop is a good addition for a DMR to ensure an SDM doesn't get lost on the turrets, as are capatured turrets to prevent loss of zero during weapons handling.

I was raised on Mil-Dots which was a positive factor, but strongly prefer Horus Vision reticle patterns due to second shot correction based off observeable bullet splash, easier hold-offs for both windage and elevation, and ranging capabilities.

Quality Mount: Mounting solutions require retaining zero of the optic when roughly handled as well as offering Return To Zero (RTZ) capabilities. (Witness markings aid in this endeavor.) Quick Attach / Quick Detach (QA/QD) Mounts for switching optics as the missions dictate may be a part of your requirements. I am a firm believer that if Larue is an option, then Larue is the answer. A.R.M.S. mounts have too many documented cases of parts breakage, failure, and wandering zeroes to be a viable solution. Also, their lack of business standards factors into my selection as well. As M4Guru states: "A.R.M.S. Mounts: helping terrorists walk away unscathed since 1980". He speaks truth.

For variable power optics, Badger Ord. rings are the military standard for a reason. Larue also makes an excellent product.



7) AFTERMARKET STOCK / PISTOL GRIP / TRIGGER GUARD / BIPOD

Aftermarket Stocks: Aftermarket stocks offer several features desirable for the Tactical Shooter.

Adjustable Length Of Pull )LOP): This allows for more stock positions for different body configurations and when shooting in kit or slick. Adaptibility is never a bad thing.

Rubber Butt Pad: Not only does this help reduce recoil, but it also provides a better purchase and slip resistant surface when placed on nylon, such as body armor.

Sloping Stock:: The rounded triangular sloping stock allows for increased cheek to stock weld and a more consistent reference point for sight picture.

(I use and prefer the LMT SOPMOD Stock due to all of these reasons. It is also in the system, has an NSN, and can be procured by US Forces. VLTOR EMOD and Magpul ACS are also viable solutions, I jusr prefer the SOPMOD Stock due to standard method of adjustment and the fact that my beard hairs don't get caught in it.)

LMT SOPMOD NSN: 1005-01-544-9825, Part Number: 13020680, ENHANCED SLIDING BUTTSTOCK ASSEMBLY USED ON THE M4/M4A1 5.56mm CARBINE

Aftermarket Pistol Grips: These are heavily shooter preference. Some features desirable for tactical shooters include:

Enhanced Grip Purchase: An aggressive grip texture that aids in grip and retention. It can be anything from stippling or even skateboard tape.

Higher Grip: Some promote a higher grip on the weapon system, aiding in recoil management.

Trigger Finger Reference: Some pistol grips feature a reference point for trigger finger indexing / rest.

Enhanced Trigger Guard: This is a modification that eliminates the spacer gap between the pistol grip and the trigger guard. This area tends to induce blisters when gripped high for prolonged periods of time. A quick range fix is plugging it up with a foam ear plug or some sort of putty, but better purpose-built designs exist.
(I use and prefer the Sierra Precision Rifle (SPR) Grip with Magpul's Enhanced Trigger Guard for all reasons listed above.)

If you require a bipod and decide the penalties (added weight, disrupted grip of support hand, another piece of kit hanging off the rifle) are worth it, then drive on. If you're in a Heavy Weapons element that spends a lot of time in Subbort By FIre (SBF) Positions, a bipod may be just the ticket. Many have them but simply don't need them / aren't adequately trained to use them.

Atlas is the standard for a reason. Harris and Tango Down offer solutions that may cater to your requirements, plus Harris' can be rebuilt by cannibalizing PAQ-4 parts. I strongly recommend a Quick Attach / Quick Detach (QA/QD) capability for bipods as they probably aren't needed for every single mission, and a free floated rail system is pretty much required due to this.

Fuck the GripPod. The only thing this massive hunk of expensive shit brings to the table is encourage Joe to leave their weapons laying around.

(I'm personally not a fan of bipods due to loading nuances and vertical stringing issues when shooting on hard surfaces which I often found myself shooting from. With lack of stability on uneven terrain as well, I opted to shoot off a pack whenever possible. I am in no way, shape, or form questioning their tactical viability, however - they can bring a lot to the fight.)



I hope this helps as to either convincing your Command Team to better improve issued M4's, to better refine an SDM program, or even just to improve your personal AR. If you have any questions or RFI's, please don't hesitate to ask. If I don't know the answer, I will say so and either try to find it or direct you to someone that can answer it.

Regards,
Mick

 

[MikeL]

This is a re-post of a topic I initially did in the Primary Weapons forum, but I am adding it here as well as it dovetails into the procurement / approval process.

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CONVINCING YOUR .MIL COMMAND TEAM TO AUTHORIZE PAINTING WEAPONS

Folks,

I compiled a brief and the requisite attachments needed to kickstart a weapons painting program at the Company level. It can be applied at higher echelons as well. I wanted to share the policy so folks don't have to re-invent the wheel as many are faced with this issue but don't know where to look for hard data and regulations. I was aided immeasurably by members and SME's of LF. It is intended for members of the Army, but much can be taken and applied to other services or even departments for policies.

This is intended to cater to your Command Team's philosophy. If they exhibit traits of risk aversion and careerism, you can tailor the brief to conform to existing Army Regulations and not staff exceptions to policy or waivers to AR's. If you are lucky and have an aggressive Chain Of Command who is not to be fucked with, you can get some real work done by articulating to them exactly how much power they wield and what is in their purview as Commander. They can steamroll individuals or groups by understanding and applying the very regulations those that may oppose them vaguely hint at.

For the former, you still have a bit of leeway on the ground for how you go about business. For the latter, it will be more work but ultimately more than worth the time and energy.

An example of this is what weapon systems can be painted. If you follow the MIM and ALARACT, only the M4/M16 Family Of Weapons (FOW) are authorized to be painted. If you have an aggressive command team willing to waive sections of AR 750-10, this can incluse weapon systems such as DMR's, Machine Guns, and Shotguns. Again, just because you have a command team that is not willing to waive AR's or staff exceptions to policy, all is not lost. There are other means of accomplishing what you want without the use of spray paint - for example, camoflauge pattern 100 MPH Tape.

The best way I have found to articulate your need is to focus on two things - Target Engagement (Closing with and destroying the enemy) and Soldier Survivability (bringing everyone back safe). These are two factors that will always hit home with anyone in a leadership position, whether they are a Manager or a Leader. Simply put, no one wants to fail in killing bad guys or by having Soldiers die in their formation. The intent of this policy is to aid in mission accomplishment and saving lives. This is accomplished by painting weapons in a pattern so as to more effectively camouflage both the individual and element. Target Engagement is enhanced by allowing forces to close with the enemy by limiting their profile to the threat, while Soldier Survivability is promoted by reducing visual detection by the enemy and denying them target indicators.

I have one main document (the brief itself) as well as ancillary information intended to be enclosures. I made up a Sample Weapons Painting Policy, and have the PEO Soldier Weapons Painting 101 how-to guide. You can find the MIM and ALARACT in reference to painting weapons online at AKO, TACOM and PEO Soldier.

The brief is basic and simple in nature and allows you to add to or take away from, dependant upon how you intend to present your case to your command team. I used a Powerpoint Presentation since that is by far the most prevalent found in the US Army, but strongly encourage everyone to brief their command teams face to face with a .pdf style printout to give / refer to as needed. There is a lot of information that is best explained face to face, as it is difficult to infer context via typeface.

I sanitized the document so you can add your own respective Unit Crests to the brief as well as putting your own name / element on it. I do not expect or even want credit for this and prefer to have end users adapt it to their situation and take ownership of it. (If asked, I will say my name is John "Hannibal" Smith, so just don't.) Best of luck to you all.

Here's a few Suggested Best Practices I would recommend:

- Don't be afraid to use the Open Door Policy. I strongly urge everyone to follow the established Chain Of Command and not undermine anyone's authority. If, however, a certain action is not taken or the request denied I would advise you to use the Open Door Policy by announcing your intent to do so to the Chain Of Command itself. In several cases, this alone is enough to change someone's mind or get them fired up to review it in the first place or even reverse their previous decision. Remain resolute and don't be discouraged if not everyone has the same mindset. You'll get your chance to instill it.

- Be professional. This policy is intended for professionals doing work in country. It is not intended for your element to have it as a coolness or CDI Factor. We're here to kill bad guys more effectively, embracing whatever allows us to do just that. As a mentor of mine says, no one here is trying to be Prom King. There may be a lot of undue attention directed at your element due to painted weapons, and these individuals are just looking for a reason to deny you this added measure. Don't be That Guy losing your military bearing to someone who knows AR 670-1 better than FM 7-8 and SH-76. Truth be told, they wish they could be like you. Set the standard and be an example of the change you want to see.

- Let your Chain Of Command know that you appreciate their actions in favor of you and yours. Far too often non-risk averse leaders who put their ass on the line against those that favor the process over the mission aren't thanked for their efforts on our behalf. Let them know and show your appreciation to their commitment to the good guys. It goes a long way and re-affirms that it was the right decision, doing the right thing as opposed to being someone. Look up COL John Boyd's speech in reference to this to get a better understanding of what I'm trying to say.

- Make that blaster look good and take personal pride in your work. Every Soldier I know who painted their weapon became more attuned to it, wanted to know more about it, how to better maintain it. Commend the best paint jobs. It'll spread like wildfire among the dudes, but not in a competitive way, more of a camraderie way. It brings the team together.

Feel free to use or modify my documents as you see fit. Like doctrine, they are intended as a mere framework and I expect everyone to adapt them as needed. The only thing I mandate is that you credit those that allowed their words and their work to appear in this brief if you opt to use those parts. This includes photo credits from Pat Rogers of EAG Tactical and Stephen Hilliard from Blue Force Gear. The brief would have been far less effective had I not had awesome visual aids and blunt concise verbiage to showcase what other words had trouble conveying.

That's about all I have. If you guys have anything to add, feel free. Any questions or RFI's can be posted here - odds are if you have a question so does another member here.

If for some reason you can't bring the documents up or need them in a specific format (.ppt, .pdf, MS Word, et cetera) feel free to drop me a line. I may not get back to you immediately due to work considerations, but I will do my best to help you out in a timely manner as my schedule permits.

Thanks all (especially those that graciously allowed use of their work and saw to schooling me in the ways of command policy and regulations...you know who you are) and I hope you're able to positively effect change at your respective Units or Departments.

PPT Brief: Here (.ppt)

Sample Weapons Painting Policy Letter: Here (MSWord)

PEO Soldier Weapons Painting 101: Here. (.pdf)

You can find the TACOM MIM and PEO SOldier ALARACT online through AKO. You'll have to suss those out yourself.

Note: This is my first time using Google Documents so the source documents may have been altered. I chose this because it's the only option readily accessible. If you find that is the case, or simply wish to have the documents in a different format, send me a PM with the request and an e-mail address to kick it out to.

Regards,
Mick

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This brief can also dovetail into Allowing Changes To Enhance Use Of WeaponsIn Combat with minor effort as the same regulations apply.

This is important when considering many Units are attempting to put the kibosh on aftermarket weapon accessories, largely due to TACOM overstepping their boundaries...which was prompted by Joe doing dumb things like using optics or upper receivers not suitable for the mission.

This will require both an aggressive command team who understands the importance of COTS/GOTS Solutions, as well as taking the time to draft up a policy that may have to include an internal Unit AAL of sorts that authorize select aftermarket items, based on manufacturers and models.

It can be both a time consuming and ardous process as you may need to list criteria for each component (stock, optic, rail system, et al) with a rationale for each. But the end results can often be very well worth it.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is the TACOM MIM authorizing Company Commander approval for painting weapons...as if such an act was not previously well within their legal purview.

Subject: Maintenance Information (MI) Message, TACOM Life Cycle Management Command, (TACOM LCMC) Control No. MI 10-040, Camouflaging Specific Small Arms, Items Affected: M16A2 Rifle, NSN 1005-01-128-9936, LIN R95035; M16A4 Rifle, NSN 1005-01-383-2872, LIN R97175; M4 Carbine, NSN 1005-01-231-0973, LIN R97234; M4A1 Carbine, NSN 1005-01-382-0953, LIN C06935.

Issue: This MIM supersedes the information as stated in 2.d.(5) of GPA (Ground Precautionary Action (GPA) Message which put the kybosh on commercial parts and accessories) 09-010 and 2.b.(4) of GPM 07-016 for the specific weapons listed in the subject of this message. The purpose of this message is to authorize at commander’s discretion the application of specific spray paint to be applied to specific small arms to aid in the camouflaging of our warfighters. The only small arms authorized to be camouflaged in accordance with this message are listed in the subject of the message. Additional weapons may be authorized in subsequent messages. Painting of weapons WILL NOT be conducted without the consent of the unit commander. Weapons MUST be stripped of paint prior to turn-in. Only two complete coatings of paint are authorized before weapon needs to be completely stripped.

3. Rationale: Warfighters must be able to conduct tactical operations while reducing/limiting detection by the threat. Camouflage paints provide for reduced visual detection and enhanced Warfighter survivability via neutral, non-reflective, and predominantly non-black colors. Weapon signature reduction (i.e., outline, and contrast with background, texture and color) aids in limiting Warfighters’ battlefield visual signature and makes it more difficult for the enemy to detect the Warfighter’s position. The color, black, is highly infra red reflective and black-colored weapons provide a high degree of visual contrast when carried by camouflaged uniformed Warfighters. Not only is the weapon itself more visible, but the type of weapon and type of accessories are more easily identified providing indicators to the Warfighter’s capabilities and position. Additionally, black color is more conducive to solar-loading (heat retention) than earth-tone colors. Some limited black color in irregular black shapes/patterns does provide for weapon outline breakup.”

Envision a plan: If you have not chosen how you are going to camouflage your weapon, decide at this time. Always start with a plan. Remember, most great camouflage is not pretty. The goal is to blend your weapon in with the environment in which you are operating. If you are operating in an environment that just has light tan sand, then just paint your weapon tan with limited black breakup. If you are operating in a jungle environment using brown and olive drab with limited black breakup may be appropriate for that environment. This procedure’s purpose is not to impress. Its purpose is to provide safety and another tool in defeating the enemy.

NOTE: Allow paint to dry before applying another color. DO NOT spray the paint on heavy. Test the paint on cardboard or a paper towel before painting the weapon so you know how much pressure you need to apply to get a thin coat.

TIPS: Good camouflage can be achieved many ways. Some may want to place netting or foliage such as grass or leaves on the weapon and paint around it to better blend into the environment.

Others may just want to use a blending technique. When using the blending technique coat the weapon with the lightest color you will be using. Next take a darker shade that blends with your environment and paint stripes about 4 inches apart at a 45 degree angle. You can do this with 1 to 2 colors. Next you need to blend it in. Take a dark color like green or brown and from about 6 to 8 inches away from the weapon lightly dust the gun. After that take a lighter color (khaki, or tan) and lightly dust the gun from 6 to 8 inches away. This will blend everything together and dull the finish. Colors will depend on operational environment.

Spray Paint – order spray paint through GSA using the below part numbers:
Part Number
1916830 Black
1917830 Khaki
1918830 Earth Brown
1919830 Deep Forest Green
1920830 Army Green

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The TACOM GPM that started it all can be found below.

=========

UNCLASSIFIED//Subject: Ground Precautionary Action (GPA) Message, TACOM Life Cycle Management Command, (TACOM LCMC) Control No. GPA 09-010, Maintenance Mandatory, Unauthorized Modifications, Items Affected:

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
X "ATTENTION" X
X THIS MESSAGE CONTAINS INFORMATION THAT IS VITAL X
X TO THE SAFETY OF ARMY PERSONNEL AND THE OPERATION X
X OR MAINTENANCE OF ARMY EQUIPMENT. X
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

2. Problem:

a. Summary of Problem: Commanders are allowing various unauthorized modifications of M16A2/M16A4 Rifles, M4/M4A1 Carbines, M240/M240B MachineGuns, and M9 Pistols.

b. Background Information: During recent months, there have been an increasing number of reports of unauthorized modifications to rifles,carbines, M240 Machine Guns, and M9 Pistols. Some of these modifications increase the potential injury to personnel.

c. The language set forth in AR 750-10, chapter 3, paragraph 3-1.e, states:

"No Modification Work Order (MWO) is authorized for application unless it has an approved MWO number that is the product of the MWO process in paragraph 4-2. Commanders will not allow their equipment to be modified unless there is an official MWO."

d. These are examples of some but not all unauthorized modifications:

(1) One of the most common examples is unauthorized unit conversion from M16A2 Rifle to M4 Carbine. Action such as installing an M4 Carbine buttstock on an M16A2 Rifle or converting from burst to fully automatic is unauthorized and will cause increased stoppages, malfunctions, or possible safety incidents.

(2) Another example is the use of ergonomic pistol grips or silencers. These are not authorized since testing / evaluation to identify acceptable alternative pistol grips or silencers for Army approval has not been done.

(3) Another example is the unauthorized modification of the basic M240MG (coaxial variant) to the M240B (Dismounted Infantry) configuration by adding and removing components.

(4) Also, of note, is the modification of M9 Pistols by installing various off-the-shelf aiming lasers. The use of such lasers may involve the replacement of standard weapon components with non-standard components, resulting in an unauthorized modification of the pistol.

(5) A modification frequently reported is the painting of various small arms weapons, including those discussed above. Painting a weapon increases the risk of malfunctions caused by paint interfering with the moving parts of the weapon. Painting also increases the potential for infrared identification of the user. Removal of paint to return a weapon to -10 -20 standards often results in the protective surface finish being ruined, possibly resulting in a weapon that needs to be coded out for turn in.

(6) There is no approved Modification Work Order (MWO) for converting M16s to M4s nor is there one to convert the M240 to the M240B. No MWO has been issued authorizing the use of off-the-shelf aiming lasers with the M9 pistol. Similarly, there are no MWOs authorizing the painting of weapons.

e. Expected results of unauthorized modification:

WARNING Unauthorized modifications to small arms weapons may cause damage to the weapon and/or death/injury to the operator. Combat readiness and reliability may be reduced, causing the weapon to become unavailable in critical situations because of stoppages, malfunctions, or the weapon becoming non-operational. To avoid these issues, weapons should not be modified.

3. User Actions:

a. Inspection Procedures: Weapons shall be inspected as per the applicable technical manual to ensure the weapon is fully mission capable.

b. Corrective Procedures: Any rifle, carbine, machine gun, or pistol that has an unauthorized modification applied shall be converted back to the original configuration with the appropriate original or replacement/repair parts as listed in applicable technical manuals. Painted weapons shall have the paint removed to the extent possible short of ruining the protective surface finish.

c. Policy: The interim policy (reference B, see links below) provides guidance on submitting requests to improve/increase unit operational capability including the Operational Needs Statement (ONS) process.

5. Supply Status: Any requisitioned items needed to configure weapons back to standard/original configurations shall be done so at the unit's expense.

 

[MikeL]

MCLMM TACSOP

This started out in Iraq but fell by the wayside, but now that I have time I'm reviving this bitch.

The concept is to write my own TACSOP. Far too often, between different Units and even Change Of Commands, tactical standard operating procedures get lost in the transition, forgotten about, or are simply discarded in favor of another standard. I've never liked losing institutional knowledge, so I started devising a "Suggested Best Practices" method of compiling information and TTP's. This is going to take me awhile as I still have a long walk ahead of me in the realms of training and knowledge, and it will continually evolve over the years - as these things should. My first project will be a "Suggested Best Practices For The Use & Operation Of The M4" which can be easily adapted into a Unit TACSOP or Law Enforcement Policies.

What follows is part of the impetus for redefining weapons maintenance, or to show people why it needs to change.

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Replacement Weapon Systems And Sourcing Sufficient Spare Parts

Parts break. Parts that aren't adequately maintained or periodically replaced tend to break a lot more. Ask yourself the last time your Unit has done a by-the-book inspection of all M4's performed by experienced and knowledgeable people who know what to look for, overhauled all of the M4's with new internal parts, or tracked round count by M4. The answers are probably not satisfactory. Ensure your element has an adequate supply of spare parts to sufficiently repair weapon systems over the course of a year-long deployment in a non-permissive environment. Parts more prone to wear and breakage should have a correspondingly higher priority and fielded in greater numbers. An example of this for the M4 would be bolts, extractor and spring, ejector and spring, gas rings, and buffer spring. I would prefer every Soldier to be fielded a personal weapons sustainment package consisting of a spare mil-spec bolt, ejector and spring, extractor and spring, and gas rings. Preferably the SOPMOD Bolt Upgrade Kit is in their assigned M4.

Reference mil-spec bolts, they need to be headspaced. Information from Greg "Sully" Sullivan (One of the leading Armorers in the field) is as follows:

"I recommend gauging to check that headspace is within specs for the cartridge that you are using. Most times we find that changing to a different bolt that the headspace dimensions will be within specs, but on occasion they are not. Too loose of headspace and the cartridge may stretch too far, rupture and blow up the gun. Too short of headspace and the cartridge may not be able to expand enough, which will cause an overpressure which can result in the gun blowing up. I have seen bolt tolerances all over the place from lug length, and bolt face to lug face dimensions vary, and we do see lots of variances in barrel extension and chamber dimensions. On occasion we have seen the headspace change when switching out bolts. The bolt lugs, bolt face, barrel extension and chamber dimensions will all erode with use."

Machines are not 100% reliable. Sometimes your guns will get hard broke beyond the capabilities of your internal Armorer to fix. It can take weeks, months, and in some cases even years to have a hard broke weapon system fixed by Higher depending on type of weapon and severity of the problem. Your Soldier assigned the weapon is still needed in the fight. Set your element up for mission accomplishment by having a sufficient reserve of spare weapon systems that are pushed out to elements and not hoarded at Company level or higher - this simplifies the process as not everyone may be permanently located over the course of deployment, if at all. This allows elements to stay in the fight while repairs are done with no detriment to team integrity as the weapon system can be replaced by another of the same type, zeroed, and ready for the next mission almost immediately. Only good can come of this, ensure you are setting your element up for success.

Optics are another thing that should not be hoarded at the Company level or higher. Sufficient reserves of optics should be pushed down to elements in the field in order to replace deadlined optics in an expedient manner so combat effectiveness is not reduced. They can be put to better use than sitting in an Arms Room back CONUS.

Reserve weapon systems are just that. They are not weapon systems to be given to new arrivals in country. They aren't weapon systems to be given when trading Soldiers between elements. They are dedicated weapon systems to replace broken or inoperable weapons, period. Do not let them be misused.

 

[MikeL]

Thanks for the kind words, dudes - I appreciate it.

Also thanks to those who passed on their experiences - it adds a ton to the conversations and we're all better off for it.

Reference grenades:

I think it is a training issue, definitely.

Most Joe's don't toss hand grenades post-Basic, and then they were handed to you - not grabbed from a pouch. Maybe a Unit will snag some M67 trainer's for use, but that's a toss-up with who's going to be in charge of that little detail and what their experience / mindset is...not to mention intent from Higher - and what are the odds of a roll of 100mph laying around or sourced by Higher prior to train like you fight? My old Section Sergeant was an axception to the rule, when he got wind of the tasking he went to Clothing & Sales for the tape and took charge of it himself - everyone knew better than to fuck with a man with a star on his CIB getting ready to retire as a Staff Sergeant.

Reference the safety clip, that was kept in place as well. I wanted a redundant means of safety to be as fail-safe as possible - I was worried that coming into contact with a resistant surface may dislodge the jungle clip. (This occurred with me once - either after hitting an angle of a vehicle or climbing over grape rows.) I discovered this post-mission when checking my equipment. After that incident I started taping the spoon and jungle clip down with the same strip of tape...and put them in stuffed animals.

Prepping the frag wasn't an issue because it is the way I trained. Fast pull off the tape then on to the normal manual of arms for hand-thrown munitions (minus the Hulk Hogan pose...fuck Hulk Hogan.)

I don't know of sympathetic detonations of M67's from IED strikes or bullet strikes, just M84's, so I can't being anything to the table reference that. Perhaps EOD can shed some light on this? I'm wondering why I never asked them about it now, actually.


That old school LAW sling-up looks pretty rad. I'd be concerned about the strap digging hard into one side (why I'm not a fan of bandoleers - sorry Chewbacca) and that is also may not work if dudes are humping packs / Camelbaks, plus the normal argument of multiple straps on your kit - but it's definitely a multi-use field expedient solution.

 

[MikeL]

reply by another poster

I know of one positive instance prior to a few days ago that a frag sympathetically detonated, but the instance was in very close contact to a large IED. At that point though the frags going off were nothing that would have prevented the outcome to the guy carrying them. Frags are a relatively heavy cased item for what they are and the explosives inside so the threat of sympathetic detonation should be fairly low. I say should because in the explosives world speaking in absolutes can be embarrassing.

Now as for positioning on the body, high or low. As you sit in the truck or stand, think of where the detonation of an IED is going to be and then think of the size of said IED. The distance from your waist to your chest is what? About a foot? Foot and a half? When you have an IED big enough, with a strong enough blast wave to sympathetically detonate a frag at the distance of 4 to 5 five feet from it, does that distance from your chest to belt line really matter in the long run? As in, the initially IED explosion is going to kill you so dead that the frags going off are going to be akin to a fart in a tornado.

Carrying them on the chest WOULD create a higher risk for detonation from incoming rounds that may be stopped by the vest. That being said I have carried frags, and when I do I usually place them on my belt to the small of my back because I do fear getting SMUDed by a bad guy. For me though I also have anywhere from between 5 and 25lbs of explosives that aren't cased and subject to the laws of physics a bit more than a frag.

It all kind of gets more complicated when we introduce primary frag producing munitions. Hot, high speed frag will definitely cause a detonation IF they impact the ordnance items, though frag is an iffy beast. Positioning with frag would again be somewhat of a moot point, IF it hits you, in all likelihood that it has enough speed to penetrate and detonate the frag then it should have enough to penetrate completely through you.

As for the jungle clip, I was asking the question not trying to insult anyone's experiences or TTP's, just lending my experience with having to go check out frags that have been thrown and not gone BOOM.

Okay, I'm back at it.

The Role Of The Grenadier

The Grenadier has one of the most lethal systems that is Soldier portable - the 40mm grenade. With a killing radius of 5 meters, a wounding radius of 15 meters, and a fragmentation dispersal radius of up to 130 meters it can wreak havoc when used and employed properly. Smoke rounds can also signal friendly elements, including AWT's, to specific threats that require engaging...or to flush enemies out of their hidey hole into an avenue of ambush. The issue is making the most out of this equipment.

I see entirely too many elements mounting grenade launcher systems to rifles that were capable of being used stand-alone. I made it a point to ask people what the tactical benefits of this are. I rarely received an answer that I considered viable. Most hinged on retention purposes (are these weapons intended for combat or for accountability? I know, I know...).

This is compounded by the fact that the requirements for it to BE mounted were thanks to a Test Unit that, due to failure of leadership and inability to develop proper TTP's for Use & Employment of a weapon system (they often left their HK M320's in the vehicle in lieu of bringing them on foot with them) - it became necessary to mount them on weapon systems in lieu of simply fielding a means of retention for it as a standalone weapon system.

Why Program Managers allow requirements to be born of reasons like this instead of taking those lacking in leadership and common sense to task is beyond me. In lieu of being a Force Multiplier, you are saddling the entire Force Composition with substandard materiel solutions and lowering Lethality. Unacceptable.

The legitimate claims were lack of materiel solutions provided for them to be run stand-alone. The HK M320A1's were fielded with the HK 3-Point sling which made transitioning to the weapon system untimely and difficult, often binded itself on gear, and got in the way of the primary weapon system sling all too often. Our solutions ranged from a purposely designed holster (S&S Precision M320 Holster) to a large coyote pouch with an open top and a Velcro flap that could secure a 320. I saw a few weapon catches when overseas that retained the weapon on the back that worked well when I talked to Soldiers.

Disadvantages to rifle-mounted grenade launcher systems:

1) Weight: Tacking on a complete new weapon system adds pounds overall. This really hits home when holding it anywhere above low ready for a substantial amount of time. It increases Soldier fatigue even when slung, resulting in decreased performance and situational awareness.

2) Bolting a grenade launcher on to a rifle invariably makes it off balance with a substantial amount of weight on the foreend. This makes it unwieldy and slower right when you may need it to be exactly the opposite. Weapons manipulation takes a dive.

3) It is unnatural to shoot a weapon system with your off hand / weak hand / support hand / whatever phrase du jour it is. The reality is that General Purpose Forces simply will not be given adequate range time in order to become truly proficient in this.

4) Doing this makes people come up with substandard Requirements for weapon systems. Reasons like the M203, M320, M26 and even the M9 being written into various Requirements precludes the use of certain items which may make more sense for the various roles utilizing them - such as a free-floated rail system that extends past the front sight block a la the DD RIS II or the new Troy rail.

5) Having the primary weapon system being a rifle caliber means 90% of the time the secondary weapon system is doing nothing but adding weight. Is that worth it when only being used 10% of the time, and less effectively than were it to be used stand-alone? In my humble opinion - no.

Look at 203 Ranges. What 203 Range have you seen that were dual certified for both 5.56 and 40mm AND encouraged the Soldier to use their own judgement and problem solving abilities in order to decide which weapon system is best used against different enemies in all sorts of scenarios? .Hell, how many ranges use 40mm HEDP or HE/FRAG in lieu of the TPT Rounds? Not enough...

General Complaint:

Ammunition Restrictions. We need better grenades. There are a lot of capable, lethal, and / or mission specific rounds out there that offer everything from increased fragmentation dispersal radius to UAV-style capabilities. We had issues sourcing adequate amounts of HE/FRAG in theater...


The bottom line is this: The role of the Grenadier is to launch those killer eggs at the enemy. He can best focus on doing so with a standalone grenade launcher weapon system. I would prefer one with a cylinder style rotating magazine for second shot correction without needing to reload or break sight picture. An ODA had MGL's and launching 6 grenades in a concentric pattern was an incredibly devastating TTP against the bad guys. Between that and the MK48 Feed Chute Ammo Pack it was like they did their damndest to recreate the Commando team from Predator.

Articulate your needs and do your damndest to have grenade launcher systems capable of being used stand-alone in that configuration. If you're able to outfit them with red dot sights, so much the better. The Eotech M40GL for the M203 and the Spuhr Mount / T1 combination for the M320A1 are incredibly intuitive and easy to use and ensure commonality with previously trained on optic systems. Simplicity is key.

I would have outfitted several dudes, including myself, with M79's and been perfectly happy with that solution. I think the M203 was a step backwards in regards to the role of the Grenadier and that we have paid for this since it was adopted.


I'm going to do a separate post on the HK M320A1 as part of my book discussion, but here is one of the means how we ran them standalone. We fell in on the pouch, no idea as to make or model.

Primary means of retention is the bungee strap on the pouch itself. Secondary means of retention is the retractable EMT Shears style device hooked onto the weapon system and plate carrier. Never had issues with retention with this setup, and cost was nothing as we sourced the requisite items in country.

 

[MikeL]

Helmet Cameras

It was too hot to have a beard this day.
http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/207478_10100210429948808_1110578481_n.jpg

The helmet camera is an unobtrusive means of collecting intelligence. You can scan and assess breach points, map out areas for tape drills or full rehearsals back at home base, tag local nationals that live there for cultural mapping, tag areas of interest, and use it to play back anything later that you may have missed (Our COIST had a field day with this). This allowed us to accurately plot our crossing points, as well enemy reaction to them (such as the bad guys marking your location by tying some clothes around the tree you crossed at). Often times we would read up on reports and check footage of areas prior to hitting them again to make sure we didn't miss anything.

I was investigated for war crimes. I didn't commit any, obviously. What occurred was we came under a complex RPG-initiated ambush at a TCP with our fellow ANSF brethren. We knew the RPG team was there, they had hit CLP's and fuel trucks prior to this. We strongly suspect we got sent out there to draw fire and eliminate them, because that's essentially what we did on past occassions and built a reputation as problem solvers. Lo and behold, the RPG hits 6 meters away from me in a tree - it was like the Matrix and it redirected in mid-air. I don't know what the frig is up with the Taliban and Afghan RPG's, but these motherfuckers weren't like Iraq flying all over the place like a drunk retarded bumble bees - these hit unerringly on targets well in excess of distances that they should have. Anyway, firefight. The ANA decide to bound on foot firectly in front of us (this was somewhat but not really okay because we were elevated to deconflict friendly fire issues), and started blasting away in their inimitable fashion. So THIS motherfucker, decides he's gonna shoot an RPG back at the bad guys. All right, cool, I'm down with that especially after his buddy just launched one that impacted danger close to the bad guys position and they wanna make it into a 1-2 combo. But NOOOOOO, this dude elects to stand straight up for several seconds and the enemy PKM team engages from the woodline next to the RPG team. The rounds walk in and stitch him up good, one hit to the pelvic area and the other in the upper thoracic and he launches the RPG who-the-frig-knows where and when the dust cloud settles you just see the dude doing this Goldeneye N64 slow-motion death scene. It was 50 meters in front of me and I just start laughing uncontrollably. He finally goes down, but every 15 seconds or so randomly lifts a limb straight up, like he's verifying that they're still there. I go back to sniping, and eventually the ANA go pick his *** up in their trucks, yelling at us the entire way. So we fiinish up, get back, and lo and behold the ANA think we shot their guy. I guess they thought the agreement they made with the Taliban to lift and shift fires during engagements worked both ways. Anyway, my helmet camera was recording for most of this encounter after the initial ambush and it verified exactly what our Sworn Statements said. So in addition to making cool-guy vids, they can save your *** from a 15-6 investigation. The dude ended up dying a couple days later and served to reinforce the priorities of cover and concealment amongst everyone.

{Resultant RPG damage that should have ****ed me up way worse than it did.

A good friend heard about this story and wrote a satirical newspapr story with the headline:

"Soldier Vs. RPG: RG Backs Down"

I used the VIO POV HD. I wanted to go with an HD camera because it was going to be what I used in Film School. I was also going to use it for Base Jumping but I never got back into that after my time in Germany and a knee injury. It'll most likely see some white water rafting and kayaking action now, as well as some good old rapelling.

There are two components: the main body (battery housing, LCD Viewfinder, and analog controls) and the camera cable / camera. There was also a wireless control mechanism I 550 Corded to my kit for a couple months. The main housing fit into a single M4 magazine Shingle, but they also make purpose built pouches as well as a waterproof system. Included is a screen protector for the LCD Viewfinder that I promptly lost.

You can select between 1080P (142 degree FOV) and 720P (95 degree FOV) recording capabilities. The trade-off is video quality vs. recording time, allowing you to choose which is more important to you and particular missions.

The system came with a 2 GB chip. I think that got like less than 15 minutes of video captured, probably more like 8 when 1080p was selected. The manufacturer stated that chips up to 32 GB would work with the unit. I said frig it and purchased a 64 GB chip, figuring I would use it to store photographs and video from my element as a backup in case it didn't work. It DID work. I got about 10 hours of recording time with the 64 GB chip. With the battery life of Lithiums, I could switch them out mid-way of a longer patrol given adequate time and cover. It did not like the Energizer recharable batteries, they lost the charge quickly and were non-mission capable due to corrosion within the span of a week or two. I went with nothing but Lithiums shortly thereafter on everything electronic, to include my Peltor Comtac 2's. I understand the company's decision to include a 2GB because of cost considerations, but understand you're going to shell out mucho dinero on other size capacity cards in addition.

Standard AA Batteries are listed as 2.5 hours runtime. I found it was about 2 hours and 15 minutes. Lithium batteries were listed as 5 hours runtime, I found it was about 4.5 hours. I was working in extreme heat and humidity and this could very well have been a factor.

Due to the fact that the monitoring system and camera are corded, cord routing can be an issue- especially if you run a radio / headset. I usually had it mounted on my front in an M4 Magazine Pouch and routed it through my back via a couple of Tyr's Routing Loops which worked well. I had enough slack to move my head on a swivel, or remove the monitoring system and hand it off and manipulate the camera, and cinch it up when patrolling to reduce snag.

The model I purchased had a 2" monitoring system built in. The intended use for this was immediate playback to refer to what you recorded on the go. It worked just as well as a "snake cam" of sorts. It was an eye capable of being manipulated by hand - able to access over walls, through rebar'd windows, a slot in a gate, under a door, et al. It was unobtrusive and reduced exposure of a Soldier and greatly lessened the risk of detection. Many times, the alternative would have been to hoist a Soldier up to get a look-see of an area. The POV allowed us to surreptitiously (Like that word? I had to go to an Army school to learn what it meant) glass an area. This could be used in conjunction with white light for booby trap detection on doors where they could not be properly port and covered by us (such as when covered by rebar). From there we could gather intel on everything from how many people were inside (or an SWAG based off clothes hanging off the line), what the inside looked like, breach points, red areas, animals, and probable target location. With this recon update we could go from covert, to dynamic, or even tactical call out as needed.

I stopped using the Wireless Control System due to the device randomly stopping recording, typically after 2+ hours of recording. I had figured I had inadvertently bumped the device controls, but I had even locked the keys to prevent doing so and am unsure as to exactly why this occurred.

The system deadlined about 6 months in. The cable could not connect to the camera. I would either get an error screen, a freeze frame that lasted a few seconds, or an amalgamation of a frame with what looked like a TV Test For Emergency Broadcast screen. I tried everything from straightening the cable,. to using my Leatherman Wave to cinch the connection tight in an effort to marry them up. No dice.

If you were to go with this system, it has definite tactical viability. I would forego on the HD Model due to lack of runtime, even with Lithium Batteries. I would also recommend purchasing several mounts as they are not the 6076 T1 aluminum we are used to, but rather a plastic. They are rather inexpensive, and they are introducing new mounts. After I ordered a few more, a Sales Rep included a business and a short handwritten note thanking me for my service, in addition to a few extra of the mounts I ordered as well as a prototype of a new mount which was pretty nice of them. I ended up sticking with the Picatinny Clamp mount.

I just got all my stuff back, and will be sending the POV HD back to the manufacturer (VIO) along with my AAR Notes and will be updating when they get back to me. Hopefully the issue will be identified and resolved.

You can find out more about the VIO POV HD straight from the source:
http://www.vio-pov.com/products-all/pov-hd.html

 

[MikeL]

Doctrinal References:

FM 3-21.8, Chapter 6

6-46. Aerial sustainment is an aviation mission that consists of moving personnel, equipment, materiel, and supplies by utility, cargo, and fixed-wing assets for use in operations. Overland resupply might not work due to terrain, distance, or the existing enemy threat. The platoon must initiate a request for resupply and must push it through company to battalion. The platoon must prepare to receive the supplies at the specified time and location.

CALL Newsletter 99-16

TTP:Speed balls.
The use of helicopters within the city is another means for transporting supplies to soldiers. Unfortunately, the limited availability of landing zones/pick-up zones and the enemy's increased advantage to engage aircraft from the upper floors buildings will limit the use of helicopters in the resupply role. One technique is to use rooftops or a wide area, such as a junkyard, as a drop-off point for supplies. These sites must be in secured locations within an urban area. CSS personnel pre-package supplies in aviation kit bags or duffel bags. The helicopter will fly as close as possible to the site, reduce speed, and drop the supplies and rapidly egress the area to decrease exposure time (see Figure 2). This technique is similar to the "speed ball" technique used by Rangers. Supplies should be packaged in commercial packaging material (for example, bubble wrap) or with material available from a rigger detachment to limit damage to the supplies. For example, placing a piece a thick cardboard on the bottom of an aviator kit bag could help decrease damage at impact.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/1999/99-16/chap7-2b.gif

TTP:Fast rope

Another similar method of resupply using a helicopter is to take a 5-gallon water can and tie it to the end of a rope, then slowly lower the rope to a secure location. Connect the water cans, "speed balls," or the supplies to the rope with a carabiner (snap link) and slide them down the rope. The benefit of this method is that the helicopter does not have to get close to the roof or to a secure site. Additionally, the extract point where the unit receives the supplies is more precise than kicking the supplies out the door. Once the soldiers receive the supplies, this same rope can back-haul empty water cans and other items. The trick is to ensure that the water can, or weight at the bottom of the rope, remains to prevent the rope from flapping in the wind and catching the propellers of the helicopter. The downfall to this method is that damage will occur to some of the supplies when they make contact with the ground. A 5-gallon water can weighs 40 pounds.

TTP:SKEDCO

At the squad and platoon level, using a SKEDCO litter to move supplies within an urban area is a technique worth considering. The primary purpose of the SKEDCO is to evacuate casualties from the battlefield. This same litter can move supplies and equipment, especially mortar rounds, effectively through the rubble of an urban area or through a sewer system.

Additionally, by using basic mountaineering techniques, the SKEDCO can haul supplies along the side of a building, through elevator shafts or destroyed stairwells, to the upper floors of a building using simple ropes and pulleys.

TTP:Body bags

A unique technique to move a squad's worth of basic supplies is by using a "Human Remains Bag" (body bag), NSN 9930-01-331-6244 Type 2. Clearly stencil the word "supplies" in bright colors on the bag so as not to confuse it with other body bags. These bags are useful because they are rugged, have built-in carrying handles, have a capacity to hold a squad's worth of supplies, and can be folded and carried in a rucksack. The advantage over using a duffel bag or aviatorkit bag is:

 The bag remains sealed and is waterproof.
 Two soldiers can easily carry a loaded bag.
 There is a greater availability, which reduces back-haul requirements.

The TTPs listed above are just a few techniques to deliver supplies to soldiers in the fight. The recurring theme for the above techniques is that resupply operations must be fast, soldier friendly, and minimize the requirement for back-haul of resupply material. Additionally, pre-configuring loads is an important technique to use in resupply during urban operations.

Non-Doctrinal References:

Here is an article about them. We were on this mission as attachments, it was a clusterfuck on multiple levels but that is a discussion for another day. Note that the speedballs here were NOT set up to our SOP (they had stripper clips of ammunition in lieu of preloaded magazines, different classes being intermixed, et cetera). Dufflebags work even better with some items and are easier to move since you could ruck up with them. Bodybags work well for water and serve dual purpose for KIA but are slower to move as it requires dragging them with more than one individual.

 

[MikeL]

MCLMM SOP:

PROTECTION:
Bubble Wrap was the best cushion that we found and could source. Bonus points for giving it to Afghan kids after use, they liked that crap even better than kalams. You need to cushion crushables such as magazines, but not to such an extent that it becomes laborious to extract them. Bubble wrap fulfilled these requirements without taking up too much space and you can cut it up with a blade easily.

STAGING:

We staged our speedballs at our local FOB since that was where rotary wings were as well as vehicular QRF though the latter was rare. Aviation and ground QRF were briefed that we were out there, that these were our prepacked speedballs, and that it was a grab and go operation. We spraypainted dufflebags colors in lieu of numbering them as we determined this was faster and more accurate. Numbering bags did not work as well in Iraq and miscommunication often occurred on the radio due to this. We changed SOP's mid tour and went to a color method which worked much better for it, Romania, and Afghanistan.

We interfaced with Aviation prior to mission sets to make sure they knew who we were, what we needed, and why. They knew if we needed one thing, it was the black bag above all else. This also let us find out about their capabilities, SOP's, what they were worried about on resupply missions (RPG's), the best way to designate a supply drop zone, and how our CSM was making their lives hell.

We determined it would be better for them to kick out dufflebags in lieu of touching down, a stationary chopper is a helluva target. Designate an area and mark it with a Vs-17 Panel or an HLZ kit, ensure ALL other panels are packed up as you do not want an inadvertent drop zone designator.

Bag Colors:

Black = Ammunition
Red = Medical
Blue = Water
Green = Food

Aviation had them on a pallet on the airfield next to the birds. Ground QRF could roll there to pickup if needed.

Loading SOP's:

Ammunition, Medical, Water, Food

Ammunition:

Hand Thrown Munitions: Taped with 100 MPH Tape with pull tab. Placed back into original container. Sharpie used to write type on outside of container.

M4 Magazines: Loaded to 30 rounds capacity in USGI magazines. Soldiers can download to 28 on site if that is their SOP, one reason I liked the Army Combat Shirt was the pen slots allowed for stowing loose rounds in the sleeves. Spray paint 100 MPH tape on bottom 1/3 of magazine to denote round type. This was instituted as it was quick visual check which was easier and more efficient than peering into the magazine to check tip color. You can sort, stack, flex magazines with a single glance without re-orienting them, and can tear off the 100 MPH tape if you need to get rid of all non-AO color palette selections on your kit.

Black = M995
Red = Tracer
Green= M855
White = M855A1
Violet: MK 262 Mod 1

M14 Magazines: Loaded to 20 rounds capacity. No markings as M118LR was always loaded. If we ran out of M118LR, we would have delinked some ball. Thankfully, never had to resort to this.

M249 Nutsacks: Loaded with a full belt. Follower spraypainted to classify round type. (Green for ball, black for AP)

M249 Drums: Loaded with a full belt. Follower spraypainted to classify round type. (Green for ball, black for AP)

M240 Nutsacks: Loaded with full belt. Sharpie coloring on sides to classify round type.
M240 Boxes: Spraypainted to classify round type on sides.

MEDICAL (CLASS VIII):
Medical was typically packed in Aid Bags, WOK kits, blowout kits sorted by severity of injury.

WATER & FOOD (CLASS I):

Water & Food were simple, cases of water and MRE's. We often stashed a flavor enhancer / electrolyte packages in the cases of water liberating such items from the local FOB DFAC or receiving them in care packages. We made sure to vary Case Selection for MRE's, it’s the little things in life like variety that made being on weeklong air assaults a little better.

Rotary wing assets are skittish (and rightfully so) about boom boom on birds, but we hid Claymores, LAW’s, grenades in our crap because it wasn’t getting back out there any other way. If we humped it in and used it, odds are we could put some more to good use.

ISSUE – COMMUNICATION:

Numbers are one of the easiest things that get misinterpreted via radio communications. Requesting Medical (2) and getting kicked out Water (3) is a bad day. We transitioned from a number system to a color code system. This color code system also reinforced natural human perception about what each package contained in addition to being better understood on the radio.

ISSUE -CONTAMINATION:

This is an issue we identified when attached to a sister Unit. They took their SOP’s direct from doctrinal sources without adapting them to their situation and environment. This resulted in contamination from multiple classes co-existing in one package. Seeing is believing, so…
http://www.michaelyon-online.com/images/stories/081611body/2011-07-31-111339-1000.jpg

ISSUE – LACK OF IMMEDIATE ACTION

This is another issue we identified when working with the same sister Unit. They elected to place stripper clips of ammunition in body bags in lieu of pre-packing magazines. The net effect was twofold;

1) This forced Soldiers to rotate out of active positions in order to reload with their own magazines and top off partials with no extra magazines available to flex to fighting positions or teams for exfil.

2) Rounds were pushed loose from stripper clips, contaminated, dented, and otherwise damaged due to multiple classes co-existing in a single bodybag. This limits overall rounds capable of being used as well as forces more time devoted to ammunition inspection and loading procedures.

Both are unacceptable. If we are going to get a resupply, it means we are in need of those items immediately. If we cannot put them to use from the get go, it is not as effective as it could be. Take the time prior to the mission to prep everything you need. It takes longer, but it will pay dividends when you need these things in the middle of a bout of several gunfights over the course of a week. Take the time to do it right, you’ll thank yourself later. I handloaded 80 USGI Magazines with M855A1, inspecting and function checking each and every single one to ensure serviceability. If you don’t take the time to look out for your Soldiers, the TOC crew tasked with loading 30 magazines ASAP pounding stripper clips into the mags won’t. Don’t rely on other elements to square you guys away, you just might be sorely disappointed.

 

[MikeL]

reply by another poster

wow! the picture of the body bag with loose stripper clips as speedball is completely unacceptable from every perspective. even if it was another batt tasked with your resupply no excusses. I thought it common knowledge that speedball is to be preloaded mags, isn't that the point? never had to be resupplied from a different battalion for speedball but our sister companies always did shit right. also if it was rotory wing resupply we would put mags in 32rnd mk19 cans to ensure they were clean and functional when dropped off to us or other companies

Mick

Good gouge with the ammo cans. as far as speedballs being common knowledge to have preloaded mags - Only for those with common sense, Brother. I almost got kicked off an M4 Range because I was arguing with an E7 who wanted me to retain mags during combat reloads because "You'll need those mags when the birds drop a speedball off of sandbags filled with loose rounds" and I laughed in his face incredulously.

Reference that Cav Unit, that element was tactically all kinds of fucked up with the perfect storm of weak Squadron level leadership, poor small Unit leadership, and Joe's with an inflated sense of ego due to articles published about their exploits with a deficit of technical and tactical knowledge.

They were the element that reloaded on line with an E-6 dual wielding M9's firing at a grape hut 300 meters away, called a cease fire so their acting Captain could tally up another combat Javelin shot to no effect on target, fired indiscriminately with no targets present and could not heed simple ADRAC's, launched 165 mortars with no enemy KIA who subsequently had call for fire provileges revoked and we took over their fire missions for them, dropped a bomb onto their own checkpoint, ordered the release of an IED emplacer we personally caught on site during this mission who popped hot for boom boom and admitted to setting up an IED and who we had already completed detainee packets for on site because their leadership elected not to walk the <150 meters to our compound, got a Soldier blown up by an IED because they could not shoot an azimuth and land navigate at night as per the plan and as rehearsed (the fact that their SCO mandated use of NODS even during 100% Illumination didn't help), and called up the kid's 9-Line MEDEVAC wrong resulting in chopper delay and his death.

We loved their area as it was a target rich environment, hated working with anyone aside from their Red, Sniper, Engineers, and S3 element.

reply by another poster

Mick-
More good info that doesn't always get taught except when you need it.

Many years ago at Ft Campbell we were conducting a brigade FTX. Think JRTC with A10's and everything. Anyway, a few days in we require a resupply so being the great air assault company we were decided that we would do a airdrop of food and water. The supply guys took duffle bags full of MREs and the old 5qt clear water bladders and some 5 gallon cans and loaded them on the bird. Our goofy Xo thought he would run out to meet them. As the bird hovered and said XO ran under it he looked up at several bags falling. He quickly dove out of the way and most of the water exploded on impact and some of the MREs. No aerial resupply after that. I saw the info on padding the speedballs Mick did you say that you padded the water as well or how did you mitigate losing it?

Mick

Thanks for sharing that story, Brother. It's fitting that I learned of this from an old Soldier of the 101st. It is always interesting to see even the doctrinal things being forgotten.

Roger, water was padded as well. We used 2-4x the amount of cushioning for water due to the potential for it to burst. One of our guys floated the idea of packaging them up in life preservers that could be inflated inside a bag to assist in this, but we couldn't source any to T&E this concept. Birds flew pretty low when kicking out bags.

Ideally if we really needed water the fast rope concept could be used with a separate rope line used to slowly guide it down the fast rope by a crew chief.

However, that meant the bird would have to hover for a protracted period of time which was a NO GO in our AO due to the fact that we could not dominate and manipulate the battlespace because of the terrain (grape rows, heavy vegetarion, multiple paths of ingress and avenues of approach that RPG and PKM gunners would use for cover and concealment to get within effective range).

For mass resupplies (Company and BN mission sets) rotary wing assets slung load pallets with cardboard boxes full of the items. This was typically reserved for night rotary wing resupply unless it was an emergency, however.

reply by another poster

Another idea I've heard is a loaded ruck sack with a Locking beaner with two turns of green line slows it down enough to be a controlled descent. Same can be done with Aviators kit bags or duffle bags. If you could get to a rappel tower, try different bags and weights to see what works. Also try turns on beaners to see how much you need for what weight to control the descent.

That way the crew chief wouldn't need any special equipment (fast rope arm), just clip in one end inside the A/C, throw the rope with some weight on the end, and then throw the bags down, something to think about.

reply by another poster

my second deployment we were almost entirely supplied by air (both rotory and fixed) when water droped from c-130 some of the water would pop but that's just the nature of the beast of being supplied by air as the supplies were properly packaged.

Now this last deployment just south of the arghandab river (fob pasab) we took over from a platoon whose 762 M240 ammo in the vehicles wasn't prepped. I mean still in bandoliers and cardboard. And the no shit were rolling only 800 rounds for a 240 truck. Only 500 for one of they're 50 cal trucks. we took over some TPE mk 48's from them that had no rear sights and a 50 cal missing retaining pins for the feed side assembly. I mean I was completely BLOW AWAY! they were a 10th mountain infantry platoon.

The sad thing is that it only took me one day to square away the broken weapon systems. I thought my own unit was clown shoes at times but I don't know how these guys survived a year in RC south.

I sometimes really scratch my head when seeing some of these Big army infantry units. Good job to MichFury on a very true and useful tread!

 

[MikeL]

reply by another poster

Thanks Mick.

My issue is things like this are talked about in some school settings but rarely executed in training before needing it for real(in convertional side units). My example was at home station but could easily be used during a JRTC rotation for instance. I have been on rotation where a ground resupply gets hit and then the good guys are without for who knows how long. If a AV unit is at the training center then why can't it be used? Even as a platoon training event at home. Instead of carrying chow to training coordinate with the AV unit on post if they are flying the same day, have your guys practice rigging bags, move to training and incorporate resupply. This goes with the other threads of training during lean times and as things wind down.

reply by another poster

The LRS Leader Course used to teach a variation of this, not sure if they still do. You clipped the green 120's into the ceiling and floor of the UH-60 and kicked rucks out the door. They were "belayed/slowed down by someone in the A/C and then the teams would FAST Rope either before or after the rucks, I don't remember which any more. The same method could also be used for resupply.

An alternate way of doing your speed balls we used at some point was based on A-22 Cargo bags, NSN- 1670-00-587-3421. Min load for sling ops was 500 lbs, max 2,200. Each company had a few and you could build slightly oversized. I don't have any notes on it now, but you could do many differant things with them. Much more efficent then kicking shit out the side of the A/C and watching them poop all over the ground.Also quicker than any of the lowering line options. But they were best for platoon are larger resupplies and left you with materials needing to be back hauled after the TIC. Keep them configured in the rear/trains and the A/C could pick up one - X based on your resupply needs.

Example GP load:

Base honey comb
1 Layer of 5 gallon water cans
layer of honey comb
Layer of ammo, in cans
Layer of honey comb
Layer of MRE's
Class VIII

Alternate method's are many, but the base concept was to quickly exicute the resupply. It has some flaws over all, but if you had some time to work it into a train up you might refine the TTP's further.

That faded away at some point, I think because we just never did it in training and the few folks that knew why the gear was there left and the knowledge was lost.

 

[Infanteer]

You could have just posted the link....

 

[MikeL]

Not everyone has an account for the Light Fighter forum which would be required, as you can't view it as a guest.  I thought this way might be an easier way of spreading the info. If the mass posting is a no go I have no issues with my posts being deleted and members of this forum can sign up on Light Fighter to view the thread.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

 

[cupper]

Dickens was never so informative or entertaining. ;D

I like doggies!  :nod: