Soldiers on the Army Mountain Warfare School listed below are slated to receive new equipment designed to enhance their performance and provides them “Spiderman-like” abilities. The equipment is a part of the enhanced Army Mountaineering Kit.
The new kit, developed by Project Manager Soldier Clothing and Individual Equipment, might help Soldiers traverse cliffs and mountain faces, and cross snow and ice. The military Mountaineering Kit, or AMK, can assist Soldiers function more effectively in harsh, high-altitude environments very similar to that of the mountains in Afghanistan.
The AMK would be fielded in four kits tailored to fulfill different mission requirements. These kits will replace the combo of older Army-issued equipment and commercially-available mountain gear currently getting used by most units.
“Mountain combat is unforgiving. As well as fighting a determined enemy, you’re facing high altitudes, rocky and infrequently dangerous terrain, and extreme temperatures,” said Maj. Laverne Stanley, assistant product manager for Nuclear, Biological and Chemical, or NBC, and cargo Carriage Equipment. “The AMK gives our Soldiers the equipment they should take and keep that vital high ground and complete their missions at peak levels of performance.
“The AMK may even provide Soldiers with proven standardized gear for you to simplify both training and logistics for units specializing in mountaineering,” Stanley added. “PM SCIE worked closely in this effort with the military Mountain Warfare School in Jericho.”
Former sergeant major and military Mountain Warfare School chief instructor, Darren Bean, said the brand new kits for Soldiers contain about 80 percent of a similar equipment that the Marine Corps presently uses. The similarity in kits should prove beneficial to joint operations.
Darren Bean, who was heavily inquisitive about the improvement of the AMK, said the hassle began in earnest in 2006. It was then the military increased operations within the eastern section of Afghanistan. In that portion of the rustic, mountains tower from 10,000 to fourteen,000 feet and require mountain-climbing expertise.
“You always fight from the high ground,” said Bean, adding that prime vantage points also are necessary for observation points and sniper positions.
“Getting to these locations by helicopter is just not always really helpful due to the high altitude, high winds and rocky terrain,” Bean noted. “Therefore, Soldiers must be ready to climb.
“We identified a necessity for a brand new kit since the old Special Operations Forces Mountaineering Kit that have been supplied to units was outdated. Much of the equipment didn’t meet the factors set by the UIAA,” Bean said.
The UIAA is the Union Internationale des Associations d’Alpinisme. The organization, known in English because the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation, says on its website that its mission is to “promote the expansion and protection of mountaineering and climbing worldwide.”
Many units began supplementing their Special Operations Forces Mountaineering Kits with rope and kit purchased from commercial sources. The AMK was developed to satisfy the wishes of those units. It is going to not just reduce the load on unit funds, it would ensure Soldiers receive equipment they will trust. Each AMK component needed to earn UIAA certification after which pass a rigorous Army evaluation before it was added to the kit.
Stanley said the AMK could also be mission-tailorable.
“Users told us that they wanted the mountain kit to be modular,” she said.
The AMK carries four different kits:
– The High Angle Mountaineering Kit enables a platoon to traverse steep obstacles, along with cliffs.
– The Assault Climber Team Kit is utilized by Soldiers who’re trained as assault climbers. It provides them with the potential to configure ropes and tool to enable a platoon to traverse difficult and challenging high-altitude terrain.
– The Snow and Ice Mobility Kit contains the equipment a platoon requires for traversing snow and ice.
– The Squad Mountain Leader Kit provides Special Operations mountain teams full operational capability. It’s essentially a compilation of all the gear present in any other AMK kits. This kit accommodates 12 Soldiers.
While much of the equipment included within the AMK is obtainable commercially, the military made some changes.
“Mountaineering equipment usually is available in wild colors,” Bean said, noting that the colours present in the AMK tend to be more subdued.
For example, the static rope is available in a general digital pattern, while the static rope is black. PM SCIE selected 10mm thick ropes that were as light as possible, easy to govern and powerful enough to satisfy UIAA standards.
“In the start of the method, we determined the characteristics of every item,” Bean said. “We went out and acquired 20 brands of everything we thought can be within the kit; 20 different harnesses, 20 different belay devices. We checked with the military Mountaineering Warfare School to choose what would ultimately be within the kit. Then we’d exit and do tests, which included climbing and rappelling within the snow and ice.”
PM SCIE tested the AMK on the Natick Soldier Research Development and Engineering Labs in Massachusetts, with greater than 100 Soldiers. Additionally, Soldiers serving with the Vermont National Guard’s famed mountain unit, the 3rd Battalion, 172nd Infantry, also evaluated the AMK.
“The secret is we had quite a few Soldier input at the kit,” Stanley said. “We have conducted extensive user evaluations and saw that the AMK earned solid Soldier approval, even from Soldiers who take part in recreational mountaineering.”
The AMK would be fielded first to the educational schools, after which to the 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.
Afterwards, the military will field the AMK to every infantry brigade combat team, including active and National Guard units. Each brigade gets 15 of the High Angle Mountaineering Kits, eight of the Assault Climber Team Kits, and one Snow and Ice Mobility Kit. Units will now not be authorized to shop for their very own mountaineering equipment.
“Everything is standardized, and every component may have a countrywide Stock Number,” said Stanley. “If units require a replacement carabiner or rope, they’ll order a brand new one in the course of the supply system in place of purchasing it off of the shelf.
“Mountain combat is unforgiving. As well as fighting a determined enemy, you’re managing high altitudes, rocky and infrequently dangerous terrain and extreme temperatures,” said Stanley. “The AMK gives our Soldiers the equipment they should take and keep that vital high ground and complete their missions at peak levels of performance.”
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