There are a lot of books about Special Forces. Some written by former SF individuals and some not. To be clear this post is regarding books about the specific unit in the United States Army known as Special Forces or otherwise as the Green Berets. Other “special” units are often confused with the term “Special Forces” by our media and those not in the know. In most foreign militaries the term “Special Forces” does encompass all “special” units within. But this is not the case for the United States. When referring to US Military units there is only one Special Forces. Navy Seals, Airforce TACPs, MARSOC and so on are NOT Special Forces. They instead ALL fit under the larger category of Special Operations Forces (SOF) along with SF.
These are the most memorable and informative books specifically regarding Army Special Forces that I have read. I would recommend every one of them to anyone wanting to learn more about Green Berets.
There is a lot happening this year in the world of night vision. AB Night Vision is responsible for the nearly bullet-proof RNVG (Ruggedized Night Vision Goggle) that has made a huge impact on the NOD community. It looks like (just in time for SHOT Show) they are announcing two new housings. The ARNVG (Articulating Ruggedized Night Vision Goggle) and the RNVG-VG (VG = Variable Gain). This is big news for those of you who prefer aluminum dual tube housings. The two things that the original RNVG lacked (according to some) was variable gain and articulating pods. Now there are a couple of new options on the market.
ARNVG – image from Night Vision Inc social mediaRNVG-VG – image from Night Vision Inc social media
AB is not very active on social media but their dealers are. Off the top of my head we have Steele Industries Inc and Night Vision Inc showing it off on their social media.
Early reports (not verified) indicate that the ARNVG housing will go for around $2,400 (no optics or tubes). No word yet on the RNVG-VG.
Night Vision Inc says they will have units available for viewing at SHOT Show this year at Booth 60004. Steel Industries Inc has stated the same. Both firms appear to have units ready to sell on their website.
This is an interesting read from Defence Blog regarding a mystery device found on a pro-Russian member of the Wagner Mercenary group in Ukraine. It appears to be an IR threat detector. Which should be able to detect infrared laser energy used for aiming at night or with laser range-finders. The best part about this story is that the unit was found WITH the operating manual.
While I was not aware of this product and it definately doesn’t have that “Russian Look” that I am familiar with it is not really a novel idea. The Hel-Star Designator Threat Alert (DTA) is supposed to have this capability built into an IR becon package and of course this type of idea has been used for a long time in fighter aircraft and even civilian cars for avoiding speeding tickets.
If you don’t understand what the purpose of this device is it would give the wearer a warning if there was an active infrared designator targeting them. Likely with a buzz or sound and from any direction. Always good to known second before the bullets start flying.
I have added a new “where to buy night vision” page under the overall Night Vision section. This will be a ever expanding section that lists the known (to me) night vision dealers currently available.
Friend of the blog Joe filmed and put out this comparison between the (gas) suppression of an IWI Galil Ace and an LMT MRP AR15 (more info on each gun below). Interesting results. Make sure to give Joes channel a follow.
From the video description: IWI Galil Ace Gen 1 5.56 (8.3in) -KNS adjustable piston -Rex MG7 .224 suppressor
LMT MRP 5.56 (10.5in) -Carbine length gas -Dead Air Nomad 30
I was planning several posts (and ongoing) regarding the testing of different “militarized” fabrics. Specifically how they perform under infrared illumination. Instead of individual posts I have decided to compile all of this information into the single page.
30MC has has added a new Night Vision section to the top NAVBar here on the site. The first resource in there is a PRE-101 write-up about Getting Started in Night Vision. If you are interested in The Dark Arts give it a read. It might save you some time… and regret.
Below is a comparison table of 19 different industry optics magnifiers. Specifically the add-on type that can be flipped-to-side when not needed. From the expensive to the … less expensive. I can’t claim credit for any of the research here. I was given this chart by someone who got it off of the Light-Fighter Manifesto discord server. Just passing it along. I am sure someone out there needs this.
Isaac Botkin knocks it out of the park again with one of his explanations/exploration videos. In this video he explains how GPS works. Why you need a stand-alone unit in your kit and just how fragile the entire system is. This video is completely worth your time.
