From Korea to Afghanistan, the lives of American Soldiers have frequently depended on properly functioning equipment in inhospitably frigid environments.

This fact led to a multiweek test of the Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon at the U.S. Army Cold Regions Test Center at Fort Greely, Alaska early this year.

The XM7 and XM250 are successors to the M4 rifle and M249 light machine gun that American forces have used for decades. The new weapons boast improved accuracy and range, weigh less and fire with less recoil even though their 6.8-millimeter round is larger than the two legacy weapons’ 5.56 mm cartridge.

“The big idea behind this weapon is for close-combat forces,” said Steven Prewitt, test officer. “It’s a capability gap-filler for infantry and special forces, not necessarily an M4 replacement. It gives them a different tool.”

Even when outfitted with a flash suppressor, the XM7 weighs less than 10 pounds. The new weapon has a standard rifle scope with an etched reticle, but also much more.

“It has adjustable modes of operation where it can act like a red dot or close combat optic,” said Prewitt. “It also has a corrected aimpoint: it has a ballistic calculator and range finder built in, so if you range a target it takes into consideration your environmental conditions, the distance to target, and the attitude of the weapon to ensure first shot accuracy.”

Soldiers from the Army’s 11th Airborne stationed at Alaska’s Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson supported the testing.

“We had an organic troop, which was nice,” said Isaac Howell, senior test officer. “We had the entire leadership from the company commander on down.”

The Soldiers and testers utilized the weapons in rigorous scenarios, from static and kinetic ranges at Fort Greely and Fort Wainwright to maneuver live fires and ultimately a 72-hour simulated mission across CRTC’s vast ranges. All the while, a team of 16 data collectors recorded information in the weapons’ battery life, hit-miss data on targets the Soldiers engaged, and a variety of human factors data involving utilizing the weapons in extreme cold.

“We knew it was going to be extremely fast-paced and that usually means there will be changes,” said Monica Gaschler, senior data collector. “We settled on 16 data collectors, which meant one data collector per three Soldiers. 14 went out in the field, and two stayed in house to do quality assurance on the data and write test incident reports.”

Extreme cold was a coveted commodity for this test, and the weather forecast delivered beyond the highest hopes of the testers.

“We were fortunate to have some pretty substantial cold weather for the duration of the test,” said Prewitt. “The last urban rifle marksmanship course we did was -54 degrees Fahrenheit when we started, so it was incredibly cold.”

“The Soldiers really got to experience what a long, cold day was,” added Howell. “Every day they went out one week it didn’t get above minus 20. The next week it was hovering in the minus 30 to minus 40 range all day, every day.”

The majority of data collectors who supported the test traveled from Yuma Test Center in Arizona, which like CRTC is under the command of U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground.

“It was an endurance challenge for data collectors from the desert,” said Gaschler. “It’s rare for data collectors to be out in the field in temperatures below minus 50 degrees, but they did it without complaints. They got every bit of data, and I am so proud of every one of them.”

“We’ve got a lot of data that is informing decisions,” added Howell. “It’s very fortunate that we had a good block of cold to test this equipment, especially something as prominent as the NGSW is going to be. It has definitely been a successful test.”

The NG-IHPS is the Army’s newest combat helmet, replacing the previously fielded Integrated Head Protection System, the Advanced Combat Helmet, and the Enhanced Combat Helmet. The combat-ready NG-IHPS consists of a retention system, suspension system, helmet cover and a night vision device bracket that is able to integrate a mandible protector, hearing protection, communications and heads-up displays like the Integrated Visual Augmentation System and the Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-Binocular.

“This fielding marks significant progress for Soldier protective equipment as it equips Soldiers with protection against relevant battlefield threats, and the innovative helmet design is a purpose-built platform for integration now, and with future Soldier-enabling devices,” said Lt. Col. Ken Elgort, product manager for Soldier Protective Equipment.

The NG-IHPS, which will be fielded to the close-combat force, interfaces with the next generation of night vision devices, while the mandible protector mounts onto the front of the NG-IHPS for additional protection. The mandible protector is fielded to 6% of the force operating in a mounted configuration.

“The NG-IHPS provides increased ballistic and fragmentation protection while reducing the weight required to previously reach this protection level by 40%,” said Maj. Matthew Nulk, assistant program manager of the Head Protection Team. “This is world-leading rifle threat protection we’re providing to our Soldiers.”

According to Alex de Groot, lead engineer for the Head Protection Team, “The boltless retention system and night vision device bracket mount on without compromising the helmet’s structural integrity, thus increasing protection.”

PEO Soldier will equip the 2nd and 3rd Brigade Combat Teams, 82nd Airborne Division, this quarter and will complete fielding to all close-combat force units over the next three years.

Program Executive Office Soldier is responsible for the rapid prototyping, procurement and fielding of equipment for Soldiers. NG-IHPS is part of the Soldier Survivability portfolio, the largest portfolio within PEO Soldier. The NG-IHPS is one part of the Soldier Protection System, which also includes the Modular Scalable Vest, the Ballistic Combat Shirt, the Blast Pelvic Protector and the Vital Torso Protection hard armor plates.

A squad of Soldiers from Fort Riley, Kansas, recently wrapped up a crucial two-week Soldier touchpoint on the Army’s XM30 Combat Vehicle program. The XM30 is a fighting vehicle that the Army will begin to field by the end of the decade, bringing new capabilities to the fight and transforming Armored Brigade Combat Teams.

“I appreciate the level of focus and interest the engineers and design team who are working on the XM30 have in our input,” said Sgt. 1st Class Isaac Busch, 1-18 Infantry, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division. “The XM30 will be a massive upgrade in lethality for our formations.”

Busch was one of a dozen Soldiers who spent much of January at the Detroit Arsenal, reviewing plans and interacting with mock-ups of potential future designs of the XM30, providing insights on what the Soldiers liked or didn’t like about the possible designs. Two vendors — General Dynamics Land Systems and American Rheinmetall Vehicles — are under contract by the Army to provide prototype vehicles for test and evaluation. Ultimately, one vendor’s vehicle will be selected, in late Fiscal Year 2027, for production. The touchpoint allowed the two vendors to get feedback from the ultimate end user before beginning to build the first prototypes.

“My Soldiers have hundreds, probably thousands of hours of on the ground experience in the Bradley [Fighting Vehicle], both as a dismount and in the turret,” Busch said. “We’re using that experience to advise on what we believe works best, based on that experience.”

Among the key features Busch noted and commented on in the future XM30 design were next generation optics, fire control systems and a 50mm weapon system, all of which he said will increase the ability of future formations to engage with and defeat new and greater threats on the battlefield.

Such inputs are at the core of the “Soldier-centric design” approach the Army is using to develop the XM30, which will replace the M2 Bradley in infantry and scout formations.

“The Soldier, specifically our infantry squads, will be the ones who are using the XM30 on the battlefield of tomorrow. It only makes sense to get their inputs on how the vehicle is designed,” said Brig. Gen. Geoffrey Norman, director of the Next Generation Combat Vehicles Cross-Functional Team (NGCV CFT).

The NGCV CFT is working closely with the Program Executive Office – Ground Combat Systems (PEO-GCS) and other Army commands on the development of the XM30. Both NGCV CFT and PEO-GCS are based at the Detroit Arsenal, the center of the Army’s vehicle design prowess and of the nearby American automotive industry.

The Soldier touchpoint included a number of practical drills, such as timing how long it took a team of Soldiers to dismount from various possible vehicle design configurations. It also included more nuanced discussions about access and placement of panels that provide exterior situation awareness for the Soldiers, and how the engine will be accessible for field-level maintenance. One conversation focused on the configuration of the vehicle’s rear access ramp, which directly impacts a Soldier’s ability to enter or exit the vehicle quickly.

The January Soldier touchpoint is part of the ongoing series of iterations between the Army and the two vendors that have marked the XM30 effort from the start.

Another insight from the touchpoint centered on an area one may not generally consider a priority for an armored combat vehicle — comfort for the Soldier.

“You may have Soldiers who are going to be in the compartment for a long time. You want those Soldiers to be as fresh as possible, ready to immediately dismount and be at top performance to engage an enemy,” said Staff Sgt. John Buenavista, another of the Fort Riley Soldiers who participated in the touchpoint. “I look forward to what XM30 will bring to my unit, whatever unit I may be in, as they start to roll out.”

Thirty-three, two-person teams of military snipers from around the world competed in the 53rd Winston P. Wilson (WPW) Sniper Championship (National Guard) and the 33rd Armed Forces Skill at Arms Meeting (Inter-Service) December 1-8 at Fort Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center. These championships allow service members to test sniper skills and weapon systems in a battle-focused environment.

This year’s sniper championships included international competitors from Colombia, Denmark, and the Netherlands.

The guest of honor at the awards ceremony, marking the triumphant conclusion of the highly competitive event, was Maj. Gen. Jonathan Stubbs, Arkansas’ adjutant general. His presence added honor to the celebration, recognizing outstanding achievements in marksmanship.

“Marksmanship is not just about hitting a target. It’s about discipline, focus, and precision. These are the same qualities that make our National Guard Soldiers the best in the world,” said Maj. Gen. Stubbs.

“The Winston P. Wilson Championship and the National Guard Marksmanship Training Center are integral to the success of our Soldiers in maintaining their marksmanship proficiency,” Stubbs said. “Through these institutions, our Soldiers are equipped with the necessary skills to protect our communities and defend our nation. A strong marksmanship program is essential for the safety and security of our country, and the National Guard is proud to lead the way.”

The WPW sniper competition began in 1971 and has been held annually to determine the best shooters in the United States National Guard. This year’s 53rd WPW Sniper Champion is Utah National Guard. Shooters are awarded the prestigious Chiefs 50 Marksmanship Badge on behalf of the Chief, National Guard Bureau. The Chief’s 50 Marksmanship Badge was established to provide evidence and public recognition of outstanding marksmanship abilities demonstrated at the National Guard Championships.

In addition to earning the Chief’s 50 Badge and the Overall Championship Team Trophy, the Utah National Guard received the Chief David R. Logan Sniper Team Trophy. The 2nd place winner is the Iowa Sniper Team. Iowa shooters are also recipients of the Chief’s 50 Badge.

The Armed Forces Skills at Arms Meeting (AFSAM), established in 1991, is a multi-national competition created to promote marksmanship training and competition between United States military forces and allied nations. This year’s 33rd AFSAM Sniper Championship winner is the 2nd Special Warfare Training Group. The AFSAM championship ran concurrently with the WPW championship and incorporated the same fire courses.

This competition is designed as a training tool for US and Allied armed forces, immersing them into situations they could encounter in the real world. Attendees learn to maneuver and shoot in a carefully orchestrated chaos that mimics a battle-like environment. This allows participating teams to hone their current skills and develop new ones.

2023 National Guard Sniper Competition Results

WPW Sniper Team Champions:

• Utah National Guard, 1st Place   
• Iowa National Guard, 2nd Place
• Missouri National Guard, 3rd Place

WPW Specialist Christopher Horton Precision Engagement Memorial Trophy: 

• Utah National Guard

WPW Silent Hunter Team Champions: 

• Washington National Guard

WPW Carbine & Pistol Champions:

• Iowa National Guard

AFSAM Sniper Team Champions:

• 2nd Special Warfare Training Group, 1st Place
• Netherlands (Alpha), 2nd Place
• Naval Special Warfare, 3rd Place

AFSAM Precision Engagement Team Champions:

• All Guard Sniper Team

AFSAM Silent Hunter Team Champions:

• Operations Wolf Group

Carbine & Pistol Champions:

• 1st BN 75th Ranger Regiment

Screaming Eagle Division Soldiers at Fort. Campbell just completed training and testing the Army’s 6.8mm family of Next Generation Squad Weapon-Rifle (NGSW-R), NGSW-Automatic Rifle (AR) and the NGSW-Fire Control (FC) systems.

Troops of Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and members of 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, undertook New Equipment Training on the NGSW.

“The New Equipment Training gave the Soldiers a good base before coming out and using the NGSWs,” said Infantryman Sgt. Jack Scott, a team leader in Alpha Company.

Their training covered the similarities and differences between the new weapons and the legacy 5.56mm M4A1 Carbine and M249 Squad Automatic Weapon systems, focusing on enhanced lethality.

“We did a lot of training with both static and maneuver ranges, so the product of Soldier you get now, during the live fire, is high quality due to all of that training,” added Scott.

Once complete with new equipment training, Soldiers tested the NGSW in a Limited User Test, or LUT, in a crawl-walk-run method to ensure all operational data is collected on the weapon, as well as user integration with the new equipment.

Alpha Company and 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment initially conducted static qualification and variable distance ranges with legacy weapon systems and NGSW, to compare performance of both and give Soldiers repetitions and familiarity with the NGSW.

Alpha Company 1st Sgt. Justin Babb appreciated the benefits of participating in an operational test and the opportunity for his junior Soldier’s feedback to contribute and impact Army modernization.

“The candid feedback that the Soldiers and NCOs provided during focus groups and surveys will provide the Army with perspective from the lowest level of user that will actually use the system,” said Babb.

Major differences between the legacy M4, M249 systems and the NGSWs were immediately noticeable by the Soldiers.

Spec. Maximiliano Arguindegui, an automatic rifleman with 1/75th Ranger Regiment, said, “Overall, I feel faster with the M249, but I prefer the NGSW-AR because it makes me more lethal.”

Scott added, “Stopping power with the 6.8 round is a big improvement compared to the M4 and M249 and having the ability to use with or without the suppressor is a huge feature for the support by fire element.”

Leaders of Alpha Company also said participating in a test with the Operational Test Command enabled them to get after their internal readiness.

Alpha Company Commander, Capt. Jordan Mares, said, “Being a part of the NGSW test absolutely supported our company readiness. The LUT gave us opportunities to hone our craft, practice lessons learned with feedback from subject-matter experts, and the ability to conduct a lot of repetitions to practice small unit tactics.”

Staff Sgt. Ivan Alvarez, a Squad Leader with Alpha Company, was initially skeptical of the NGSW.

“When we first started the LUT, I was very against the NGSW-R,” he said. “I’m used to the M4 — it’s lighter — I’m used to the recoil, the engagements, everything the M4 has to offer. But, as we went through the LUT with the NGSW-R, I can see the capabilities that it brings to an infantryman, especially at a longer distance.”

Alvarez also said testing the new weapons gave his squad added training opportunities.

“We got after a lot of training that we would normally have to wait months to set up and accomplish,” he said. “We were able to get more marksmanship time, more range time, and were able to train under various environmental conditions.”

Another squad leader with the Rangers provided his observations on the training benefit while participating in an operational test.

“We were able to get reps in on a new weapon system as well as our legacy equipment,” said Sgt. Joseph Martin. “We were able to train on many basic things that we want to train on every year, but condensed to get more repetitions, as well as live fire iterations for our younger, inexperienced Soldiers.”

Senior leaders from around the Army met both virtually and in-person for the Army Modernization Equipping Conference, Dec. 4-7 at Army Materiel Command headquarters.

The AMEC, held semiannually, brought together leadership from the four major Army commands and Headquarters Department of the Army staff sections to synchronize equipment distributions and displacements in line with Army priorities and Regionally Aligned Readiness and Modernization Model phases to achieve cohesion throughout the Army.

“We’ve been busy supporting allies and partners in multiple theaters, and that’s impacting the Army’s equipping decisions and enterprise,” said Lt. Gen. Chris Mohan, AMC deputy commanding general.

He hailed the AMEC as a key Army synchronization conference and for being an important forum that provides the chance to review equipment fielding and modernization while resolving friction points.

In addition to equipping and modernization discussions, the AMEC also addressed special topics, including Second Destination Transportation, the Decision Support Tool and an update on the Rapid Removal of Excess pilot program, which wraps up Dec. 15 at Fort Liberty, North Carolina and Fort Stewart, Georgia.

“We’re here to support the Chief of Staff of the Army’s emphasis on continuing transformation and building the Army of 2030,” said Bryan Shone, Army G-8 deputy director of program analysis and evaluation.

Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Randy George charged Army Materiel Command to pilot a new program aimed at increasing equipment on hand readiness through focused fielding, lateral transfers and divestiture. Since October, active units at both installations have been turning in items ranging from small electronics and general supplies to military vehicles at their respective Modernization, Displacement and Repair Sites.

“Lessons learned from the R2E pilot program are being captured by AMC, Army Sustainment Command, 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command and U.S. Army Forces Command, all of which have a stake in unburdening our Soldiers,” said Eric Cowan, AMC divestiture team lead.

Cowan discussed the potential expansion of the pilot program and the transfer options for collected equipment, including the potential transfer of equipment to U.S. Army Security Assistance Command for partner nation opportunities for foreign military sales.

Both Mohan and Lt. Gen. Paul Calvert, FORSCOM deputy commanding general, praised the pilot program as well as 3rd ESC and the Army Field Support Battalions at Fort Liberty and Fort Stewart for rapidly identifying and collecting thousands of pieces of equipment.

“We’re going to take a pause to capture what we learned and apply it to the next iteration of the pilot program,” Calvert said. “But ultimately, we’re seeing that we’ve met the intent of unburdening the Soldier.”

The Army is using data and analytics to not only capture the amount of excess equipment in the field, but also to extend the predictability of logistics into the future for combatant commands in the European and Indo-Pacific theaters. By having better visibility of equipment and the condition it is in, AMC can predict MDRS and Organic Industrial Base operations one to two years ahead of time.

As the AMEC concluded, the resounding sentiment from participants was one of commitment to modernization and strategic alignment, underscoring the Army’s dedication to staying at the forefront of military sustainment.

“As we continue to synchronize with other big Army-wide conferences, the AMEC is only going to get better,” Mohan said. “It will continue to be the driving force behind senior leader decisions.”