PEO Soldier is fieldinga new flash-resistant pullover hood for Soldiers in combat who are, as my colleague Greg Grant over at Defense Tech reveals, are more susceptible to highly explosive IEDs in Afghanistan than they ever were before.

The military can bang all the radio frequencies it wants, hunker down behind six inches of steel plate and wave as many bomb-detectors around as it can, but in the end, the last line of defense is the stuff that's right up next to your skin.

The new Lightweight Performance Hood is essentially a souped up FR balaclava that sports a cooling mesh dome on top to keep your Kevlar-covered noggin cool. The hood works as well at fire-resistance as the older Anti-Flash Hood, but balls up to a fist-sized package that can fit in a grenade pouch.

Lightweight Performance Hood from PEO Soldier on Vimeo.

Too hot during your patrol, pull the hood down around your neck and use it to beat the body armor chafe and eat up some sweat. When you get back into that Humvee for MRAP to RTB, roll the bad boy back over your head and get the full NASCAR look for fire protection.

Says PEO Soldier: The LPH is Foliage Green and blends very well in most environments. It is further concealed by the Soldier’s helmet. With the Army’s decision to provide FR uniforms in MultiCam to Soldiers in Afghanistan, PM SCIE “will be evaluating a color adjustment in the near future” for the LPH to ensure a good match with MultiCam.

More on the Marine gear front, it turns out the Corps is on the cusp of fielding a new sleeping bag and associated gear that dramatically reduces the weight and bulk of the current Modular Sleep System.

The so-called Three System Sleep System, or 3S, basically comes with a 10-degree synthetic fill bag, a compression stuff sack and a bivy sack that incorporates a small pole that keeps the head area clear so the bugs can't sting your schnoz.

In an ongoing effort across the spectrum of individual equipment to lighten the load for the individual Marine, the 3S is warmer, drier, smaller and lighter based upon advanced commercial materials and designs. The 3S provides approximately 12 degrees more protection than the green patrol bag of the currently fielded Modular Sleep System (MSS) and is 0.7 lbs lighter with less comparable packed volume.

What SysCom has realized is that you can save a lot of weight and room if you supply a 10-degree bag and tell Marines to wear their fleece and long johns in the bag to boost warmth. You can just keep layering on clothes as the temperature drops. The addition of a bivy cover helps trap some heat, boosting temps as well. It's a great idea that I've employed on my winter trips to Iraq, where temps can drop into the 20s and 30s at night. I hardly ever saw any Marines using their heavy black bag, and those that did were either vehicle crewmen or hating it because of the weight and bulk.

Sleeping Bag - single sleeping bag with center zip for easy use, adjustable draft collar, antimicrobial lining to reduce odor, two sizes for better cold protection and fit.

Bivy Cover - one size, fully encapsulating for superior weather protection, adjustable standoff to keep bivy off the face, large screen window, breathable but waterproof.

Compression Stuff Sack - waterproof, simple 2 compression straps with hands free air purge valve for minimum packed volume that fits into main ruck, exterior pocket holds visual user guide to effectively use the entire 3S.

Mesh Storage Bag - 3S storage item for garrison use to maintain insulation and waterproofness that is degraded when left in compression stuff sack.

SysCom says the new bag is over 2 pounds lighter and eats up 500 cubes less than the black intermediate cold bag of the MSS. That's a big break for grunts...

The Corps has bought a limited number of the 3S for Centcom deployers (Afghanistan) for around $500 each and is still working to determine a final supplier to outfit every Leatherneck.

ADS Tactical is the subcontractor supplying these first systems right now, along with Cascade Designs (MSR) and Clay Creek.

The Marine Corps was the first in the game to recognize the advantages of fire resistant uniforms for its front-line grunts. Back in 2005 and 2006, Marine field commanders began issuing their grunts in Iraq flight suits to help them survive the flash burns of a roadside bomb. That gave way to the Fire Resistant Organizational Gear initiative, which developed specific uniform items for the grunt that went beyond the 70 percent solution of the (expensive) Nomex flight suit.

Building on that theme, the Marine Corps is set to field a new Inclement Weather Combat Shirt that helps leathernecks keep warm in cooler fighting seasons. According to Marine Corps Systems Command, the IWCS:

...is a pullover shirt that provides protection from flame threats (FR protection) as well as protection from cold and wet weather, from wind and water. Produced in Desert MARPAT, the IWCS provides flame resistance, water resistance, wind resistance, has breathability and is compatible with all other currently fielded Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). It is designed to be worn over the Combat Shirt and under the currently fielded Marine Corps body armor systems.

While not providing specifics on the materials, from the photo they sent me and the description of the shirt, it looks like the sleeves at least are made of a softshell material that resists moisture and wind, but isn't wind proof or waterproof. This is a perfect mix for high aerobic pursuits like, say, combat...

What's interesting is this also seems to edge out the utility of the Combat Desert Jacket the Corps developed with some difficulty back in '06 (the original manufacturer got the colors wrong). For the fighting Devil Dog, the IWCS will likely be the go-to gear since it fits beneith the tactical vest or plate carrier. A very cool (warm) idea for the Corps as it sets up for the hard press in Afghanistan.

According to SysCom, the $172 jak-shirt will hit the streets within the next few months (3Q FY2010) and "we will be ensuring that sufficient quantities will be available for next winter for all Marines deploying to CENTCOM (end 2010/early 2011)," SysCom said.

It was all the rage when it came out a few years ago -- well, maybe sevenish -- that everyone in the general purpose forces just had to have a vertical grip on their M4/M16. The geometry of shooting instruction changed with the widespread use of the grip -- which sometimes hides cool nicknacks like bipods and lights.

But as colleague Greg Grant pointed out, Magpul has come full circle on their training and hardware offerings with the Angled Fore Grip that puts the foreward hand back in the horizontal instead of vertical.

Well, EMA Tactical has a different spin on the idea with their MGRIP system that attaches to the forward edge of an M16/M4's standard magazine well. This simple, streamlined little gizmo seems to be sort of a cross between the vertical grip and the Magpul idea.

A significant number of shooters like to hold onto the magazine well to provide shooting stability. Our new grips provide a comfortable solution. These ambidextrous grips are positioned at a balancing point on the rifle providing a comfortable no slip carry option. Three different models provide the user with their choice of magazine grip.

The MGRIP and MGRIP1 attach to a Picatinny rail, while the MGRIP2 attaches directly to the mag well. I too see a lot of troops using the mag well as balancing grip for their forward hand and it looks like this low-profile device could give a little extra stability when it counts...but I'm no tactics instructor, so I'd be interested to hear what our informed readers think of this idea.

PS -- This (Israel-based) company has a host of interesting ideas, including the Countdown Magazine and the RONI pistol rifle (which I will post about soon). Below is my video I posted after shot on EMA's Countdown Mag.

Friends of Kit Up over at ProfessionalSoldiers.com dropped us a line yesterday to ask for help in raising awareness of a new organization they're involved with that helps the Army Special Forces community out of a pinch.

There are a lot of organizations internal to the Army and even more outside who help Soldiers and their families when hardship hits -- whether it's an injured warrior, a KIA hero or mom and kids who've hit a hard patch when their operator is away -- but sometimes things fall through the cracks and all the resources out there aren't enough.

That's where the Green Beret Foundation steps in. Think of it as a ArSOF QRF.

Through individual donations, the GBF helps families with travel to clinics and other medical-related expenses not covered by TRICARE, rehabilitation costs and memorial services -- among others. The folks behind this organization aren't doing it out of disinterested altruism...they're doing it because they're a part of the community and know its needs.

So check out the Green Beret Foundation and contact them if you want to help America's 'Quiet Professionals.'

The Army has already announced thatit will begin fielding MultiCam combat uniforms to units deploying to Afghanistan in the summer. But PEO Soldier released some more specific information the other day on its blog that goes into more details.

The first MultiCam ensembles will go out around July and the first units to get them will be 4th Brigade, 10th Mountain Division at Fort Polk, LA; 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, CO; and 2nd Brigade, 34th Infantry Division of the Iowa Army National Guard, the Army says.

Now Joes already in country probably won't see MultiCam threads until at least October.

"We're still working with US Forces Afghanistan on when they want us to come over and do that, because it's still a burden on them -- they're conducting combat operations, and to have to take a unit out of the fight for a day or two for us to swap out all their gear is disruptive," said PEO Soldier's Col. Bill Cole.

"We'll rely on them to determine who gets it and when."

Each Soldier will get four sets of uniforms in MultiCam and four combat shirts with coyote brown torsos and MultiCam sleeves. Joes will also get full MOLLE pouches, helmet cover and IOTV in MultiCam, which is a bit of a switch from the current experiment, where Soldiers only got plate carriers in MultiCam.

Cole said it's up to the institutional Army on wear policy both in and out of theater. But he did mention that it looks as if the 10th, 101st and 82nd will be the go-to units to deploy to Afghanistan so Soldiers in those divisions should hold on to their MultiCam suites.

"So for Soldiers who are deploying back [to the US] they'll probably redeploy with their [MultiCam] MOLLEs and IOTVs and we'll work with those bases to stock MOLLE and IOTVs in MultiCam to support future operations out of there."

My colleague at Soldier Systems Daily raises a good point, however. Don't go getting all over eager to sport your Gucci Crye duds and run out to Ranger Joes to buy a pair. The Army wants Soldiers to wear FR-rated uniforms and you don't want Command Sergeant Major to roll you for wearing the wrong threads.

And one other thing to note: PEO Soldier conducted a survey of Soldiers who participated in the field evaluations of UCP-D and MultiCam. The favorability rating for the UCP-D was in the 70s over the UCP for the 4th ID troops who wore them. But the MultiCam group liked their Crye duds around 93 percent more than the UCP.

"If I were to say generally Soldiers liked the UCP-D but they really loved the MultiCam -- those that got it," Cole said.

It's like a scene from Apocalypse Now...the fire's crackling, the guitar is strumming, the beers are popping -- you just laid waste to a VC village with Wagner blaring from the crew compartment...

What better way to celebrate a full day of 100 percent unleaded American Firepower than a down home barbecue with the lads.

The Washington Post's John Kelley wrote a poignant piece todayabout an Army Joe who wanted the best damned steaks this side of the Korengal. He'd been flipping through some mags at the MWR and ran across this high speed grill maker in the DC area called Grillworks and asked the dude for some spare parts so he could make a FOB version with the help of his Afghan friends.

Turns out "SSgt. BBQ 's" letter got the owner of Grillworks' patriotic heart strings a'strummin' and four custom, deployable  FOBGrills were sent AKO to said Joe.

Now, as any of you BTDTs know, it ain't like you can pop down to the Harris Teeter to grab of prime T-bone in those parts...

"What you have to do is like beg and barter," [SSgt. BBQ] said. He worked contacts, and his contacts worked contacts, until the chopper flights to his base held cases of chicken breasts and the occasional steaks for his thrice-weekly barbecues. He and his friends stockpiled condiments from the dining hall. He glazed with packets of sweet and sour sauce and marinated with apple juice and pineapple juice, salt and sugar.

Oh, come on...try it with some goat, why don't you!?

A great story from the Post and a major shoutout to all those troops who are trying to bring a little bit of the Saturday evening Q to the Sandbox.

"Someday this war's gonna end..."

COMING UP:Armor advances and helo intercomms...

My colleague at Defense Tech, Greg Grant, forwarded me this pic a few days ago that comes from a Foreign Policy magazine article on Chinese military strength, and it was noteworthy to both of us because of the intriguing camo pattern on the PLA trooper and the vehicles he's driving.

I know very little about the specifics of PLA gear and weapons, but Military.com has a good friend who looks at this stuff from all angles and does a lot of translating of Chinese military publications and documents.

Martin Andrew is an Australia-based analyst who publishes the newsletter titled "Gi Zhou" which goes into very specific analysis of PLA military doctrine (the latest push is toward "joint operations that combine information and firepower" using special operations, helicopter assets and light armor) and weaponry (the PLA is outfitting many of its light armored vehicles with a new 30mm cannon based on the Ukrainian Shkval gun). If anyone knows what's going on with this new digicam, he would.

So I pinged him on the issue and he said that the PLA has more than 15 different camouflage schemes and that this picture was taken during a practice day for a Chinese military parade in October '09 "where everyone was digital."

The uniforms might go digital for operational units but the vehicles would inordinately expensive. Then again they might for selected units. I believe that some of the vehicles on the parade might have constituted the bulk of the PLA’s holdings of that vehicle, eg CJ-10 cruise missile launcher, so for operational units using these vehicles this may be true.

But he adds that this could be a seasonal camo scheme, since later pictures of those vehicles and units show the typcial woodland schemes of previous PLA armor and uniform sightings. For example, the German Army in World War II painted their armor in white using water-based paint that could be easily removed when the environment changed.

The irony, of course, is that after flirting with digital (after the Marine Corps jumped out of the box on digital back in 2003), the US Army is in a fundamental rethink of the pattern. So, in the next parade will we see PLA troops and vehicles in SinoMultiCam?

Coming Up: AfCam distribution schedule and combat grillin'...

I just ran across an Air Force article that mentioned a series of "town hall" style meetings with senior NCOs, officers and flight line Airmen to discuss issues surrounding the Air Force's series of uniforms.

"Air Force leaders want to know the uniform needs of our Airmen," said Maj. Eric Habersberger, AFUO deputy chief. "This is the best way to find out. We go out to our Airmen performing the mission to learn about their needs and what we can do to help."

The AFUO conducted seven different sessions.  At Hill AFB, four sessions were conducted with enlisted and three with officers.  And, seven at Maxwell-Gunter, five with enlisted and two with officers.  Each uniform item was discussed, from the Airmen Battle Uniform to the service dress, with several Airmen bringing in uniform items to better illustrate their concerns.

Predicably, the Air Force story says the meetings were "a huge success" without providing any evidence.

But I bet I know one gripe brought up at these town halls: whose idea was it to throw Airmen -- especially ones working in ground-pounder units at JTACs and TAC-Ps -- in tiger striped camo patterned in the same colors as the manifestly unpopular UCP?

It's interesting that the Air Force jumped on the "universal" camo pattern/color bandwagon right after the Army did and probably based some of its justification for doing so on the relative success of the UCP in Iraq (why that 'success' occurred is a matter of debate). But now it seems the Airmen on the ground aren't too keen on wearing their Airman Battle Uniform when the bullets are flying. Our TAC-P buddies in the picture up top would undoubtedly rather be garbed in something like the good Capt. Brooks below.

Now, I talked to a source who has NOTHING to do with the decisionmaking on the Army's uniform, but is well tapped into the issue from a Capitol Hill and culture standpoint and he thinks the service will cave and go all MultiCam. I have my doubts, but if that happened, how do you think the Air Force would feel if it had just spend all this time, money and effort to field a new uniform in the same colors as the UCP to have the service that developed it kick it to the curb.

I'd like to sit in on that uniform feedback meeting...

COMING UP: Chinese digicam and Army MultiCam issue gouge...

Sorry for the delayed posts, folks, but I spent the day on the road yesterday and couldn't get to the keyboard to write.

One thing I wanted to make sure all you Joes heading to The 'Stan knew about was the new set of wheels you'll be getting to navigate the jagged peaks and scree-covered gorges of RC-East.

These custom-designed boots made by a couple different manufacturers for the Army including Danner and Welco, feature a rugged Vibram sole with tread specifically designed to grip on the varied mountain terrain in Afghan's east. The all-leather uppers have rugged, grippy outsoles with full toe to shin eyelet lacing -- they essentially mimic hard-core hiking boots available from reputable climbing equipment companies like Lowa, Scarpa and Asolo.

One cool thing about these boots is that the heel has a special design that gives Joes extra purchase on descent. The heel is sort of hooked on the forward edge, helping grab rock and roots when a fully laden Soldier is working his way down to the whadi.

PEO Soldier's Col. Bill Cole said the boots have been trickling into theater for about seven months so far, with troops from the 10th Mountain receiving one pair per Soldier along with his or her normal compliment of straight up combat boots (and he added that EVERY Soldier was getting them, not just combat arms Joes). But Cole also offered the possibility that every Soldier deploying to the Afghan theater will receive two pairs in his or her kit bag.

As always, we'd love to hear from our readers who've actually used these boots in the field and get the gouge on what they think.