Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1519846
ments of the kit emerge, Polish co- unterparts of US FM (field manuals) need to be created - these are hand- books that guide the soldier, clearly, through any area of military life. Of course, in our case, everything related to "Operation KITj" should be the star- ting point. Unfortunately, most of the equipment and weapons have no ma- nual at all, or the form factor is indige- stible, far from what could be defined as neat, compact, and simple. Even if such a form exists, the manuals are kept locked by the company chief - they could get damaged or lost! For the Grot rifle, a good manual, good in- struction, and good training materials would make it possible to eliminate a majority of issues right from the very start. A database with manuals and tra- ining materials needs to be created in a digital format - created to teach the soldiers to properly operate the new equipment. This solution has been battle-tested by the Americans since the Vietnam War, and it turned out it really works! Why not capitalize on that experience? Declarations suggesting that chan- ges would happen to the training pro- cess do exist. From now on, "train as you fight" would be the key training philosophy adopted, with the soldiers using the full set of gear for training, with body armor becoming second skin for the troops. We will see. "Operation KITj" has been launched and is underway. I deeply hope it ga- overalls available solely to airborne, cavalry, mountain infantry brigade recon units. And this is not done per capita now, but as needed - so if you need some, and if they are available in storage, you'll get them, if not - well, you have a problem. It does not seem to snow for any other units then, ri- ght? This is just one example of systemic absurdity. But there is more. And "Operation KIT" could potentially rec- tify the situation. The possibility of getting extra equip- ment shall be given to the soldiers. Not like twenty years ago, with the infamous delivery of new elements of the kit. The US Army could serve as a model here, offering the soldiers a chance to procure small items or counterparts of items drawn from the inventory. But it should not be like: "Here are some boots, if you don't like them you can buy yours your- self". It should rather be like: "Here is a pair of good, solid boots, designed to make you feel comfortable when completing the assigned task if you want a different model, based on your experience - go buy yourself another pair". Here, it would be enough to cre- ate a list of items that MUST NOT be replaced (helmet, ballistic plates, uni- form, and so on), and define relevant norms and requirements that must be met by the replacements. Funding the procurement, discounts, or other allowances still needs to be discus- sed. Or some kind of financing. Last, but not least, as the new ele- ANALYSIS