Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/929822
Elements of the ALICE are quite common. You can still easily find brand new pieces. For years, ALICE has undergone a series of modifications and the pur- pose of this article is to present changes in particular parts over that time. When I am looking for new pieces for my collection, I often encounter situations when the ALICE name is used with regard to elements that do not and never belong to that system. A lot of doubts are also raised by designations such as LC-1, LC-2 and – oh, the horror – LC-3 (which is not even supposed to exist, as well as by issues related to colors. I hope I will manage to clarify all the doubts. As I already mentioned in the article on ALICE packs, all individual equipment was divided into Fighting Load and Existence Load. Existence Load included packs with accessories: frame, shelf, and straps. Fighting Load covered all the combat equip- ment. ALICE equipment is a "classic" belt-kit system that consists of: main belt, harness, magazine pouches, canteen cover, first aid dressing case and entrench- ing tool carrier. ALICE gear was adopted in early 1973, but not all of the elements of the system were completely new. In the case of Fighting Load, the belt, suspenders, maga- zine pouches, and the e-tool carrier were introduced as new elements that were assigned new FSN. However, the system included two elements that had already been standardized and produced, i.e. the canteen cover and the dressing case. Upon being entered into use, ALICE was adjusted to other, new elements of equip- ment that appeared at the end of the 1960s and early 1970s, i.e. 30-round M16 magazines, a new, foldable e-tool, a new "butterfly" canteen cup, and a new type of first aid dressings. The history of nylon gear The LINCLOE program, a bedrock for ALICE (both Fighting and Existence Loads), as well as the vest for M79 grenade launcher, was initiated mainly due to conclusions made on the basis of two works: 1962 "A Study to Reduce the Load of the Infantry Combat Soldier" and 1964 "A Study to Conserve the Energy of the Combat Infantryman". The LINCLOE was initiated due to the QMR (Quantitative Material Requirement) submitted in 1965. Despite the fact that the LINCLOE was approved on 27 April 1966 by the AMCTC (Army Materiel Command Technical equipment