A United States Army officer shares a modified combat rig that could offer service members a more optimized alternative to the traditional TAPS, or tactical assault panel system. In November, we spoke with 1st Lt. Zachary Calderone of the 25th Infantry Division during the Army's Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center, or JPMRC, training exercise in Hawaii. JPMRC is a large-scale 10-day training exercise where the US Army, along with international partners, utilizes realistic combat scenarios that prepare soldiers for battle with peer adversaries like China.
Based in Oahu, the 25th Infantry Division typically trains for combat in jungle environments. On this day, Calderone's platoon was operating in the Pōhakuloa Training Area on the island of Hawaiʻi. While the tactical assault panel system is one of the Army's standard combat rigs, Calderone was tasked by his unit to test out a prototype optimized for jungle warfare.
Calderone breaks down the differences between what he calls the "jungle rig" and the standard TAPS rig, pointing out how the new rig offers superior adjustability and breathability.
Based in Oahu, the 25th Infantry Division typically trains for combat in jungle environments. On this day, Calderone's platoon was operating in the Pōhakuloa Training Area on the island of Hawaiʻi. While the tactical assault panel system is one of the Army's standard combat rigs, Calderone was tasked by his unit to test out a prototype optimized for jungle warfare.
Calderone breaks down the differences between what he calls the "jungle rig" and the standard TAPS rig, pointing out how the new rig offers superior adjustability and breathability.
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TechTranscript
00:00 If I'm fighting in the jungle, I want something different than if I'm fighting in Alaska or if I'm fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan.
00:08 This is a product of fighting in the Middle East.
00:10 They were going to FOBs, refitting, and they were going out to fight.
00:13 So you only had to worry about carrying the stuff you needed to fight, right?
00:17 But now, especially in the jungle environment, we don't have that luxury.
00:21 You have to sustain yourself and move long distances and then continue to fight.
00:26 The purpose, I think, of this is to kind of bridge that gap between sustainability and fighting.
00:31 I'm First Lieutenant Zachary Calderon. I'm First Platoon platoon leader.
00:35 I'm Charlie Rock, CACTI, and I'm about to introduce you guys to the jungle rig
00:40 that I'm testing out, optimized for jungle operations.
00:44 So obviously, we're not in a jungle environment right now.
00:47 We're currently in Pahukalua Training Area, otherwise known as PTA, or the Big Island of Hawaii.
00:52 But this rig is applicable for not just a jungle environment, but basically any environment we fight in.
00:58 Okay.
01:00 So from top to bottom, you have the harness itself, which is made of super lightweight material.
01:08 Same thing with these straps.
01:09 Like I said, six-point adjustable harness, drop extenders, you know, when you need to put your ruck on.
01:16 Something I really like about it is you can take all these clips off, too.
01:20 So like these clips right here, I could take all these clips off and I can just make it a belt.
01:26 Overall, like the theme is like modularity and customization, and that's, I think, super important.
01:32 Because like I said, you never know which environment you're going to fight in.
01:35 Like a couple days ago, we were in the jungle in Oahu, and now we're on the Big Island,
01:39 and basically, you know, an open desert, I guess.
01:42 And again, left to right, double mag pouches.
01:46 Generally put mags in there.
01:47 They have these bungee corsets to kind of tighten it down.
01:51 So if I want to use the flaps, I can use the flaps.
01:53 If I don't want to use the flaps, it's got a, you know, a bungee stay right here.
01:57 Just a tourniquet on the outside that I have ready to go.
02:00 Again, my adjustable Nod pouch.
02:04 You could fit like a one-liter Nalgene in there, and a one-liter Nalgene water bottle.
02:08 And then I have my giant sustainment pouch.
02:12 Again, it's like a status card, laminated status card, signaling, IR chemlights.
02:18 My leader's book with a little tie-down strap.
02:24 My leader's book, it's basically just a notebook that I use to plan.
02:29 In my notebook, I have some, what's called bump cards for helicopters,
02:36 if we're air assaulting or anything like that.
02:39 And these are used just to basically tell, you know, have the serials for all my
02:43 sensitive items and whatnot.
02:47 And then I have some protractors, map markers.
02:50 And then I have some overlays, some map overlays.
02:55 So generally when we plan, I don't write on the map ever.
02:58 I'll just write on these overlays, and then I'll put that over top my map
03:03 and kind of have like my, you know, mission graphics on these instead of my map itself.
03:10 We bought, as a battalion, we bought some stuff from this company, Esotech.
03:13 Included like 249 pouches, dump pouches, slings, just various different things.
03:19 And one of the guys that works up at S4, the lieutenant's up there,
03:23 which is like the logistics cell of our battalion, he reached out to the CEO.
03:28 CEO got back to him and wanted to build some like jungle-specific rigs and equipment.
03:36 My buddy, Marty Chris, who's up at S4, he hit me up and was like,
03:39 "Hey, you know, would you mind testing this out with your platoon?"
03:41 And I was like, "Yeah, absolutely. I'd love to do that."
03:43 You know, I took my platoon out.
03:45 We all went out and did like a quick ambush and kind of started that relationship.
03:49 And then since then, we've just been going back and forth
03:52 with gear and testing different things out.
03:56 I have my map, nothing fancy. I usually just put in a Ziploc bag.
04:00 And this map is just currently all of our AO that we're operating in right now.
04:06 And then I've got face paint, because you need face paint.
04:10 VS-17 signaling panel.
04:13 Yeah, so that's basically everything in my sustainment pouch.
04:17 So I'm moving over, I have my IFAC. It's a rip-top, rip-open top.
04:24 This particular one isn't SOTEC, but it's the same exact design,
04:28 or pretty close to the design that he has.
04:30 Got some gauze here, more gauze.
04:33 Or I got some bandages, gauze, tape, chest seals, some combat gauze in Israeli,
04:40 pressure bandage, and some NPAs.
04:44 I usually, I like to keep my tourniquets on the outside.
04:49 That's why I have it right here, just so I can have like super easy access.
04:52 Have the canteen pouch, the adjustable canteen pouch.
04:56 I made this bungee, like corset, go around it, so it'd cinch down to my radio.
05:03 And then rotted it out, just two more mags.
05:06 So I have the capacity to carry eight mags total.
05:10 And as a PL, or a platoon leader, like I don't need eight magazines.
05:15 So I usually just dish those out to my guys.
05:18 If I'm fighting in the jungle, I want something different than if I'm fighting in Alaska,
05:24 or if I'm fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan.
05:27 We have Sergeant Leota, one of the most badass NCOs in Charlie Rock,
05:32 and honestly the battalion, really.
05:34 He's rocking the standard issued TAPS, do you know what TAPS?
05:39 Tactical Assault Panel that pretty much most of the Army has.
05:44 So there's six dedicated mag pouches built into it, all Velcro.
05:49 And then there's two at the very end, which are meant for radios or more magazines if you want.
05:56 It's got MOLLE row, three rows of MOLLE on the front of it.
06:02 He's got his standard IFAK upside down, so it's a lot easier to access for him,
06:08 or anyone else who needs it.
06:10 This pouch is actually one of the SOTEC pouches, the adjustable ones he's rocking.
06:15 It's got like a split Y harness on the back of it, so three buckles here, and then a fixed buckle here.
06:21 He's also rocking a gun belt, and most of our dudes are wearing gun belts,
06:25 but none of those are issued, unfortunately.
06:28 On his gun belt, he has most of his mags.
06:30 Standard issued double mag pouches, Velcro, a dummy magazine,
06:35 or anything he finds in the battlefield that he deemed important for intel.
06:40 And then this is the standard issued canteen pouch he's got here.
06:43 Most dudes rock their night vision devices in the pouches, and that's pretty much it.
06:50 The big difference is the level of outflow you have for air, right?
06:56 So for heat to escape, right?
06:57 So on this, he's got a lot of air, and he's got a lot of air in his pouch.
07:03 For heat to escape, right?
07:04 So on this, all the heat's trapped right here,
07:07 especially when he's got it fully loaded down with full combat load, right?
07:12 Whereas me, I have nothing here.
07:14 So all the weight is pretty much on his shoulders, right?
07:20 And for me, it's the same way.
07:22 My weight's on my shoulders, but I can easily adjust this to sit at my waist
07:25 when I'm not wearing a rucksack or whatever it is.
07:28 As far as ease of access goes, I have eight mags right here,
07:33 basically right here on my front left and right.
07:36 Super easy to access no matter what hand.
07:38 I can carry a lot more on this and still move faster.
07:45 You have a lot more points of adjustment.
07:46 So I can tailor this, since I said six points of adjustment,
07:49 I can tailor this to whatever I'm doing, right?
07:52 With this, once you adjust it, and I correct me if I'm wrong,
07:55 most guys just, once they adjust it, it stays that way
07:59 because it's a pain to readjust, right?
08:02 With this, the cool thing about it is I have these extenders,
08:05 so I adjust it to sit the way I want it to when I'm fighting,
08:11 when I just have this rig on and not a rucksack or something.
08:15 And then when I'm rucking, all I have to do is hit these adjustments
08:18 and I'm good to go.
08:20 It's a quick adjust kind of thing.
08:21 This is an evolution of itself.
08:22 So before this, you had the Flick, the fighting load carrier, I believe.
08:26 It was basically just a vest.
08:28 And that had even less ability to adapt, right?
08:32 This is a product of fighting in the Middle East
08:35 is because they were fighting, they were going to FOBs,
08:38 refitting, and they were going out to fight.
08:39 So you only had to worry about carrying the stuff you needed to fight, right?
08:44 But now, especially in the jungle environment,
08:46 we don't have that luxury where we're operating out of FOBs
08:50 and we have strong support from battalion or brigade or whatever it is,
08:54 and you have to sustain yourself and move long distances
08:58 and then continue to fight, right?
09:00 So the purpose, I think, of this is to kind of bridge that gap
09:03 between sustainability and fighting.
09:06 And I think with this, you don't really get that as much.
09:10 It's good for what it was meant to do.
09:11 You can detach this, these two straps, and you can hook into a plate carrier.
09:18 But then again, like I said, you're just carrying more weight
09:20 and you have to modify your rig again,
09:22 whereas opposed to this, you can just, if you wanted to,
09:25 throw your plate carrier on and you're good to go, you're good to fight.
09:29 You have everything right here.
09:30 So I think this is a step in the right direction, honestly,
09:33 in terms of the jungle environment.
09:35 Yeah, I mean, I like it.
09:39 I like it a lot in the jungle environment.
09:41 I've noticed when I'm actually moving, maneuvering through the jungle,
09:45 I don't sweat nearly as much as I did with my old rig and my gun belt.
09:50 And with this thing, I can kind of do it all, you know?
09:53 I can super easy take off, rip this off.
09:56 Half the time, I don't even need to wear this.
09:57 This is just for to keep it kind of close together.
10:00 And then unbuckle this and I can just don it off.
10:03 It's super easy.
10:04 So, I mean, that's something also I didn't really talk about earlier,
10:07 but if I'm doing like combat water survival stuff,
10:11 I mean, this thing is incredibly easy to take off.
10:13 It's just one belt buckle away, you know,
10:16 swim out of it and I'm out of my rig.
10:19 So if there's gear out there, you know,
10:22 that allows guys and girls to move faster,
10:26 move longer distances, then why not?
10:29 Yeah, I think overall, I think it's good for a really good step
10:32 in the right direction for jungle operations.
10:36 (Music)