READING MATERIAL: SOLDIER AND TECHNOLOGY 2024

Every year, "Soldat und Technik" comes back and for us, it's almost like Christmas because there's so much to read in terms of equipment - and it's from an author team that represents uncompromising expertise. This year's issue was "organized" by us at Enforce Tac 2024 and enjoyed reading it in the meantime because reading is known to educate. There are many topics such as

Armed forces and operations:

• The "new" Division Rapid Forces: The light and rapid forces of the Army (Author team Division Rapid Forces)
• Fuel cells from SFC Energy sustainably supply operational forces with energy (SFC Energy)
• Strategic communication with special forces (Press officer in the Special Forces Command)
• Army mountain guides (Markus Schubert)
• The VINCORION power suppliers impress in operations with practical advantages (VINCORION)
• Medium forces in the capability spectrum of the ground forces - Introduction in the German Army and their opportunities as drivers of modernization (Frederik Fischer, Daniel Wollgarten, and Jörn Schneider)
• Combatting and countering micro drones (Waldemar Geiger)
• The changed role of Ukrainian infantry in national defense (Andrew White)

Drones are a topic of the future, brought to the forefront here by Waldemar Geiger.

The German special forces have recently received the P14 and P14K as new pistols, but there's more to come. Hendrik Engelhardt gives a comprehensive overview. All of this is part of the section

Small arms and devices:

• The small arms projects of the Bundeswehr: A concise overview (Hendrik Engelhardt)
• Optical and optronic high-performance paired with robustness and reliability (STEINER-Optik GmbH)
• Shoot faster and hit better. Assault rifle optics - from iron sights to fire control sights (Jan-Phillipp Weisswange)
• Real-time fire control systems by SMARTSHOOTER: The SMASH product family heralds a new era in the field of small arms (Smart Shooter Europe GmbH)
• Assault rifle G36 and its successor model 58 (Alex Lanzinger)
• 40mm grenade launchers: Force multipliers in dismounted combat (Kristóf Nagy)
• Versatile fire support for infantry and mechanized infantry: Mortar weapon RSG60, grenade launcher SSW40, and intelligent top-attack anti-tank weapon "Area Defence Weapon" (Rheinmetall AG)
• Heavy machine guns (Thomas Lauge Nielsen)
• Machine cannon calibers - is bigger always better? (Thomas Lauge Nielsen)

Optics are now an essential part of every weapon - from pistols to assault rifles. JP Weisswange introduces the topic and provides an overview of the current range of possibilities.

The magazine naturally focuses on the German Bundeswehr. So, of course, it covers in detail the new assault rifle, the HK416 from Heckler & Koch and its accessories.

Yes, we say with enthusiasm. The author of the article in Soldier & Technology 2024 has a more nuanced approach to the topic, we must admit.

The soldier is what he wears. Here too, the wheel turns quickly, if one doesn't want to talk about a "turning point." The section documents current gear topics

Clothing and equipment

• Permanent working group clothing: Tasks & topics in detail (Konrad Rogler)
• Military clothing - Quo vadis? (W. L. Gore & Associates GmbH)
• Study on the 3D customization of protective equipment for female soldiers of the Bundeswehr using 3D body scanning technology (Marina Weiße)
• Ballistic protective vests in the field police force - Protection component versus wearing comfort (Rainer Schönfisch)
• From daypack to load-bearing frame - military backpack systems (Jan-Phillipp Weisswange)

No Future? War yesterday. Soldiers have a future again because they are necessary for the defense of freedom. While the Bundeswehr focuses a lot on basic equipment, it also researches for the future. And the magazine shines with the following topics:

Leadership, Networking, and Reconnaissance

• 120 years of innovation at the Ulm site (Daniel Kromberg / Elbit Systems Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG)
• Communication in combat situations (Waldemar Geiger)
• The connection of audio, data, and power supply for the modern soldier (Imtradex Hör- und Sprechsysteme GmbH)
• A unique combination for maximum protection (Imtradex Hör- und Sprechsysteme GmbH)
• Soldier systems of the future - current programs (Sidney E. Dean)
• Revolutionary fiber optic products for military use (ODU GmbH & Co. KG)
• Backpack-carried COMINT systems - multiple applications (Thomas Withington)
• Master the spectrum with the Multi-Role-EloKa systems from L3Harris (JK Defence & Security Products GmbH)

Combat Vehicles and Mobility

• "As modular as possible, offering as many variants as possible" (Interview with Sebastian Schaubeck, Managing Director of ACS)
• "Arrive unnoticed at the shore - underwater vehicles for special forces" (Peter Felstead)

CONCLUSION: Lots of reading material for little money. And also exciting. Where else can you find such dense information on military equipment, exciting in a compact overview? SPARTANAT Reading Recommendation.

You can get the Wehrtechnischer Report Soldier and Technology 2024 directly from the MITTLER Verlag. The magazine costs Euro 16.90 plus shipping costs - ORDER directly in the MITTLER Shop. For readers who want to protect the German forest, there is the digital PDF edition for 11.00.

The MITTLER REPORT on the Internet