Homeland Security Forum MT 3/2022 · 83 IWI Highlights New-Generation Riot Control Suit The new suite going through its paces in training. (Photo: IWI) Israel Weapon Industries (IWI), an SK Group company, showcased the patented GAL Versatile Protective Suit (VPS) at the MOC Prison Riot Event last month, in collaboration with the Special Operations team of the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR). In demonstrations throughout the event, staff highlighted the suit’s unique ability to reduce trauma sustained by up to 95%. Adaptable to multiple scenarios, the lightweight system provides protection from trauma injuries. The latest generation has been significantly modified, enabling it to withstand even more significant trauma, while maintaining its position as the lightest protective suit currently available. The GAL VPS absorbs massive kinetic trauma, is flexible and easy to wear, and is available in a three-level operational solution, offering a vest and arm and leg protectors, all anti-trauma. Weighing just 4.4kg at W2 and 5.9kg at W4, its unique design is suitable for users of all sizes. The system comes with an anti-abrasion coating as standard, with flame retardant material on request. Coupled with the ultralight bullet-proof and anti-stab vest and ballistic helmet, the GAL VPS is the most up-to-date, versatile protective suit available today. Moreover, it has achieved German standard VPAM KDIW 2004 Cubic/Wurfel. “By changing the geometry of the GAL VPS, we have increased the level of protection it offers, decreasing the intensity of impact by 95%, to just 0.7-1.5 joules,” says Ronen Hamudot, Executive VP of Marketing and Sales at SK Group. “The MOC Prison Riot event facilitates tactical training and technology deployment demonstrations, resulting in candid practitioner feedback that shapes the law enforcement and corrections industry on an international scale. During the event, the West Virginia DCR Special Operations team will illustrate the enhanced performance of the GAL VPS, with the goal of the training teams to improve their capabilities and meet challenges. We are proud of this unique collaboration, and look forward to further collaborations with law enforcement forces around the world.” UK Signs First MINERVA Satellite Contract The UK MoD has launched its MINERVA space-based ISTAR programme with an initial contract worth £22 million ($29million), awarded to Guildford-based Surrey Satellites Technology Ltd (SSTL). The deal will see SSTL build a “washing-machine-sized” 150kg spacecraft, which will help provide “a robust understanding and analysis of the integration activities, test environments and interfaces required to establish and maintain UK MoD rights to freely operate a space-based Intelligence Surveillance and Recognisance (ISR) capability,” according Homeland Security Forum NCI Agency Completes Multi-Year Civil Emergencies Project with Balkan Nations The NATO Communications and Information (NCI) Agency has completed a five-year programme of engagement with four Balkan countries, during which a new command system was established to assist nations in managing and responding to civil emergencies. The Advanced Regional Civil Emergency Co-ordination Pilot (ARCECP) programme formed part of NATO’s Science for Peace and Security (SPS) initiative, and involved entities from the United States as well as European members of the Alliance. The project began in 2017 and concluded in March this year, with participation from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and North Macedonia. Each nation received an iteration of the new Next-Generation Incident Command System, and had it configured to suit its individual requirements. The open-source platform was developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Lincoln Laboratory, in collaboration with the US Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate and the US Coast Guard. The NCI Agency ran the project, providing technical and subject-matter expertise and managing the acquisition of equipment. “The project is a good example of how NATO can contribute to helping member and partner countries respond to emergencies,” said the Agency’s project manager, Filip Hostiuc. “The NCI Agency supported the implementation of an effective open-source solution for civil emergencies in the Western Balkans to enhance national and regional capabilities.” As a result of the project, Croatia was able to use the system when responding to an earthquake in December 2020; Bosnia and Herzegovina hosted the first NATO international exercise to highlight the system; Montenegro became the first nation to use it on a national exercise; and North Macedonia adopted the system for national use in 2019. “The SPS programme supports practical cooperation between NATO member and partner countries on security-related civil science and innovation, and this project is a perfect example of why we do this,” said Dr Eyup Turmus, programme manager. “It has contributed to enhancing countries’ capacity to respond to civil emergencies and built a robust community of experts, including scientists and engineers, who worked together to share knowledge and collectively improve this system.” Hostiuc and Turmus have co-authored a book about the project, Enhancing Capabilities for Crisis Management and Disaster Response, published by Springer Nature. The five-year project included a number of exercises as well as weekly meetings between participants to help hone and develop the system. (Photo: NCI Agency)
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