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The Army is making playing cards to help soldiers identify Iranian and Russian weapons systems
Soldiers will soon be getting a new deck of playing cards displaying Iranian and Russian weapons systems, because if you're going to waste time playing cards, you might as well learn something useful.
While training cards picturing Chinese equipment, weaponry and nomenclature have already been disseminated, the Army is still working on decks featuring Russian and Iranian equipment as well, according to Megan Reed, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) spokeswoman.
One of the Chinese World Equipment Identification cards.Photo: TRADOC
"TRADOC developed the Equipment Identification Training Cards as an education tool to train the next generation of soldiers and leaders," Reed told Task & Purpose.
"The cards depict equipment and weapons systems used by several countries identified in the National Defense Strategy. Historically, training identification cards have been used to assist soldiers in recognizing combat vehicles, equipment, and their capabilities."
These cards may sound familiar — during the invasion of Iraq, playing cards were developed that featured the names and faces of the most-wanted members of the Iraqi government. The Russian and Iranian cards are expected to be available later this year.
The equipment cards can be requested by commanders through local Training Support Centers, Reed said, adding that approximately 33,000 sets of each deck of cards are expected to be produced. The Chinese cards feature systems like the Self Propelled Howitzer, Infantry Fighting Vehicle, Anti-tank Guided Missile, Combat Engineer Vehicle, and more.
All I know is, Go Fish just got a little more intense.
The Navy relieved a decorated explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) officer on Thursday due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command, the Navy announced on Friday.
Mattis: No, the war in Afghanistan isn't ‘just one undistinguished defeat after another’
Former Defense Secretary James Mattis, who led a Marine task force to Afghanistan shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, said the Washington Post's recent reporting about the U.S. government's pattern of lies about the war over the last two decades is not "revelatory."
Mattis, who was interviewed by the Washington Post's David Ignatius on Friday, also said he does not believe the U.S. government made any efforts to hide the true situation in Afghanistan and he argued the war has not been in vain.
Here are 10 key quotes from Mattis regarding the Washington Post's reporting in the 'Afghanistan Papers.'
Get ready for some gun-fu: Both 'John Wick 4' and 'Matrix 4' will be premiering on the same day in 2021
The Keanussance is upon us.
John Wick will be back and so will Neo, on the same day. According to the Hollywood Reporter, John Wick 4 and Matrix 4 will be sharing a May 21, 2021 release.
The Taliban may not have breached the walls of Bagram, but they damaged the hell out of its main passenger terminal
Blasts from Taliban car bombs outside of Bagram Airfield on Wednesday caused extensive damage to the base's passenger terminal, new pictures released by the 45th Expeditionary Wing show.
The pictures, which are part of a photo essay called "Bagram stands fast," were posted on the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service's website on Thursday.
Has justice actually been served for the USS Fitzgerald disaster?
Editor's Note: The following is an op-ed. The opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Task & Purpose.
Shortly after seven sailors died aboard USS Fitzgerald when she collided with a merchant ship off Japan in 2017, I wrote that the Fitzgerald's watch team could have been mine. My ship had once had a close call with me on watch, and I had attempted to explain how such a thing could happen. "Operating ships at sea is hard, and dangerous. Stand enough watches, and you'll have close calls," I wrote at the time. "When the Fitzgerald's investigation comes out, I, for one, will likely be forgiving."
The investigations, both public and private, are out, and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released a report assessing the changes to training implemented since the collisions.
So, am I forgiving? Yes — for some.