What are the standard issue military "tools" for various countries?

[lovenhim]

Hello everyone. My wife and I are watching a series on Netflix called Surviving The Cut which is about training of various branches of the US military. It is rather neat to watch. This got me wondering, what are the tools issued to the world's different military  branches? What items are issued such as multitools, flashlights, knives, sidearms, and riffles? Thanks for the help.

[Mercury]

 

I just want to see this too.

[jerseydevil]

If you're looking for a list of current issue small arms, that's something actually pretty easy to put together from my references.  Same with a historical list.    Flashlights and such, not so much.  As to rifles, here's a small list :

United States - US Army - M4 Carbine, USMC-M16A4 rifle

Canada - C7A2 Rifle - Canadian development of the M16

UK - L85A1

Australia - F88 Austeyr - version of the Steyr AUG

Netherlands - C7 Rifle

Norway - HK416 - another M16 derivative.

Russia - AK-74M

This could get to be quite a list, so I'll stop there for now.

[boss429]

I would like to know too. Seems like US military buys mostly off the shelf commercial items these days(flashlights,multi tools etc.) and different units buy whatever they need, not necesarily a standard issue item. Many guys just buy their own stuff like lights and multi tools, knives. This guy makes specilized stuff in small quantities for the guberment  www.countycomm.com
Cool little pry bars he makes for government:
http://www.countycomm.com/barfamily.html

his web site really has to be gone thru to find all the coolest stuff-he has some EOD stuff in there-not all indexed
The AAA flashlights are excellent,has sterile wrist watches too.

[scrappy]

I just want to see this too.

Same here but a great idea

[Smaug]

When I was in the army, there was a standard "kit" that was issued to everyone.

When deployed, the kit would be added to as someone saw fit for the area.

Standard kit, as I recall from the mid-90s for US Army:

• 4 sets of BDUs (battle dress uniforms) 2 hot weather, 2 cold weather
• 1 dress uniform, with short and long sleeves.
• A huge duffel bag, that when full, was all I could do to carry.
• A web belt (ALICE)
• 2 canteens for web belt
• 2 ammo pouches for web belt.
• A gas mask
• A backpack
• 2 sets of combat boots, to be alternated day after day
• Uncomfortable socks and underwear

When deployed, weapons would be issued:

• M16 for enlisted men, M9 (Beretta 92FS) for officers. This would be modified a bit. For example tank crews wouldn't have M16, or at least not full size A2s the rest of us had. No scopes, except for snipers, and they didn't have M16s.
• Grenades
• Smoke grenades
• A dull bayonet to go with the beat-up M16
• 7 magazines' worth of ammo

Uniforms would be re-issued as needed, though it sometimes took the government a while to catch up. I remember during the early war in Iraq, the troops had desert camo uniforms, but then green web belts. Kind of ruined any chance of actually being camoflaged. I think it took a while for them to get sand-colored boots, and sand-colored helmet covers too.

There's probably other specialized desert gear too, like anti-venom kits and more canteens.

Multi-tools and knives are not issued. (I think Marines get issued a Ka-Bar fighting knife) Neither are watches. The standard watch most troops bought in my day was the OD Timex quartz with nylon strap. The lume was terrible, and the battery was good for one year, and not a day more. (due to high friction plastic gears and no jewels in the movement) Lots of guys got G-Shocks as soon as they could. Other guys prefer automatic mechanical watches. While not as accurate, (+/- 15s per day instead of per month) a Seiko can go 20 years without service and still keep good time. Nowadays, there are solar/atomic G-shocks, but they're awfully thick to wear comfortably under uniform cuffs. Seiko divers are a troop favorite: good lume and very rugged and reliable.

The best things about being in the army were: never having to do laundry, deal with food prep and clean-up, or having to pay rent/mortgage. It took a while to get used to doing that when I got out. :) A little more available feminine companionship would have been appreciated at times. ;)

[lovenhim]

When I was in the army, there was a standard "kit" that was issued to everyone.

When deployed, the kit would be added to as someone saw fit for the area.

Standard kit, as I recall from the mid-90s for US Army:

• 4 sets of BDUs (battle dress uniforms) 2 hot weather, 2 cold weather
• 1 dress uniform, with short and long sleeves.
• A huge duffel bag, that when full, was all I could do to carry.
• A web belt (ALICE)
• 2 canteens for web belt
• 2 ammo pouches for web belt.
• A gas mask
• A backpack
• 2 sets of combat boots, to be alternated day after day
• Uncomfortable socks and underwear

When deployed, weapons would be issued:

• M16 for enlisted men, M9 (Beretta 92FS) for officers. This would be modified a bit. For example tank crews wouldn't have M16, or at least not full size A2s the rest of us had. No scopes, except for snipers, and they didn't have M16s.
• Grenades
• Smoke grenades
• A dull bayonet to go with the beat-up M16
• 7 magazines' worth of ammo

Uniforms would be re-issued as needed, though it sometimes took the government a while to catch up. I remember during the early war in Iraq, the troops had desert camo uniforms, but then green web belts. Kind of ruined any chance of actually being camoflaged. I think it took a while for them to get sand-colored boots, and sand-colored helmet covers too.

There's probably other specialized desert gear too, like anti-venom kits and more canteens.

Multi-tools and knives are not issued. (I think Marines get issued a Ka-Bar fighting knife) Neither are watches. The standard watch most troops bought in my day was the OD Timex quartz with nylon strap. The lume was terrible, and the battery was good for one year, and not a day more. (due to high friction plastic gears and no jewels in the movement) Lots of guys got G-Shocks as soon as they could. Other guys prefer automatic mechanical watches. While not as accurate, (+/- 15s per day instead of per month) a Seiko can go 20 years without service and still keep good time. Nowadays, there are solar/atomic G-shocks, but they're awfully thick to wear comfortably under uniform cuffs. Seiko divers are a troop favorite: good lume and very rugged and reliable.

The best things about being in the army were: never having to do laundry, deal with food prep and clean-up, or having to pay rent/mortgage. It took a while to get used to doing that when I got out. :) A little more available feminine companionship would have been appreciated at times. ;)

Thanks for this. I do not know why but I was under the impression that they got SOG or Gerber multitools and SOG knives and SureFire flashlights. I am not sure why I thought this, but I did.

[Sazabi]

I have heard that some units are issued Gerbers; it just depends, lovenhim.

[MeadMaker]

I'll have to check with my son to see what he was issued before he was deployed to Iraq in 2010.  Here is what I can remember.

Gerber multi tool.  It looked like an BO MP600
M4 carbine with M203 grenade launcher
Night vision gear that mounted on his helmet
Flashlight mounted on rifle

Some of the stuff he provided on his own.
Kershaw Blur
Camelbak Thermobak

This is a picture of him shortly taken by one of his buddies shortly after they got to their FOB and before they started going on missions.



He is a US Army Cavalry Scout.

[tattoosteve99]

Yep the BO gerber mp600. My friend at work was in Iraq and he said he picked up a "few" while he was there.

[dagelias]

hi! here is witch countries who uses Victorinox in the army:
- Switzerland
- Germany
- Netherlands
- Denmark
- Luxembourg
- Norway
- Slovenia
- France
- Ireland
- Australia
- Brunei
- Singapore
- Malaysia
- India
- South Africa
- Cyprus
- United Arabian Emirates
- Nigeria and Indonesia

[bushidomosquito]

This one always makes me grin.
http://www.strangecosmos.com/images/content/9359.jpg

[Threeme2189]

I think a few of the IDF units get issued a LM of some sort, but I'm not sure which ones.

[boss429]

This one always makes me grin.
http://www.strangecosmos.com/images/content/9359.jpg

lol-I think it's called the SAK "white" or maybe the "dull" version

Do the Germans paras still use a gravity knife? I know they surplused a bunch of them in the 90's. What does the US issue to cut para lines or is that even an issue these days?

[dks]

hi! here is witch countries who uses Victorinox in the army:
- Switzerland
- Germany
- Netherlands
- Denmark
- Luxembourg
- Norway
- Slovenia
- France
- Ireland
- Australia
- Brunei
- Singapore
- Malaysia
- India
- South Africa
- Cyprus
- United Arabian Emirates
- Nigeria and Indonesia

Not as far as I know; I will check later but I doubt it because of the cost.

[dagelias]

hi! here is witch countries who uses Victorinox in the army:
- Switzerland
- Germany
- Netherlands
- Denmark
- Luxembourg
- Norway
- Slovenia
- France
- Ireland
- Australia
- Brunei
- Singapore
- Malaysia
- India
- South Africa
- Cyprus
- United Arabian Emirates
- Nigeria and Indonesia

Not as far as I know; I will check later but I doubt it because of the cost.

I found the list from Victorinox facebook page.... 

[dks]

hi! here is witch countries who uses Victorinox in the army:
- Switzerland
- Germany
- Netherlands
- Denmark
- Luxembourg
- Norway
- Slovenia
- France
- Ireland
- Australia
- Brunei
- Singapore
- Malaysia
- India
- South Africa
- Cyprus
- United Arabian Emirates
- Nigeria and Indonesia

Not as far as I know; I will check later but I doubt it because of the cost.

I found the list from Victorinox facebook page.... 

I checked, as promised.
Apparently they may have been issued for a limited amount of time a few years back. Nobody is sure for how long but they are not issued any more;