New in 2019: Marines will be looking tacticool-er

The top Marine has been throwing a slew of new goodies at infantry Marines as part of an effort to overhaul the force for future warfare.

Some of that new gear might include new Ops-Core like helmets and Peltor headsets, gear known to be worn by Marine special operators known as the Raiders.

In 2018, the Corps ordered 97 mid-cut and 109 mid-cut and high-cut Enhanced Combat Helmets from Gentex Corp., the maker of the Ops-Core helmet, for user evaluations.

And the Corps is also looking at new headsets that could boost hearing protection and battlefield situational awareness.

The Corps wants to order between 7,000 and 65,000 of the headsets over several years.

“Marines have the earplugs and they do provide protection, but sometimes they choose not to wear them because they want to be aware of their surroundings at all times,” Steven Fontenot, project officer for Hearing, Eye Protection and Loadbearing Equipment at MARCORSYSCOM, said in a command release. “The new headset we want to acquire will allow Marines to wear hearing protection, yet still provide the opportunity to communicate and understand what is going on around them.”

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