HESCO: putting earth between you and bad guys

GEAR CHECK: Our readers don't just follow the news - they stay ready. Featured gear from this story is below.

Jamie Goldstein

This tiny little spit of land no bigger than a football field was remote, isolated, and protected only by guard towers. The entirety of the perimeter was constructed out of a massive wall of HESCO barriers.

If you deployed to a forward area, you’ve probably seen and relied on HESCO barriers to keep bad guys from reaching out and touching you where you ate and slept. You might have even filled a few using an e-tool or your helmet, depending on how resourceful your command was or wasn’t.

My first tour in Iraq started in 2005. My Company utilized a Forward Operating Base (FOB) in the middle of nowhere called the Lions Den. This tiny little spit of land no bigger than a football field was remote, isolated, and protected only by guard towers. The entirety of the perimeter was constructed out of a massive wall of HESCO barriers.

When I was moving around the FOB, I felt safe having seen these wire baskets of dirt stop blasts from rockets, small arm fire, and 120mm mortar rounds. So yeah, I have kind of a biased affinity for HESCOs.

Well us young guns weren’t the first generation of the warrior blood line to utilize these things. Actually, HESCO barriers were first used as means to protect families and properties from destruction as they faced incoming storms of the fiercest nature.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Keeps blast out, keeps blast in. Video Courtesy of <a href="https://twitter.com/BritishArmy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BritishArmy</a>, 11 EOD Regiment RLC assisted Kent Police with a WW2 German bomb at the former RAF Malling site near Maidstone, making the device safe for the site’s redevelopment. <a href="https://t.co/AUY946hi5R">pic.twitter.com/AUY946hi5R</a></p>&mdash; HESCO (@HESCOGroup) <a href="https://twitter.com/HESCOGroup/status/1262356056778342400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“From this need, the innovative wire-mesh gabion system, with geotextile lining and rapid deployment features was created. This innovation became the HESCO Concertainer Unit, later acknowledged as the most significant development in field fortification since WWII.”

Nowadays, HESCO’s portfolio includes border security solutions, hostile vehicle mitigation, environmental and security barriers, and ballistic resistant armor plates.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The city of Kamloops, BC are protecting critical infrastructure from floodwaters using Hesco barriers. Story credit to <a href="https://twitter.com/KamThisWeek?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KamThisWeek</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/flood?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#flood</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BritishColumbia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BritishColumbia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kamloops?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Kamloops</a> <a href="https://t.co/1l0qzwrfHF">https://t.co/1l0qzwrfHF</a> <a href="https://t.co/j0vaZceDI1">pic.twitter.com/j0vaZceDI1</a></p>&mdash; HESCO (@HESCOGroup) <a href="https://twitter.com/HESCOGroup/status/1260537428437282817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

HESCO continues to innovate earth-filled barriers with one thing in mind: Their legacy was borne from one need to protect critical assets from harm using “rapid, reliable and robust solution[s].”

You may also like

Blog

President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” joint military exercises with South Korea, just as the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield drills began on August 17. Trump cited the cost of the exercises, Seoul’s refusal to support U.S. actions against Iran and his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
A U.S. Army armored force faced Ukrainian drone operators during the Combined Resolve exercise in Germany this spring, and the results exposed how difficult it can be for conventional armored formations to survive in a battlefield dominated by reconnaissance and FPV drones. The exercise has given American commanders another real-world lesson from Ukraine's war with Russia.
President Donald Trump reportedly left a NATO summit in Turkey aboard a smaller military aircraft after U.S. intelligence detected a credible Iranian threat against his aircraft. The elaborate deception reportedly involved Trump being moved from Air Force One in a catering truck while journalists and some White House staff remained aboard the presidential jet.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has filled six senior military positions created or left uncertain after commanders were killed during the U.S.-Israeli war that began on February 28. The reshuffle puts experienced IRGC figures into key positions while giving Ali Abdollahi control of Iran’s top military command structure.
New Orleans has begun using artificial intelligence to handle a limited category of 911 calls, marking a major step in the automation of emergency communications. Officials say the system is designed to prevent human dispatchers from being overwhelmed by duplicate calls during major incidents, while critics warn that even limited AI involvement could create risks when every second matters.

Like This Story? Check Out What Our Community Is Buying

Our best sellers are designed for real-world use - not hype.

View Best Sellers