Justin is a U.S. Army Special Forces soldier (Green Beret) and the founder of P3D Solutions (BreachPop).

Breaching: Those who do this for a living know those little hits add up!

When I started down the path to build what is now known as the BreachPop, I just wanted to build a tamped, shaped charge container to make me a more efficient assaulter.

Fits in a magazine pouch? Check.

Shortens MSD? Check.

Faster to build than standard charges? Double-Check.

Little did I realize (at the time) that by shortening MSD, and tamping with a water-polymer gel, I was also significantly reducing the overpressure generated!

While not as sexy of a topic as operationally popping my BreachPop out of an M4 pouch, capping in and blowing it with a CGS Pandora firing device from six feet away… it’s arguably more important to our longevity in the game.

In a generic pole of my friends (seasoned SWAT cops, Green Berets, SEALs and even a few Tier 1 guys) the consensus was we blow 500+ charges in training for every one we blow operationally.

Those who do this for a living and have done it for more than ten minutes (or ten years…) know those little hits add up.

My anecdotal research is supported by Dr. Christopher Freuh, et al., in his article Operator Syndrome.

Please read it if you do this for a living, but to highlight, it is suggested that approximately 85% of TBI injuries occur in training alone.

A shorter MSD without reducing your combat effectiveness

We have to train, period, and we can do it smarter.

The BreachPop is a tamped, shaped charge container that lets us run about half the net explosive weight (N.E.W.) of a traditional charge and achieve the same target effect.

This has been done over and over on the demo range, with reductions of up to 60% of the overpressure achieved.

Realistic internal breaching training events, with dozens of charges blown in a single training day, have shown a general reduction of 35–40% compared to the standard “training charge” with equal or greater target effects.

Less overpressure on the incident wave equals less reflective and residual overpressure, which is the bane of our existence inside.

Comparing the BreachPop training charges to full power charges is even more of a reduction; one test we did (full data on our IG) showed the full power interior charge creating 300% of the BreachPop trainer!

Cutting down N.E.W. not only saves the assaulters doing this day in and day out, but it also cuts down on wear and tear of your shoot house.

A dollar saved is a dollar earned, or something like that, so if we spend less on upkeep and maintenance, we can spend more on additional training and new kit and equipment!

The BreachPop is great in training for all the reasons above, but it’s important to remember I designed them for operational use.

What we achieve operationally is a shorter MSD without reducing your combat effectiveness.

We also create safer spaces inside by reducing those powerful colliding shockwaves, ensuring your two, three or four man doesn’t get flattened when you need them the most!

As a currently serving Green Beret, these are things that are most important to me.

De Oppresso Liber.

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