| Forward Observations Group | |
| Logo Upright: | .5 |
| Currentowner: | Derrick Bales |
| Country: | United States |
| Markets: | military lifestyle, apparel, medical equipment |
| Website: | http://www.forwardobservations.com |
Forward Observations Group, (nicknamed FOG), is a military lifestyle brand[1] [2] founded by former U.S. Army infantryman Derrick Bales, that sells tactical gear and branded accessories and operates "popular military lifestyle social media channels" on Instagram[3] and YouTube.[4] The group has traveled to Ukraine, Iraq, and Syria to make connections with local fighters there and to shoot photo and video from the Russian invasion and Syrian civil war.
According to Vice News, in May 2021, pictures of Bales and other FOG members in the Donbas region of Ukraine attracted criticism and media attention for tagging members of the ultranationalist Azov Battalion, and raised questions about whether FOG were documentary journalists or actual combatants. In one video members of the group were shown in the back of a car driving along a highway approaching the Donetsk Airport, the site of intense fighting between Ukrainian government forces and Kremlin-backed separatists. Other posts showed Bales and other group members holding assault rifles and other weaponry.
On March 11, 2022, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement that "warned of potential chemical provocations in Ukraine" and accused U.S. "special services" and "radical Ukrainian groups" of plotting a chemical weapons attack against Ukraine as a false flag to blame Russia.[5] [6] The statement specifically alleged that, in December 2021, “Ukrainian radicals delivered 200-litre metal barrels with foreign markings to Donetsk Oblast. As they were being unloaded, four Ukrainian soldiers received severe chemical burns and poisoning. The general coordination of the delivery and warehousing of hazardous freight was carried out by the staff of the private American military contractor Forward Observation Group (based in the state of Nevada).” The Russian statement provided no evidence for the claims, which were denied by both Bales and the U.S. State Department, which called the allegations "preposterous," and as a “false pretext we have been warning the Kremlin would invent.”
According to Foreign Policy, "Social media channels linked to the Wagner Group have been marketing T-shirts featuring a soldier swinging a sledgehammer onto a horned skeleton’s head—the logo of the Forward Observations Group". This is a reference to the murder of Yevgeny Nuzhin, who was tortured and executed by the Wagner Group on accusations of treason.[7]
FOG also has been active in sourcing medical supplies, gear, and money for Ukrainian fighters and foreign volunteers.
FOG is credited with the invention of the oft-copied "Roll 1 Trauma Pouch" in 2017, which one of their former 18D's originally designed and fabricated for SOF operators in Syria.[8] [9] It is a type of IFAK intended to be worn in the opening of the rear body armor plate pocket where it is located out of the way while adding lumbar support for full-kit vehicle rides; though with hook and loop Velcro interface it can be worn on the front of a plate carrier, or on a battle belt. According to FOG, "the name Roll 1 is a reference to the medical terms relating to levels of care: Role 1 or Echelon 1 is medical support integral at the tactical level that provides immediate life-saving care, first aid and triage. Role 2 is med support at a higher/larger level where Role 1 usually send patients for MEDEVAC. Roles 3 and 4 are specialty surgical capabilities and long-term definitive care."