In a dark demonstration room on the 12th floor of an office building within sight of the Pentagon, a small group of tech-hungry defense journalists recently took turns with a blue gun and the Army’s latest binocular night-vision goggles.

The two-and-a-half pound set doesn’t seem like much, but Army soldiers testing the device at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in the dark of night are raving about the clarity and increased situational awareness.