by Max Velocity
I laughed once when a reviewer on [this book] tried to make out that it was somehow too basic a Manual, as if there were really some super-secret squirrel techniques out there that I had not revealed LOL. There are different ways and means of accomplishing tasks but the basics and principles are the same, and being good at the basics and applying the principles is what is needed. That will win and keep you alive. Perhaps also, the techniques appeared obvious once laid out in the manual, but I for one did not know the various tactical techniques before I had trained in and experience them operationally. Perhaps they just look easy when laid out in detail.
Please don't be seduced by the over complication of trotting out military FMs. You need to learn, but you need to learn the right stuff that works. Get the basics and understand the principles of why you do stuff. Then you will be able to apply that to situations you face in order to come up with the best plans and devise the best tactics to achieve your mission.
Blog Post
Camping after the SHTF:
This is an extract of some comments I made on a forum and the follow up. The background is that the envisaged scenario is more family survival in a WROL SHTF situation, rather than resistance operations against enemies 'foreign or domestic'. See my other post on 'tactical overnighting in the woods' for a more operational point of view:
Just a few thoughts on how you may have to adapt your camping once the S has HTF.
Assuming you have bugged out somewhere and are camping, because we are talking civil breakdown and all that, we have to assume that there are potential bad guys out there. This will mean that your camping will have to take on a more tactical form. Without going into too great a detail, here are a few factors you may want to think about:
1. Location: pick a concealed location preferably without an obvious access route, allowing you observation of the approaches to your campsite. Try to not be with others, unless they are part of your group i.e. don't be at a National Park campsite. Try to conceal your location. Avoiding trouble by using concealment is the best policy.
2. Light and noise discipline. No lights at night, keep the noise and goofing off down. This means no campfire at night, lamps etc. You are not camping; you are surviving in the woods. If they see your campfire, they are coming.
3. Cooking: tied in with the light thing, you should consider getting all your cooking done in daylight and eating earlier.
4. Security: make sure you have sentries out, even if this is just a roving guard. Also, use buddies to go do tasks, such as hunting or collecting water or wood.
5. Have a 'stand to' plan for if you are bumped by bad guys. Initially the sentry will be engaging them, but the rest need to roll out, grab weapons and move to defensive positions.
6. 'Bug Out": as part of the 'stand to" plan individuals should be designated to pack stuff up, organize kids, and get ready to move, whether you are camping by foot or with vehicles. You will likely need to move locations after a contact with bad guys, even if you get the upper hand. Either way, pack up, provide covering fire, and bug out to an established emergency rendezvous (ERV) location. Rally, check status and move off.
A question received:
'How often would you recommend moving the site? Would that help at all? Or is it best to remain in one spot till you are found (suspect someone is on to you) then move?'
Answer: That is a very interesting question and will depend on the circumstances. If you do suspect that someone is 'on to you' then you should move immediately before they get a chance to attack you in place, and keep moving until the threat passes. That could also lead into other types of response: if you are genuinely in a situation where someone is after you or following you then you should consider some type of ambush (offense being best form of defense) if you have the capability in order to take the initiative away from them.
When I wrote the original post, it was more security procedures in general, not specific. If you are out there and you don't suspect you have been noticed, then there is no real limit to how long you could stay in a place. You may be really well hidden so don't move just for the sake of it. Also, the more you move, whether by foot or vehicle, the more chance that you will be picked up on someone’s 'radar' and perhaps followed, or walk into someone else’s defensive perimeter. If you are well hunkered down, you could stay there so long as you have sentries and keep the security measures sup. Getting sloppy/complacent will get you found.
If you are not in such a backwoods situation and you suspect you may have been noticed, then you should keep moving; maybe only one night in each place until you get to a real well hidden place. If it is sort of high risk, you are moving, you can consider stopping late afternoon at a location to cook and eat, administrate, before moving to another location prior to nightfall to establish a camp and sleep. This is a dismounted jungle warfare technique designed to throw off anyone tracking you.
And further:
Re: leaving less sign at your campsite: It can be hard, particularly if you are a family group with children rather than a small ‘spec ops’ team!
You have to change the idea in your mind from 'camping' to being in a 'patrol base'. This will need to take account, again, of children etc. You won't be sitting round the fire drinking a cold one. There will be no fire sometimes, if you have to go 'hard routine'; cook during the day and if you can use propane camp stoves or similar which will not leave sign. Don't cut anything at your campsite. Dig latrines and fill them in. Pick up all trash and carry it out, sweep the area before departure and try to cover up any sign. Anyone with skill will realize that you have been there, but you can reduce signature. If you are in vehicle you may leave tracks anyway etc.
Think about rather than trying to eliminate all sign that you were there, reduce it as much as possible and then use deception, such as moving off in another direction then switching course. On the offensive side you can stop on your route and put in a 'hasty ambush', breaking track to cover the trail you just walked to catch any trackers. You should do this if you are on foot and before you stop and establish a patrol base anyway.
If you are less of a family group and more of a patrol, then you should be operating under stronger battle discipline. This would entail overnighting in a concealed location with all round defense and sentries. You would only put up rain tarps after dark, after evening 'stand to' and take them down before first light and morning 'stand to'. You would do clearance patrols of the area once you had moved into it and after morning stand to. You would put in a snap ambush and use deception before moving into your night location. No fires, lights or noise. Consider the cooking and eating at a different location thing before moving into your overnight position.
Re: Being Random: I totally agree with that for any normal activities. Consider however that if you are in a camping area in the woods etc. you will want to reduce noise and sign. In a patrol position this would entail clearing a 'track plan' around the position and stringing commo string around it, moving leaves and sticks off the path etc. This allows silent movement around the perimeter and to each sleeping area at night. It also reduces the signature of tracks and can be covered up again prior to leaving; pushing leaves and sticks back over the track plan. Rather than denuding a wide area if you are moving a short distance to collect water, you may be better off with a single track plan to do this, reducing signature in grasses and reeds etc. Obviously, if this goes beyond a short walk to a water source, to a patrol, then you will change that and avoid all pattern setting, going back to the random model.
Blog Post
Rainstorms & Associated Tactical Thoughts:
I'm just back in front after the computer after an enjoyable training weekend with, as usual, a great bunch of people. In fact, it's never been any different; at no point have I had anyone attend the course who was not a good decent person. I just posted a couple of AARs from the weekend, and I will publish any more that come in along with any more photos.
On Sunday afternoon a summer thundersto
rm came through, and another came through on Monday afternoon around the same time. So it's like monsoon season in West Virginia. These rainstorms, with accompanying thunder, are very impressive. The sky darkens and then before the rain hits there will be a sudden rush of wind and a visible wall of rain will come seething and hissing through the trees. If you are fast, you can get to cover!
Sam of the Guerrilla America blog attended the training and he has mentioned in his AAR the impromptu speech that I gave while we sheltered under the tarp on Sunday afternoon, waiting for the rain to blow through: "We all listened intently as Max gave one of the most forceful and convincing talks on resistance to tyranny that I’ve ever heard". Well, thanks for the compliment Sam: you mentioned that you would have liked others to hear it. I did have my phone in my pocket, which I carry for safety purposes on the range, to dial 911 in an emergency. Perhaps we can call the NSA and ask them for a copy of the speech? Maybe they should listen to it themselves and give it a moment’s thought?
Anyway, the rainstorm gave me pause for some thoughts, which I mentioned to the students. Here are a couple, in no particular order:
1) If you are fighting tyranny or an invader, foreign or domestic, you are likely to be technologically the underdog. You will be without aerial surveillance assets and such. I have already covered that aspect in detail. I had to go out in the rainstorm to check that my pop-up targets in their pits were not getting flooded. As I returned, soaked to the skin, I felt the need to mention that such weather would be perfect. I was wet, but so what?
Why?
Because severe weather like a thunderstorms will degrade enemy surveillance assets. Aerial assets will either be grounded or the surveillance capabilities will be downgraded. However, don't be fooled, modern FLIR is not totally obscured by weather, depending on type, and is designed to see through things such as rain to a certain extent: The most effective conventional methods to avoid FLIR are through the use of weather (fog wreaks havoc on TIS/FLIR systems), by over-saturation (be it through fire, heat emitters, etc.), or terrain masking.
Heavy rain will mostly make the bad guys do what we were doing - huddling under our shelter. It will degrade visibility, morale and reduce the sound of your movement. It is a perfect opportunity to get in close, make a kill, and get out. Tacticool goons will be slowed down by the weather and vehicle follow up will be hampered. Eye pro will be misting up or covered with rain. The scrambling of ARF (airborne reaction forces) in helicopters may not be an option for the enemy. Flash floods will begin and water will be everywhere. It will be harder or impossible for dogs to follow you.
For you, as the Resistance fighter, you need to embrace the suck. Get wet, get dirty, crawl in down that ditch, take the shot, crawl out and run back to your gear cache. Keep moving using suitable terrain, defiles, forest canopy and anything that will obscure your exfil route from surveillance, follow up and ambush. Go on the difficult routes, cross-graining the terrain. Then, when safely away, hole up somewhere that will be obscured from aerial surveillance until the fuss is over.
It should be an ongoing horror movie for the opposing force, called 'The Rain' or 'The Weather" - when it gets bad, bullets come out of the rain, fired by obscure shadows who disappear into the murk. Let the horror begin.
2) Wet Kit/Dry Kit: If you are living out in the field, a useful technique to use is one that comes originally from jungle operations. In the jungle you will be constantly wet, either from humidity/heat and sweat, or from torrential rain forest downpours. Traditionally in the jungle, you don't move at night, primarily due to the difficulty of moving over rough ground at a very slow pace and being heard crashing around for a long way. However, whether you are operating by day or night or a mix the wet/dry method is still usefully applied:
When it comes time for you to administrate yourself and sleep, you will change out of the wet clothes that you have been operating in into a dry set that you keep as dry as possible Granted, they will likely get damp just due to living in a humid environment but this technique works equally well in cold wet weather. When resting at your patrol base, you wear the dry gear. When you get ready to go out again, or when yo get up in the morning, you put the wet kit back on, which is really unpleasant but you need to do. Suck it up and drive on buttercup. If you don't, and you keep your dry kit on, all your clothing will be wet and you will have to sleep in your wet gear.
3) This ties in closely with personal administration. On extended operations out in the field, there are things that are import Examples: security and logistics. However, don't forget personal administration, which is vital. Wet/dry kit is an example of this. But even if you are working in a dry hot environment and you don't feel the need to change into your spare pants/shirt, you will need to dry and powder your feet and change into dry socks. Powder your groin area. Check for ticks. Take care of any minor cuts and scrapes so they don't become infected. You can wear suitable footwear in a sleeping bag such as TEVA sandals that will allow your feet to dry and recover but that will also allow you to fight if you are taken by surprise in your patrol base. Don't go naked into your sleeping bag unless you want to fight in nothing but your battle belt if the enemy attacks in the night! And you have to get up and go on sentry duty anyway, so you need to be clothed at least to a basic level. Another technique is to powder your feet and put on dry socks, then put your boots back on but tie them loosely to allow blood to your feet while you sleep.
First your weapon, then yourself. Ensure that, particularly in a damp environment, your weapon is taken care of. 'Battle clean' the working parts, remove any rust, ensure it is lubricated. Your rifle should be with you in whatever you are sleeping in, ‘woobie’ blanket or bag, so that not only is it kept out of the weather, secure, but it is also right there if you have to get up and fight. Your rifle should never be out of arms reach from you at any time. You can use your battle belt or PC as a pillow so that if you have to get up, or even for sentry duty, you can find it right there in the darkness without the use of light.
All your gear should be packed away at all times, with pouches closed, unless it is specifically in use. You should be able to find all your gear and pack it away in the darkness by feel without the use of any light. When you get up for sentry duty you pack away your sleeping gear. This means that if the base is contacted ('bumped') by the enemy, all you have to do is rip down the tarp, or pack away you sleeping gear if you are asleep in it when it happens. This is done in your buddy pairs, one covering and the other stuffing the gear away, before you bug-out by fire and movement in your teams.
You should run a stand-to that straddles both the dusk transition to night and the dawn transition to day. This should be a 100% security with all gear, including tarps, taken down and packed away. The only time I would advise to keep the tarps up is if they are thermal shields and there is an aerial thermal surveillance threat. In which case, keep them rigged for quick deployment/take down with bungee cords attached. If you are facing a modern enemy 'foreign or domestic' equipped with current generation night vision gear, they are likely to attack to take advantage of night. They will seek to own the night. You should invest in PVS-14's, DBAL IR targeting lasers for your rifles, and handheld FLIR equipment if you can push the budget far enough to allow that. This will allow you to compete on an equal footing on night operations. It will also give you the edge over criminal marauder types in a standard 'SHTF' situation, where you can just start killing off any gang threats under cover of night.
Blog Post
Field Sleeping Options - A Discussion:
Yesterday I posted some thoughts about weather, wet/dry kit drills and some related stuff. I am following up today with a more detailed discussion on options for sleeping in the field.
There are two main areas that this relates to: Firstly, there is living light out of your patrol pack, the 'travel light, freeze at night' scenario, and secondly there is living out of your ruck in patrol bases in the longer term. In the first option, what sleep you do get whi
le out on a short term patrol will likely be limited to naps while pulling 50% security at some rally point or ORP. In such situations you may be curled up on a combination of your battle belt/PC/patrol pack wrapped in whatever you have, whether it be a 'woobie' poncho liner or similar (or you just freeze your ass off). Today I am looking mainly at the longer term patrol base options. I am also primarily concerned with what you can carry with you in your ruck, rather than perhaps larger base-camp style group tents and cots and whatever that you may place in a long term base in the woods.
When looking at equipment for sleeping you need to consider the environment and the weather. You need to be able to carry it and put it up or take it down rapidly. There are a different set of challenges in cold weather than there are in hot weather. The challenge may be the cold in the winter and conversely life may be more comfortable and require less equipment to survive in the summer, but you may have other worries related to sleeping, such as bugs.
In a temperate environment the classic way for soldiers to sleep in a patrol base is with the following combination:
1) Thermal sleeping mat: essential to maintain warmth in a sleeping bag, un-insulated contact with the ground will leech away most of your body heat.
2) Sleeping bag/bivvy bag combination
3) Rain tarp - this allows you an admin space out of the rain and can also now be substituted with a thermal tarp to conceal you from aerial thermal surveillance.
It is always best to assume that it is going to rain and put up your tarp. You can now also assume that there is always the possibility of a drone passing overhead, just to establish good drills, and put up your thermal poncho/tarp. A tarp, whether simply a rain tarp or also a thermal shield, should be rigged with bungee cords and/or paracord attached to the relevant grommets so that it can be rapidly put up and taken down. Carry a small supply of tent pegs as well to stake it down as necessary.