by Bobby Akart
Operational Security, or OPSEC, for Preppers is a discipline, a mindset. It is simply denying an adversary, present or future, vital information that could harm you or benefit them.
Prior to collapse, OPSEC involves curtailing your activities on social media or not bragging about your weapons cache.
As kids we found comfort in our homes with our families, maybe hiding under the covers or with a fave blankie. As we grow up, our concerns may focus on job security, financial security and general home security. Now we are big boys and girls—preparing for TEOTWAWKI. Security takes on a whole new meaning when you have to fear armed marauders streaming down your driveway to take your preps, or worst. Your favorite blankie won't help you.
Once there is a life changing collapse event you may take comfort in knowing you’re well prepped with all the beans, band-aids, and bullets a well prepared family could need. Well, guess what? Your failure to abide by OPSEC guidelines will quickly make you a target. There are relatively simple SOP—standard operating procedures—for survival groups who’ve advanced their level of preparation. How can you avoid armed confrontations with the marauders? What should you do prior to the collapse event in order to keep your preps hidden from the world?
Pre-Collapse: Getting Others to Prep
Getting other people to prep is far easier said than done. If it were easy to convince people to spend their hard earned money on a possible bad future, then we’d all be prepared and there wouldn't be a fear of looting and raiding. But it isn't easy and those threats are real.
When first talking to someone about prepping, you need to understand your audience. This means that if you’re talking to a hard-core outdoorsman you can bring up far more survival-esque components to prepping while a friend that is just talking about a natural disaster should be eased into it more.
Secondly, it’s important to focus on the need to prep over the possible reasons. People don’t like thinking about economic collapse or cyber warfare, so instead of hearing you talk about prepping, those people will instead argue the finer points of why those things can’t happen. If you focus on the possibility of something making food, water, or essentials like toilet paper hard to get, it only makes sense to prepare for that possibility. Whatever the case, getting people on board by scaring them doesn't work, but getting them to understand their lives without the essentials is a sure fire way to get them signed up.
Once you get friends and family on board with prepping for them, it’s easier to talk with them and for everyone to help each other. There’s something to be said for acting alone—the lone wolf prepper, but a little help will never hurt. If you make the determination to form a group, you can proceed with caution.
Pre-Collapse: Forming a prepper group
As preppers, you face a conundrum. Should you be part of a prepper group or should you be a lone wolf prepper? There are benefits and detriments to both options. Here are some considerations in forming a prepper group.
One of the first things a new prepper typically wants to do is reach out to other like-minded people in their area about prepping and trying to form a prepper group. Unless there is an established and open group in the area, it’s often very difficult to form a post-collapse team. Preppers are naturally cautious about discussing prepping with people they don’t already know. Unless the group is actively looking for new members, you might not even know about a group in your area.
If you are serious about preparing then you have probably come to the realization that you will not be able to do everything yourself when SHTF. Just the day-to-day chores of collecting firewood, sanitation issues, cooking, food procurement, and cleaning without modern technology, will be overwhelming for a family but when you have the added issue of providing your own security you quickly realize you will need help in maintaining security.
A prepper group is an association of people that have agreed to help each other out after a collapse event. The level of help depends on the scenario, the people involved, and the community. Some prepper groups encompass an entire small town or community. Typically, the residents intend to stay in their own homes but agree to provide mutual security and aid on a community-wide scale. Because of their size, these types of groups are rare, and formed post-collapse.
The most common type of group is a loosely organized group of people that may or may not live close to each other but have general plans to provide mutual aid. They might meet together on a regular basis to discuss different scenarios, take classes together, and combine orders for bulk purchasing. Some are well organized while others just pay lip service to the concept. A prepper group like this might be beneficial during the planning stage, but in an actual event the distance between them will make mutual aid impossible.
The next prepper group is a collaboration of several like-minded individuals that have made a plan, practiced their plan, and have a mutually agreed upon location to execute that plan as a group. They live fairly close to each other but instead of trying to stay in their various locations recognize the importance of being together to provide strength in numbers. This is the best case scenario.
Putting together a prepper group does not mean you find a group of survivalists and band together, there are several things you need to consider when deciding if someone is right for your group. Factors include:
1. What are they prepping for?
2. What skills or supplies do they bring to the table?
3. How many in their group and their relationship to each other
4. How committed are they?
When we look at forming our prepping group we have to consider if the people are like-minded, their skills, commitment, and who they bring with them. Later, for recruiting purposes, we also need to consider how many people we will need to accomplish what needs to be done
Recently, a Prepper in the Tampa, Florida area learned a hard lesson in choosing members for his preppers group. Many of the newest members had prior felonies which prohibited them from owning or possessing firearms. Further, this Florida prepper engaged in questionable conduct such as building pipe bombs and making veiled threats against law enforcement. When one of his new members of the group was arrested on unrelated charges, they turned snitch and wore a wire during the prepper’s group meetings. The end result—the leader of the group is going to prison while the snitch walks free.
The debate will always rage as to whether you should be a member of a preppers group or a lone wolf prepper. Regardless of how you define your preppers group, there are common issues when determining who to let into The Club. It is a private membership which should always practice OPSEC due to the sensitive information everyone in the group has access to. You need to give careful consideration to the people becoming part of your group. In general, this is not an easy topic, as there are no fast and simple rules. The average human being is a complex bag of emotions and logic, to which fields of science have been dedicated to understanding. Therefore, it is not surprising when the person you thought to be a stable individual turns out to be not much more than a basket case.
Consider this. Choosing members of a preppers group is a lot like courting; you cannot really tell if they are right for you from just a few dates. Sure, we've all heard of love at first sight. However, given time, a person's true colors shine through. Being part of a group is not much different. There will be differences, arguments, heated debates, betrayals, and various other emotional conflicts. All of which need to be addressed, particularly since this group is supposed to be like a second family to you.
One very important aspect to keep in mind is what happens when someone stops being a group member. Though it may seem like many people would make a good group member, most will turn out to be incompatible with you and your group. Some people are very good at hiding who they really are, even after knowing someone for years. What has the newly ejected member learned about you, your family, and your preparedness plan? They may get kicked out of the group or they may decide to leave voluntarily. Eit
her way, this person becomes a security risk.
When looking at group preparedness, remember that a long-term crisis scenario will require large amounts of labor for survival. Therefore, unless you are creating a specific paramilitary team, no one should be automatically discounted because of any disabilities or shortcomings (such as having a lack of gear). Look at each prospective member on a case-by-case basis, weighing their strengths and weaknesses, while keeping in mind that everyone has something to contribute. Finding group members is a tedious process, but the gains accomplished by having a group of people you can depend on are immeasurable.
Your survival may depend on it.
Post-collapse: How to Assimilate with your neighbors to form a group
These are all considerations of OPSEC for preppers that can be implemented prior to the collapse event. After TEOTWAWKI, when other factors like a grid down scenario come into play, OPSEC becomes less technology oriented.
After collapse, OPSEC will require you to resist the urge to step up and be the new leader of any newly formed survival group. One of the biggest mistakes preppers can make is to tell the wrong person or people about it. While helping people in a time of need is one of the most selfless things you can do, if you’re the only person prepared in your neighborhood and everyone comes looking to you for help, all your pre-collapse OPSEC will be wasted as desperate people attempt to take the things you’ve worked so hard to save. We believe that it is better to be safe, keep our preparedness plans to ourselves, than to be sorry.
While you don’t want to tell the world about your plans, it’s expected that you want to share with close friends, family and possibly trusted coworkers. To help you understand who you should tell and who you shouldn’t, we’ve put together a few points.
Complete privacy is nearly impossible to keep, especially when you will surely need help with something at some point. It will be very difficult to survive on your own. The biggest reason to form a survival group in our opinion is to maintain security. After collapse, your world will become much smaller. Your neighborhood will become your universe. Focus on establishing a group of neighbors first, and then look outward for like-minded thinkers.
The goal is to survive and if possible looters know what you have, that survival will be a big challenge. Within days if not hours of the collapse event, your neighbors will begin to gather to seek information. You will have a decision to make. Step up and be the leader of the group, or lay back and observe. We are in favor of continuing your OPSEC practice after collapse, and avoid a leadership role at first.
Here are the steps we recommend you take after a collapse event:
1. Take a day to gather information and assess the extent of the collapse. Observe your neighbors to gauge their reaction.
2. Maintain a heightened state of awareness. Every action and reaction of your neighbors should be observed, and not dismissed.
3. Be polite to everyone you deal with, but do so with confidence. You do not want to be perceived as weak.
4. Learn about the people around you from reliable sources. Immediately attempt to identify troublemakers.
5. Identify cliques within your neighborhood, and identify individuals or families to approach. You have to establish trust.
6. Initially, don’t worry about ascertaining the level of other people’s preps. Avoid suspicion by not being to inquisitive.
7. If a neighborhood meeting is called, determine who the organizers are. Typically, these individuals will be type A, overbearing temperaments.
8. Don’t make waves. Better to remain quiet, than to argue. Your job is not to take control, or provide information.
9. Conceal your weapons, and do not discuss your preps, ever.
In summary, focus on your immediate family. You shouldn't tell anyone else your plan. This means if you tell your parents that live outside your house (which of course you will) you need to save supplies for them as well. If you tell your close friends, you need food and water for them, too. If you tell anyone they immediately become part of your plan. This is why the final step is getting those special people in your life to prep as well. This way, you now have a network of trusted preppers that can help one another now and when times get tough. Once you have them all at your location, then you can begin to take a more active role in your neighborhood survival group. Your close-knit group of family and friends can defend your preps in case there is an uprising amongst your neighbors.
So the big question is who should I tell about my prepping? The answer is anyone you feel comfortable surviving TEOTWAWKI with. If you want to house enough supplies for all your neighbors to come enjoy, tell them at your own risk. Even then you run the risk of them telling their friends and so on until you have 100 people at your door looking for a handout. Help people with knowledge and never let on to the size of your prep or the weapons you have. Getting to know your neighbors will be a big help. You will be able to determine who has the will and aptitude to survive a collapse event. After collapse, cautiously approach those neighbors to form alliances and encourage them to use their skills to help them and your group.
This is only a start to the concept of beans, bullets and band-aids. The one thing I haven’t discussed yet is the importance of research and knowledge. If money is an issue, this is a great place to start. This necessary step to survival just happens to be free. There are many great books and tutorials online that will teach you anything from CPR and fishing to gardening at no cost. Now that you know about beans, bullets and bandaids, you can start preparing for any scenario you see fit.
John F. Kennedy once said the time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining. Because you never know when the day before—is the day before. Prepare for tomorrow.
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APPENDIX A
The following is an excerpt from Amazon Best-Selling Author Bobby Akart
CYBER ATTACK - Available on Amazon
http://goo.gl/cRBW8O
Chapter 1
May 8, 2016
3:07 p.m.
American Airlines Flight 129
33,000 Feet
Near St. Louis, Missouri
“Good afternoon from the flight deck. This is Captain Randy Gray, and it is my honor to pilot our American Airlines Boeing 757 into Washington Dulles this afternoon. We have reached our cruising altitude of thirty-three thousand feet, after averting the initial turbulence caused by the area of weather north of the Dallas–Fort Worth metro area. With a little help from a tailwind, we should arrive on time at Washington Dulles International by two o’clock local time,” said Gray. “I will be turning off the Fasten Seat Belt signs to allow you free access to our newly enhanced cabin. Our flight attendants will begin cabin service shortly. As always, we thank you for flying American Airlines.”
Gray began his career as a pilot in 1989 with Command Airways, a small regional carrier based in upstate New York. Initially checked out on the ATR 42, a Czech-made plane, Gray continued his training and became a highly respected pilot within the American Airlines ranks. The flight to Washington Dulles was routine. He shared the cockpit with First Officer William Applegate and his longtime friend Stacy Bird, a Frontier Air captain riding in the jump seat to D.C. after a hunting trip in West Texas.
; “Bill, Stacy and I would like to say hello to a friend in first class. Would you mind taking over for a bit?” asked Gray.
Applegate had flown right seat with Gray in the past and had earned Gray’s confidence.
“Absolutely, fellows, go ahead. She’s flyin’ herself anyway,” said Applegate.
Gray and Bird unbuckled their harnesses and took a quick glance at the controls to confirm everything was in order. He and Bird slipped into the galley through the secured cockpit door, which automatically locked behind them.
“Hi, guys,” said Karen Mosely, the chief flight attendant. “May I get you boys anything?”
“I don’t think so, Karen, but thanks,” said Gray. “We’re gonna holler at 3B for a minute before we descend into Dulles.”
Captains Gray and Bird strolled down the aisle behind her to greet a former Air Force buddy—when the aircraft took a sudden lurch upward. Gray grabbed the headrests of the seats on both sides of the aisle and ducked to look out the windows for a cause—clear blue skies. The plane quickly corrected, steadying for a moment before nosing downward into a steep descent. Gasps and screams erupted throughout the cabin.
“Is your FO okay?” asked Bird.
Gray knew what he meant by this question. Since the mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Flight 370 and the deliberate crash of Germanwings Flight 9525, every pilot looked at the members of their crew with a different set of eyes. He locked eyes with Bird, both of them sharing the same thought. If they’d hit turbulence, why didn’t Applegate activate the Fasten Seat Belt signs?
“Back to the cockpit,” he said, edging brusquely by Captain Bird.
Gray reached the intercom console next to the cockpit access door and pressed the pound key, praying for Applegate to respond.