tactical preschool 32

A basic (very basic) skill is simple observation. If you are defending a position or simply making a deliberate move from one position to another you need to carefully evaluate your surroundings before moving out. A simple yet effective method takes 2 steps:

* Step 1. Make a quick, overall search of the entire sector for obvious targets and unnatural colors, outlines, or movements. Look first at the area just in front of your position, and then quickly scan the entire area out to the maximum range you want to observe. If the sector is wide, divide it and search each subsector as in Step 2.

* Step 2. Observe overlapping, 50-meter wide strips, alternating from left to right and right to left, until you have searched the entire sector. When you see a suspicious spot, search it well.

While you are searching for threats you should also be looking for areas of cover and concealment, paths of approach and areas that will allow you the best points of observation and fields of fire.

 

diversion from the usual…

Image via Wikipedia

I typically avoid political issues here, but the recent turn of events in our Congress leaves me concerned. If passed, this new health care legislation would be a major shift towards the government assuming more power than I believe the Constitution allows. While I do believe that our health care system does indeed need an overhaul, the government believing that they have the authority to mandate that we ALL must purchase a product as part of our citizenship seems blatantly unconstitutional on it’s face. They like to point to auto insurance, but ignore the fact that if I don’t want to pay auto insurance I simply do not drive a car.

The “interstate commerce clause” and the “general welfare” statement will probably be their attempt to legitimize this power grab. I can but hope that the “checks and balances” of the Senate or the Supreme Court perform their duties as they were intended.

 

the warrior poets

Image via Wikipedia

I just came across the blog of a fellow flatfoot who has a better turn of phrase than I do. His blog is called The Warrior Poets and the author describes himself thusly:

My name is Christopher.

I work in a world where we wear body armour and carry automatic weapons and look for the worst humanity has to offer. I come home to a world of cuddling with two kids on a couch, hoping they never have to truly understand.

And these pages contain the stories those worlds produce.

Take a read it will be worth your while.

 

aliveness training

I just read an interesting post over at TDA Training about “aliveness training” and what that term means. Go over and take a look and be sure to watch the video.

 

tactical preschool 31

While this isn’t really a “tactic” per se, it is a fundamental aspect of weaponcraft that is vital to understand when you are using a long range weapon. The thing I am speaking about is what is referred to as a weapons “zero”.

To understand what a “zero” is, you have to understand the fundamental physics concept of  trajectory. A bullet does not travel in a straight line from the barrel to the target. It travels in an arc. Depending on the weight of the projectile, the velocity the bullet is traveling at and various other influences; a bullet rises to a maximum height and then begins to descend under the influences of gravity and the projectiles gradual lessening in velocity as it travels through the resistance of the atmosphere.

In practical terms what this means is that you have to adjust your weapons sight so that it intersects this arc at a known point. Where your line of sight and the path of the bullet intersect is called that weapons “ZERO”. The bullet is not above your line of sight (+) or below your line of sight(-)…it is at 0 deviation.  This way you know that your bullet will strike where you are aiming if the target is at that “zero” distance.

A weapon is “ZEROED” at two points along the bullets path; where the bullet rises to your line of sight and where it falls once again to your line of sight “downrange”. The standard military “ZERO” is at 25 meters and (depending on bullet type) 250 meters.

As a rule of thumb you need to remember that if the target is closer than your “near zero” then your bullet is going to strike low. Between your “near” and “far” zero the bullet is going to strike high. And beyond your “far zero” the bullet is going to start dropping below of your line of sight.

Tinkering with the distances you can zero a weapon at is a topic of much debate. There are varying schools of thought on what the best distance to zero your weapon is. It’s my humble opinion that the “best zero” is the one YOU can remember and utilize most efficiently. I have been schooled and am most experienced with the 25M military zero so that’s what I stick with. Your personal mileage my vary.

 

any wealthy benefactors out there who want to send me a gift…

I’ll take me one of these.

 

tactical preschool 30

Another fundamental….movement in formation.

Military/Tactical formations are about as old as human warfare and many have remained quite unchanged over the ages. Military commanders have been constantly looking for ways to organize their troops so that control, speed of movement and deployment of weapons can be used to their greatest effect.

When you have to operate within a group there are specific ways to organize yourselves so that movement or utilization of weapons can be optimized. Different formations have different advantages and disadvantages depending on what you have to accomplish.

The Column: The column formation is best used when time/speed is of the essence. This is the fastest way to move from one spot to another and is the easiest to control. Column formation can provide all around observation if members are assigned alternating areas of responsibility to each flank with the point man covering front and the trail man covering the rear. But the formation is limited in its ability to protect itself as the members in front screen the fire of the members behind. Column formations are also susceptible to enfilade fire. To limit these risks some commanders offset the members of the formation. This limits some of the risk of enfilade and provides a little more security and distribution of fire.

The Line: Best used when the position of the enemy is known. This formation places maximum firepower to the front. Its weaknesses being it’s difficulty to control (because members will have to look to their left or right to see what other members are doing or to give and/or receive orders) and it’s susceptibility to flank attack. It’s ideal for assaulting enemy positions and allows members to effectively distribute and shift fire across the front.

The Wedge: The wedge is a fair compromise between the line and the column formation. It provides all around security and is easier to control. As in all compromises it’s not AS easy to control or AS fast moving as the column and it’s fire is not AS strongly arrayed in any particular direction as it is in other formations. It is one of the easiest to turn into a line formation if the enemy is contacted, the guys on either side simply move up “on line”.

If you have an odd number of members you can place your extra man (or heavier weapon) to either flank depending on where you think the enemy may be.

The Echelon: Echelon formations project firepower to one side or the other depending on which way they slant…left or right. This formation is typically used when you know which side the enemy is on. It is also used to protect the flank of another formation of people that are moving along side of you.

So if you have been paying attention, by now you should be able to determine this formations strengths and weaknesses.

 

AR15 CQC

Here is part 1 of a 12 part YouTube series showing Lenny Magill’s “AR15 CQC”.

 

 

Hooah

Found this Hooah site:

FM 7-21.13 – The Soldier’s Guide, dated 15 OCT 2003

Paragraph 4-27, Traditions, states:

“Hooah!” This informal but always understood sound is less a word than an audible affirmation of the warrior ethos. The soldier that utters that sound understands his task and will not quit until it is completed. That sound means soldiers are ready and willing to accomplish the mission at hand.

Your Family Might Be too HOOAH If…

• All your possessions are military issue.
• Your kids recite their ABC’s phonetically.
• Your kids call their sandbox “NTC”.
• You have pull-up bars outside the kitchen door.
• Your daughter’s first haircut was a flattop.
• Your kids pull fireguard.
• Your newborn’s first words were “all OK Jumpmaster”.
• You always back into parking spaces.
• You have to look up your parents phone number, but can dial the CQ, SDNCO, company, battalion, and brigade with no problem at all.
• Each page of your vacation atlas has two routes marked.
• Your kids call the tooth fairy “Slicky Boy”.
• Your son fails the third grade, but tells everyone he was a “phase three recycle”.
• Your favorite author is Mike Malone or Tom Clancy.
• When your kids are too noisy, you yell “at ease!”
• You don’t own any blue ink pens.
• Your leave always occurs during the last week of September.
• Your wife’s “high-n-tight” is more squared away than your Commander’s.
• You keep a box of MREs at home and in the trunk of your car in case of emergencies.
• When talking to relatives by phone, you end the conversation with “out here.”
• You & your kids refer to your spouse as “Household 6″ or “CINC House.”
• You’ve seen Patton enough times to memorize his speech.
• You call the Post Locator instead of Information to find your friends.
• You take the family camping with no tent or sleeping bags.
• The only time you and the spouse eat without the kids is at the unit “dining out.”
• Your kids can speak three languages by age eight.
• The only suit you own is your Class A uniform.
• You carry your cell phone to the shower.
• Your vehicle is registered on post and in two different states.
• You convince your spouse that all ten of your guns are necessary for home protection.
• You have more money invested in TA-50 than in your car.
• You tell your kids to go to bed at 2100 and they try to explain that it’s only nine o’clock .
• No one understands the stories you tell because of all the acronyms.
• You can explain the Gettysburg battlefield better than directions to your house.
• Your kids know the words to “she wore a yellow ribbon.”
• Your two-year old calls everyone in BDUs “daddy”.
• The phone book lists your rank instead of Mr.
• Your spouse hasn’t unpacked the good china for twenty years.
• You ruin the movie for everyone around you by pointing out the unrealistic military scenes.
• You live on post so you can hear reveille every morning.
• Your family calls you “Sir.”
• All your jokes begin with “there was this soldier, a marine and an airman…”
• You feel compelled to get a haircut every three days.
• All of your shoes are military style, except for one pair and that pair is your running shoes.
• You are convinced that coffee is a nutrient.
• Your home town is convinced that you are a foreigner.
• Your first impressions of civilians are that they all need haircuts.
• All of your underwear is colored OD Green, Brown, or White.
• Civilians exercise and you conduct PT.
• You only wear those dorky military glasses or the geeky aviation glasses.
• Your kids categorize other kids as either military brats or civilian slugs.
• You answer your phone at home by explaining that the line is unsecure.
• Your spouse owns several military cookbooks published by family support groups.
• Half of the mementos in your house are from Korea or Germany .
• Your newborn must attend the newcomers’ orientation briefing within the first 30 days of life.
• Your wife’s two favorite shades of lipstick are light green and loam.
• You go to a barbecue and insist that your family feed tactically.
• You make your children clear housing before they go off to college.
• You require your mechanic to replace the sandbags on your floorboards as part of a tune-up.
• Your POV is equipped with blackout lights.
• Your kids volunteer to pull air guard on the school bus.
• Your doorbell sounds off with the current challenge and password.
• You have sector sketches and range cards posted by every window in your house.
• You give the command “Fix Bayonets” at Thanksgiving Dinner.
• Your kids show their meal cards at the kitchen door, except the oldest, who is on separate rations, and must pay for the meal.
• You make your daughter sign out on pass on Prom Night.
• Your kindergartner calls recess a “smoke break.”
• Your wife takes a “knee” in the checkout line at the supermarket.
• You do your “back to school” shopping at the U.S. Cavalry Store.
• Your kids salute their grandparents.
• Your kids get an LES with their allowance.
• Your grandmother won “All American Week” and “Best Ranger”.
• Your kids initials are AR, FM, TM, or DA.
• Your POV has your name stenciled on the windshield.
• Your kids are hand-receipt holders.
• Your older kids call the youngest one “Cherry.”
• Your wife keeps Mermites in the china cabinet.
• Your wife left you and you held a “Change of Command” ceremony.
• You call your in-laws the “Slice Elements.”
• Your dog’s name is “Scout” or “Ranger.”
• You decorate your Christmas Tree with Stetsons, sabers, and spurs.
• You’ve given your children monthly counselings or an Article 15.
• You cut your own high and tight.
• Refer to every question with “let me check the reg.”
• If you always reply back with “Roger.”
• If your home library consists of FM’s and AR’s.
• YOU CANT SAY MORE THAN 5-7 WORDS ON THE PHONE WITHOUT SAYING “BREAK”

 

the warriors song

Another good find from Spartan Cops.