Since the War in Afghanistan and Iraq began, we have seen a multitude of different “insurgent” tactics come to light, the most notable (and deadly) ones being the use of the IED and VBIED (Vehicle Born IED’s) in ambushes, booby-traps and suicide attacks. But as far as actual ground tactics the enemy uses, there…
Category: Tradecraft
CO Combatives: The Side Choke
There has been quite a lot of flak in the news lately about the use of illegal police chokes since the death of a New Yorker Eric Garner who died while being arrested in July. It was later found in the autopsy that Garner’s CAUSE OF DEATH was from the choke hold and “overt compression on…
The “Practical not Tactical” CO Sniper Rifle
In a previous article entitled “The 5 Gun Theory“ I expounded on the logic of the CO owning at least 5 types of firearms in order to be adequately prepared to survive and defend himself adequately. One of those guns was a .30 Caliber scoped bolt-action or semi-auto rifle to be used for hunting and sniper…
The Reality of the “Hostage Shot”
[youtube=http://youtu.be/Pobjj9U3K5g] Most all CO’s in the world have people in their lives they love and care for. Part of the reason they train like they do is for those loved one’s safety and security. Nothing epitomizes the “worst case” scenario for the CO than if a scumbag had one of our loved ones in…
Great Example of “Being Explosive” in a Fight
For those of you out there that drill on your empty hand skills regularly, or even just watch MMA matches regularly, you know how important “EXPLOSIVENESS” is in a fight. It is the one thing that often can make the difference between you getting knocked out versus your opponent. To keep this short and sweet,…
Small Unit Tactics: Building Fighting Positions (Revised)
For the individual soldier, being able to build either a hasty or prepared position to fight from that will give you adequate cover and at the same time good fields of fire is essential for small units to be efficient in the field. All of the material I am covering here can be found…
CO Small Unit Tactics: Fire and Movement
Came across this old OSS WW2 era German infantry tactics training film. Although dated, it shows the universal basics of fire and maneuver warfare. [youtube=http://youtu.be/Kz0a_QGifPM] It goes without saying how integral small unit tactics are for the CO. Of course, there is much more to learn on the subject, but this is a good “jumping…
“Shoot em’ to the Ground” Fire Superiority!
One of the most frequent questions I get from students is “How many rounds do I fire in a situation where my life is at risk?” I often answer this with the very simple answer “As many as you need too to put the threat down.” I then refer back to the military term of…
Training Notes: “Line of Sight” Shooting
There is a lot to be said about how important it is to be fast and accurate with a gun when you are shooting to save your life or the life of others. I often tell students when they first start out that speed with a firearm is all about efficiency of motion. Start out…
Addressing Fratricide in CO Training
Fratricide of “friendly fire” has been an unfortunate part of war since time in memorial. Several things contribute to “blue on blue” incidents, most of them stemming from poor communication between supporting units. Both the Iraq and Afghanistan War have seen their fair share of friendly fire incidents, one of the most tragic being…