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The most important thing in preparing for conflict is training. I am talking here
about specific ways to train in the tactics and skills of individual or small unit combat. Training in skills is another
subject. I have listed these subjects roughly in order of value. This ranking however is subjective and should
not be considered absolute. Training methods work differently for different people and each person can only get out
of it what they put in. There is a saying, and gallon of sweat in training will save an ounce of blood in combat.
You should spend as much time and energy as possible on training. Training beats new fangled gear hands down.
1) Experience: Experience in doing something trumps just about every other training
method. Actual combat experience, especially specific to the type of conflict the citizen soldier should expect, is
rare. America has more combat vets in it now than probably at any point since the end of WWII. However, the combat
experience is in large scale, mostly urban conflict. As long as the vets understand the difference in US military experience
and small unit guerilla tactics all should be well.
2) Time in the Military: The
military spends a lot of effort getting its people ready for combat and a couple of months at Paris Island or Ft. Benning
would go a long way towards preparing you as well. But the purpose of this site is not to recruit for the military,
and if this isn’t in your cards don’t worry about it. As with combat experience, service in the military
might not apply well to the skills needed by the citizen soldier. A soldier or Marine has been taught to depend on a
large supply trail behind them as well as massive ground and air support. You probably will never have those things.
There are also differences in the types of training people get in the military. A Ranger school graduate would probably
be more qualified to lead a small band of citizen soldiers than an Air Force data entry clerk.
3) Professional instruction: There are a variety of schools that offer training to the civilian. This is
an excellent, if expensive, approach to gaining tactical experience and gun handling skills. However, most of these
schools teach skills that are primarily useful in individual self defense situation. Critical skills for the citizen
soldier, such as raids, ambushes and patrolling are not covered. It would also be in your best interest to shop around
for the class, some classes may be “introductory” to the extreme and many are really more about weapons handling
or “skills” rather than tactics. (This is not, overall, a bad thing)
4) Competition: The advent of various types of “action shooting,” seems a valuable way to practice
both individual tactics and practical firearms handling. More so than with other training methods, what you get out
of practical shooting is up to you. If you choose to be highly competitive and race through courses of fire, then you
will have to use bad tactics. I suggest participating in low key, local matches. Have a good time and use good
tactics where applicable (pay attention to how you use cover and concealment; don’t reload in the open while standing
still etc.) All in all, I consider the time handling your weapon, thinking; acquiring and servicing targets all while
under the stress of the clock can’t but help if it ever happens for real. Competition is also a good way to evaluate
skills you might have practices as well as testing your weapons, ammo and the equipment that service it (magazines, pouches
etc.)
5) Hunting: There are ALOT of different ways to hunt, and some
ways are more applicable to combat than others. Still, a lot of good soldiers learned their skills in the hunting fields.
(Ask Alvin York and Audi Murphy.) I would think the most valuable for training would be stalking small game, squirrels
and rabbit, with a small bore rifle. This tunes your alertness level and gets you moving through the woods. Sitting
in a heated “shoot house” pointing out over a planted field probably doesn’t help much. Still, the
act of shooting a living thing is a line to be crossed. People who have shot a deer have already conquered “buck
fever.” All else being equal I would take the hunter over the non-hunter.
6)
Camping: Weapons skills, while important, are not the sole (or even primary) mark of a good citizen soldier.
There is a large subset of skills called woodcraft… and these are just as important. I would suggest that every
person get out and experience some outdoors. See if you can hike five miles with a load, spend the night in a hammock
and get up to do it again. You need to know these things, you need to know how well your equipment works and you need
to know how it works. While in the woods you can work on your tactical mindset (always keep an eye out for where you
would set an ambush or where an enemy would do it to you) and land navigation. This is also a good time to practice
with equipment like night vision and communications.
7) Paintball and Airsoft:
While the vast majority of paintball and airsoft I have had experience with is little more than a game, both have about the
same potential value as a training tool. In fact, they may be the only way to practice small unit tactics in a meaningful
way. The other things I have discussed apply mostly to individual tactics and skills. The US military does the
same thing with expensive MILES gear and simmunitions, this is much more cost effective for the average citizen. It
is important to avoid the traps that befall most such gamers. It is tempting to use tactics that apply better to the
paintball marker or airsoft gun, but these tactics are not applicable when the bullets are real. Use it as a method
to hone real tactics learned elsewhere.
8) Reading: I have listed several
ways to practice tactics, but where does one learn the tactics to begin with? Small unit tactics are relatively simple,
but tried and true methods have been refined after hundreds of years of experience. It is best to familiarize yourself
with the writings of others before even beginning to try things in the training, or especially, in the real world. Time
reading good books on small unit tactics is time well spent. To maximize the value it is necessary to get out and try
it for real.
9) Video Games: I only list this because I have run into people
online that honestly have the view that, since they spend a lot of time playing some video game, they are better prepared
for combat. This is absurd to say the least. Video games teach a focus that has no application in the real world.
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