Your Pro Citizen Newsletter 74: Unleash the Hounds of Hell; CM-7 Recon Handbook Release Date is Set

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What next?

Anyone who has ever been an armed professional in any capacity knows better than to ask this question. It is almost as taboo as saying you are glad it isnt raining while in the field. The bad event quicksand is inevitable; first one thing. Then another. Then another until you are mired in a set of problems that Einstein himself couldn’t comprehend. But sometimes we need to quietly ask ourselves “what next?” I’m not talking about IPOE (IPB) or area assessments, SWOT/SWEAT, or ASCOPE (all these acronyms have been discussed before, no time to break them down this morning). This is just plain old take it in and consider the potential for madness this summer and autumn. Of course you should do some work on the back end and do those IPB tasks, but just quietly sit and consider what is happening. You all see it; if you don’t realize there are forces and events stacking up you are already behind the power curve or just sticking your heads in the sand hoping all is well because the left lost an election in November. You guys know me; I am not an alarmist or a doomsdayer. What I am is a hard-core realist that leans a good bit toward cautious optimism. But shenanigans are afoot and odds are high that we are gonna’ reach another crescendo soon.

Summer of Love Part Deux. Maybe.

The summer riots of 2020 and 21 are well documented should reside permanently in everyone’s mind. Externally financed, organized, and backed groups of rioters (and in some cases outright insurgents) burned and wrecked the downtown areas of many US cities. They had communications networks, SOPs, leadership, and planning cells that coordinated actions to include rioter movement, actions, and most importantly messaging that was able to capture useful idiot manpower by convincing them burning public and private property and killing / injuring innocent people was for a good cause. Those entities were not destroyed or rounded up wholesale, they have been growing and developing the last 5 years in anticipation of an opportunity. It appears there is an opportunity growing for them as I write this. The current LA ICE riots are a great indicator of what lies just under the surface, a great reminder these subversive anti-American organizations are alive and well with tacit support from leftist / Marxist-minded state level leadership. Combine this with the mid June protests that are developing and we have a set of conditions that are right for a firestorm in the downtown areas of the USA.

So what?

It may be isolated regionally, but I doubt it. There are already additional protests scheduled in Asheville NC and most likely more to follow so count on an abnormal summer this year. We are fortunate the trial and predicted verdict from the Austin Metcalf murder won’t be for a while (hopefully in the deep winter so it isn’t during protest season) but that one is coming as well. The so what of all this for you and your family members is you had best wargame what to do if this goes high order in your area and you somehow end up in the midst of it. Maybe do a few PCIs and check your equipment and vehicle status. Or even change some summer travel plans to avoid potential hot spots. It is up to you, just some things to consider.

Avoid the hot spots. Sometimes this is easier said than done, but for the most part we can avoid known trouble spots. Like REALLY avoid as in don’t go into urban/downtown areas. No crisis tourists; unless you are part of the solution you will be part of the problem.

Have a PACE Plan for Family Communications. PACE (Primary, Alternate, Contingency, Emergency). As discussed in the CM-2 Reconnaissance Manual PACE is an acronym that stands for Primary, Alternate, Contingency and Emergency. It is a framework we use to develop and account for contingencies once a primary system is no longer available or functioning. These are typically planned in order of efficiency and ease of use, the deeper into the PACE plan the more complex or inconvenient the methods will become.

Avoid having a single point of failure across options; for example don’t have all your options rely on the cellular network. Be realistic and think critically when planning to avoid “throw away” courses of action. PACE options should not have the same potential failure point as the one before it (eg an Alternate may rely on internet connectivity so the Contingency option should work without internet connectivity). Remember that there are nuances in these options as well, for example you may still be able to text when you cannot get a voice call through but those are both cellular communications. Wargame your plan and rehearse to ensure all team or family members are on the same page. Add more details for each of these categories and build a standard procedure (Standing/Standard Operating Procedure or SOP) for your family. Include channels/frequencies and alternates, locations, chain of command (who makes the decisions) and an activation procedure such as an alert sequence of who calls who and when.

Primary. This is normal operations, there are no interruptions or deviation from what you typically use. An example of a would be using your cell phone to text or call a family or team member.

Alternate. These are methods of communication that would not be as expedient or as efficient as the Primary. An example is to use email or social media to make contact with your family members when the mobile network is down, but the internet is still operational.

Contingency. If the Alternate methods become unavailable, we must push over to the Contingency. This solution is deeper in the plan levels so by default it may not be as convenient as the Primary and Alternate. An example of a contingency plan is using ham or GMRS radios to communicate. These tools are “A” way, not the way.

Emergency. This is your “nothing else is working” option. If we are discussing comms specifically the Emergency option is probably an analog or old school manual type of solution. Visual signals, physical linkups based on family SOPs etc. The details for these must be well planned and then rehearsed. Family and team members must be comfortable with a lack of information and disciplined to action on the plan as they had rehearsed.

Branch plans (a variation of the initial plan) should be accounted for as well, “if this happens, we will do this instead”. Just keep it simple and don’t go too far with the “what if?” thoughts. Review and rehearse PACE plans regularly and ensure everyone is on the same sheet of music. Preprinted instructions stowed with radios (OPSEC notwithstanding) are a good idea for permissive environments. Pre combat checks on radios and equipment that are stowed in vehicle boxes will allow you to catch issues ahead of time. It does no good for your significant other or teenager to pull out a dead radio when they really need it. Make this as easy and user friendly as possible for your family or friends and you will be in good shape when there is a significant communications outage.

Roadblocks. You are driving and see an illegal roadblock ahead. Now what? Defending yourself against an armed attacker or home invader is (usually) straightforward from a legal standpoint. Having the misfortune to find your vehicle surrounded by a mob or armed roadblock is a different animal altogether. This discussion is not legal advice by any means, nor does it indicate legal counsel. Without Rule of Law (WROL) is a term we hear often in the prepper/readiness community, many are focused on preparing for this possibility. We have witnessed local and citywide WROL conditions in the last few years, but with a new era twist. Reasonable, measured, and legal responses that were recently considered acceptable can now become chargeable offenses for the intended victims of the mob violence. Politics and the court of public opinion is directly influencing some prosecutors to go after clear cut self-defense cases, thus turning victims into defendants.

There are three planning concepts directly related to roadblocks and or street riots:

Avoidance. Avoid these locations. If an event or roadblock is known there is zero reason to tempt fate and go near it. Eliminate non-essential travel into active areas or zones that have a strong possibility of becoming an issue. Plan and rehearse alternate routes through and around your area while things are normal, you can use the PACE plan framework to plan these (see the CM-2 Manual Reconnaissance). Family members must be well versed in using alternate routes and capable of doing so without mobile device assistance.

Understand and Rehearse. If you find yourself in a hostile crowd the goal is to get away from the threat quickly without harming anyone. Breaking contact is not the small unit battle drill you may be familiar with, it is always defensive in nature and built around de-escalation and avoidance. Keep your emotions and ego under control, do not take the bait. If you must act in self-defense do it legally and without emotion or in a way that could be perceived as excessive. You must understand these are not truly WROL conditions. You may have been immersed in a WROL event with a lethal, out of control situation but your actions will be judged through the lens of people that did not experience the danger. It isn’t fair, but it is reality. No two events are the same, but researching past actions of illegal roadblocks and rioters can still give you some insight. Case studies will go a long way to shape your plans and defensive actions. Remember no plan survives first contact, there is no prescribed blueprint. You must be a critically thinking, rational decision maker to stay inside of the threat’s decision cycle. This is especially important when the bad actors attempt to bait you into actions that will result in a poor portrayal of you on video.

Be mindful of the Optics and the Aftermath. You get the worst of both worlds: immersed in a war like circumstance but with all the consequences of civil law. This is usually coupled with the absence of law enforcement assistance, so at that moment you are on your own. Wargame the second and third order effects of your defensive and avoidance drills. The consequences of taking prudent, rational actions to defend your life or safeguard your family always far reaching. The court of public opinion (and in some jurisdictions the prosecutors) will assume you are guilty until proven innocent and you will be painted as the aggressor. The optics will most likely be skewed against you, the best course of action is avoidance first. Understand you may be in real physical danger, but this situation will still carry the risk of severe legal and financial consequences after the fact. Always visualize and rehearse reactions to scenarios through this lens.

None of this is legal advice (or advice at all). You do you. This is a mental exercise and maybe some things to consider if you are forced into a bad situation.

Adjust routes to stay out of trouble

Have your vehicle ready and know how to execute alternate routes quickly. A large component of keeping yourself safe and avoiding roadblocks, protests and mobs is knowing how to bypass the criminal activity. Mounted Land Nav is becoming a lost art. Can you quickly articulate an alternate route to a loved one using cardinal directions, street names and numbers and distances? What else do you carry if you lose GPS service? Do you know how to use the alternate tools? Does your spouse or your kids know how to read a roadmap? Best practice is to keep your vehicle above a half tank at all times. This is a discipline challenge if you have teenage drivers, especially if they are paying for all their fuel out of pocket. Stay after them, having fuel to handle longer distance alternate routes is always the smart move.

We have all gotten used to Waze or other device-based GPS. These systems will not provide the real time info you will need to avoid a rapidly changing situation. Knowing where to find info when normalcy is disrupted is critical. The daily system feeds may not give you an accurate read of the situation on the ground. Live reporting streams are great if you have a second person in the vehicle that can search (and if cell network is still up). Local radio stations may not give you timely info needed to make route change decisions. Having a dual band HAM radio capable of quickly scanning the 70cm and 2m HAM and the GMRS frequencies is a good idea, but even a less capable radio might still help you get info. The operator must be proficient with the device, programmable radios can’t be learned on the fly.

Summary. This is just a quick overview / review of a few things to cover with your family before this week ends. It is easy to develop blind spots in our plans, if you are reading this odds are you will be good to go. The problem is your uninterested / uninformed family member(s) moving through time anbd space without the same mindset you have. Maybe take some time to explain a few things to them before we have another summer of chaos. Hopefully it will be wasted effort on all our parts and things will be quiet and peaceful. But don’t count on it.

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The new CM-7 will release Thursday the 19th of June! If you have the CM-2 Recon manual and the FR-2 Recon Leader’s Guide this manual will round out that set on the recon subject to give you everything you need. We are just waiting on the first pallets of completed manuals from the printer and they will be ready for you!