Your Pro Citizen Newsletter 77: Let's talk about the weather; CM-6 Citizen Ranger Handbook discount code

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The weather? Really?

Yes, the weather. It ain’t just for old folks to complain about and farmers to pray for. Weather will F you up for tactical operations or it can give you an incredible advantage. The weather has had strategic impact on the world and has even shaped the outcomes of history-altering military actions over the centuries. During WW2 there were countless examples of this at the macro level. During the final days preceding Overlord (D-Day invasion) Eisenhower’s planning staff had to provide him with detailed weather predictions to inform his final decision to launch the invasion. Years of preparation and thousands of ships loaded with troops were staged and ready but could not be set in motion due to poor weather conditions in the English Channel and Normandy coast. The one factor that would determine when was the weather. Get it wrong and the invasion fleet could be disrupted by maritime weather or even worse the airborne invasion the night prior could have been isolated for days on the continent while the seaborne troops were stuck by a sudden storm. There was no working around it, the staff had to know when the window of opportunity was wide enough to execute the operation. How does this impact your actions though? Everything from training to environmental disaster response to local tactical missions are impacted by weather. We need to get past simply checking the weather app 10 minutes before heading out. We must disassemble the predictive analysis the weather reports give us and apply to our mission (METT-TC…yet again).

We have several tools at our disposal to help analyze the weather; many are electronic and external to our teams. The key is to apply the data gathered from these sources (no matter what they are). As a leader I always emphasized to my subordinates I needed the “so what” when they presented data. To make a good decision I didn’t just require raw data, I had to understand the effects on the aspects of terrain and our mission. I also wanted subordinates who were thinkers and could provide clear, concise assessments of what they found (this does not only apply to the weather subject of course, but that is the subject at hand today).

As a leader you must understand how the weather impacts evertything across your mission and environment. Everything from drone and thermal use to how the noise levels of a dismounted recon to what type of weapons lube you need to swap to as temps drop below freezing. In short everything is impacted in some way buy the weather. Will the enemy in a defense will tend to be hunkered down just trying to survive and stay warm and dry or will he be comfortable and alert in his fighting positions in sunny and 68 degrees?

One of the tools we use to assess weather / describe the aspects is using Visibility, Winds, Temperature/humidity, Cloud cover, Precipitation (VWTCP). State how the weather will affect both friendly and enemy forces and their enablers (eg “we won’t be able to use our drones tomorrow after 1100 or so due to high winds”). Leaders need to have visualization tools to help manage this data and understand it. You can use the CM-7 Recon Handbook as a starting point:

You can add or delete aspects as needed. This reinforces the idea of not only know the what, but the “so what” or the impacts - both negative and positive. Leaders can leverage weather to their advantage and plan around the weather (to a certain extent). One quick note on the effects on men and equipment…you need to experience this first hand to truly understand it. Fogging of optics, freezing machine gun bolts, and thermal crossover that renders thermals damn near useless can only be appreciated if you have experienced the pain firsthand and understand how to mitigate their effects. Take your team out in the bad conditions (safely) and let them see for themselves just how bad their high FOM night vision performs in the fog.

Non-network weather prediction in the field.

If you have lost communications and are out for an extended time you will not have the usual weather prediction information you are accustomed to. Pay attention to the weather like the old people used to do and learn your local patterns and indicators. There are several general indicators of climatic changes you should be familiar with:

Wind. You can determine wind direction by dropping a few leaves or grass or by watching the treetops. Once you determine the wind direction, you can predict the type of weather that is imminent. Rapidly shifting winds indicate an unsettled atmosphere and a likely change in the weather.

Clouds. Clouds come in a variety of shapes and patterns. A general knowledge of clouds and the atmospheric conditions they indicate can help you predict the weather (the Army survival manual you can download for free on our website goes into depth on these).

Smoke. Smoke rising in a thin vertical column indicates fair weather. Low rising or "flattened out" smoke indicates stormy weather. Birds and Insects. Birds and insects fly lower to the ground than normal in heavy, moisture-laden air. Such flight indicates that rain is likely. Most insect activity increases before a storm, but bee activity increases before fair weather.

Low-Pressure Front. Slow-moving or imperceptible winds and heavy, humid air often indicate a low-pressure front. Such a front promises bad weather that will probably linger for several days. You can "smell" and "hear" this front. The sluggish, humid air makes wilderness odors more pronounced than during high-pressure conditions. In addition, sounds are sharper and carry farther in low-pressure than high-pressure conditions. Some “non smart” watches have barometers built in and will show trends over time that can warn you of incoming weather.

Summary. While not exactly a titillating subject the impact of weather conditions must be considered by group and team leaders. You must not only know what weather is coming but understand the “so what?” of weather and how it impacts your environm,ent and actions. Use the tools available in the CM-7 Recon Handbook and Recon Leaders Guide to start and expand them using your environment and conditions. You have to know what to look for and when as well as the downstream effects (no pun intended) of adverse weather.

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The CM-6 Citizen Ranger Handbook is a Citizen-focused version of the time-tested Ranger Handbook. This is not a copy and paste version with a new cover (none of our manuals are as you guys already know). We took the existing RHB and improved and adapted it for the Professional Citizen community. We have an overabundance of the Black and White copies on our shelves and need to make some room! Use discount code CITIZEN25 for 25 percent off (the black and white version only). Discount is good until midnight tonight, so get hot!