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Spike

@spikesguides

Feb 14

The U.S. military has been warning about this problem for over a decade and Ukraine just proved them right.

Area denial isn’t about winning ground. It’s about making movement impossible. 🧵

Area denial, sometimes referred to as anti-access, is a common military tactic to control the access into and out of an area. Area denial is a particularly useful tool for irregular forces such as smaller special forces teams, guerrillas, and militias. The US military considers the adoption of area denial strategies by adversarial forces as, “[something] that may well be the most difficult operational challenge US forces will face over the coming decades.” While that quote may be from 2012 (JOAC 17 January 2012), it still rings true and can be seen in areas such as Ukraine where FPV drones create zones that units can only enter at their own peril. Area denial is a powerful tool in the strategic toolbox for units to make use of to help slow or fully stop the movement of enemy forces through an area. As usual, little disclaimer right here.

THIS IS NOT ADVICE TO GO DO ANYTHING ILLEGAL. DO NOT BREAK THE LAW. DO NOT CONSIDER BREAKING THE LAW. I DO NOT SUPPORT ANY EXTREMIST ORGANIZATIONS OR MOVEMENTS. I DO NOT SUPPORT ANY INSURRECTIONIST MOVEMENTS. I DO NOT ADVOCATE FOR ANY EXTREMIST ORGANIZATIONS, MOVEMENTS, OR IDEAOLOGIES. PLEASE DON’T DRONE STRIKE ME.

Key Principles.

Prior to getting into the various forms of area denial and how they are employed, the key ideas behind it need to be explained. Beginning with the economy of effort. That is to say, the goal of creating the greatest effect with the least amount of effort. If we want to stop an enemy in an area, you can position an army in an area but that requires men, supplies, logistics, weapons, and more that you have to take away from other areas. Instead, if you can leave behind a series of traps with only a handful of men, you maximize your defensive capabilities without having to throw piles of resources at the issue.

Area denial is also a very robust strategy that can be used in rural or urban environments, different strategies and tools can be employed in different environments. Whether the force is denying a road in a mountainous area or a series of fields in the flatlands of Iowa, area denial can be employed to great success.

Area denial strategies also synergize well with other common defensive measures and can create overall plans of defense that are iron clad despite having limited equipment or manpower. For example, making use of observation posts operating as an observer for an FPV unit or an ambush that triggers when an enemy unit triggers a trap. This allows the already amplified force to be multiplied by an even greater factor.

Finally, is the psychological impact that area denial tactics have. Creating a zone of alienation that units cannot enter lest they put themselves in peril creates a heavy sense of unease in the enemy, weakening their fighting spirit. Couple this with any losses gained in the area, it can force smaller sized units in the area to think twice about entering the area and overall hurt the morale of the enemy.

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Spike

@spikesguides

Feb 9

🧵A lot of you are terminally blackpilled. You are doing exactly what they want.

The incessant and obscene messaging is rooted in a 70-year-old blueprint for breaking the human will, rooted in the Korean War.

Understand the mechanisms and break yourself and others free:

Modern social engineering is a very refined version of the Thought Reform techniques the Chinese pioneered during the Korean War.

In these camps, beatings and physical torture took second chair to mental anguish and group ostracization.

The same tools that were utilized to try and create human robots that would espouse Chinese communism over 70 years ago are still being utilized today to manipulate populations and society as a whole.

First, we need to establish the history of this procedure and what it initially entailed...

Thought Reform and Brainwashing During the Korean War.

After capturing US soldiers, the Chinese military interned these men into camps where they were focused on turning them into tools of the state. Soldiers that would admit to crimes they did not commit such as saying they used chemical or biological agents in the field to hurt the United States on the international stage. The theory also held that after returning them home, the soldiers would carry their new programming and spread it among the US, leading to a communist revolt such as the one conducted by Mao. There were 7 key aspects to the Chinese brainwashing program. They were as follows: milieu control, mystical manipulation, confession, self-sanctification through purity, loading the language, doctrine over person, and dispensing of existence. We will delve into each of these.

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Spike

@spikesguides

Feb 7

If your buddy took a GSW RIGHT NOW—could you actually keep them alive until help arrived? Or would your lack of basic combat medicine skills get them killed? 🧵

Combat medicine saves lives yet many shooters have no idea how to do it in a calm setting, much less under pressure...

Quick disclaimer. I AM NOT A DOCTOR. THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE. SEEK ALL MEDICAL TREATMENT FROM A PROFESSIONAL! This article provides basic educational information only and does not substitute professional medical training or advice. Always seek proper medical training from qualified instructors. The author is not liable for any actions taken based on the information provided.

Basic Combat Medicine for the Every(rifle)man

Combat medicine is a topic that is rarely discussed despite it being lifesaving at its core. It is often ignored or forgotten in favor of trusting that a medic will be nearby when the unthinkable happens. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case and sometimes the basic actions taken by non-medical teammates can save the life of someone in dire need. Thankfully in recent years tourniquets have clamped their way down into the zeitgeist but as we’ll discuss, there are other basic measures that should be known, understood, and practiced by the average rifleman so they have the skills to save the lives of their comrades or even themselves.

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Spike

@spikesguides

Feb 6

You’re moving through the woods.
It’s quiet. Too quiet.

Would you recognize the signs of an enemy lying in wait, or stroll straight into their kill zone? 🧵

Reconnaissance

Reconnaissance, or recon for short, is the deliberate collection of information relating to hostile forces, terrain, and the environment that forces will be operating within. Recon’s central objective is to gather intelligence, not to engage in kinetic actions. The intelligence gained from recon operations can give smaller fighting units the tactical edge that they need to leverage against a larger, hostile force. Without recon, forces are operating blindly in an area, working against the whims of the battlespace, but when teams are operating with the intelligence gained from proper recon, they can set the terms of their fights.

Purpose of Reconnaissance.

There are five primary objectives of the recon mission and the use of recon in general. They are: gathering information on the enemy, learning the area’s terrain, providing an early warning against enemy activity, supporting operational planning, and giving a psychological edge.

When gathering information on enemy personnel, recon teams can quantify and note things such as the number of enemy personnel, their uniforms, units, weapons, locate supply lines, and even estimate morale. Recon teams also observe and note movement patterns, keeping eyes on when guard shifts change, patrol timings, and convoy schedules.

Teams that are performing terrain study, also known as area study, are identifying potential choke points, highlighting natural cover and concealment, obstacles, and defensible terrain. Teams also take note of important local resources such as water, shelter, escape routes, and in some cases even food sources.

With regards to early warnings, recon teams sweep areas to detect likely ambush locations, or even identify actively manned ambush positions, IEDs, land mines, or enemy troop concentrations prior to contact. Recon teams identifying threats before the rest of the element enters the area can save lives by having maneuver elements avoid ambushes entirely or maneuvering around area denial assets.

Operations that are planned with good area intelligence are doomed to fail. The intelligence gained by recon teams can be the difference between a successful raid or ambush or total failure. Teams that identify and locate defensive positions based on avenues of approach are spotted during recon operations. While ambushes can be conducted in an ad-hoc way, an ambush planned around good area intelligence will almost always go better than the one without.

The mind is as important of a battlefield as the physical one, the status and soundness of it influence every facet of operations from the command level to the individual. Units that know the ground they are working on and the basics about their enemy in the area will operate more confidently and effectively than those who are working in the dark, giving them a psychological boost. At the same time, an enemy that knows they’re being scouted are likely to be more paranoid and apprehensive when working in the field. Finally, leaders that are equipped with quality intelligence will make faster, and better decisions.

Recon operations are conducting much more analysis than squinting on top of a hill at an enemy base (despite what Guntubers will tell you). Proper recon is as integral to the planning and conducting of operations as well as the overall proper functioning of a unit as equipment and supplies. Reconnaissance is how the intelligence that makes or breaks plans is gathered.

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Spike

@spikesguides

Jan 30

🧵Most people think a “Modern Minuteman” means expensive gear and night vision, missing the entire point

The original Minutemen weren’t defined by equipment.

They were citizens trained to respond and coordinate immediately.

That’s a tradition worth reclaiming.

The "Army of One" is a fantasy.

Minutemen were citizens drilled to be a quick reaction force, an integral part of the "well-regulated militia".

My new book, "Modern Minuteman," is a primer for those who want to be an asset, not a liability, with over 400 pages of knowledge!

I wrote this because field manuals are often too dense for newcomers.

They assume that the reader has gone through basic training and has been educated on everything from weapons handling to drills.

This book acts as a bridge, educating readers on the baseline skills and walking through various drills to practice without bogging them down in jargon and confusing nomenclature.

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Spike

@spikesguides

Jan 29

You can’t fight alone.

You fight as a fireteam — four men acting as one.

This is where real tactics begin. 🧵

Fireteams.

After mastering the buddy team and understanding the basics of how to maneuver as a unit composed of individuals, the next logical step is the fireteam. The fireteam is composed of four to five men and makes up one half to one third of a normal squad. The fireteam is compact, easy to maneuver, and much more self-sufficient than a buddy team. The fireteam is the smallest unit that is capable of coordinated simultaneous fire and movement.

Fireteams in their most basic form are composed of a team leader (TL), a rifleman, an automatic rifleman, and a grenadier as per US military doctrine. In a more irregular context, the team may be composed of three rifleman and a TL, one automatic rifleman, a TL, and two riflemen, or even a situation where there is a TL, a rifleman, a breacher, and a medic. Generally specialized inserts are added based on the mission and tasks needed to be conducted or threats that are anticipated; at the same time manpower constraints can lead to more unique fireteam compositions.

Regardless of the composition, the functional principles are that fireteams feature firepower, command and control, flexibility, and ideally specialization. This is what allows fireteams to operate as cells within the greater body that is a squad.

Common Team Roles and Responsibilities.

As stated previously, fireteam composition with irregular forces can vary, this will be a breakdown of the four common roles as per US military doctrine first and then moving onto others that may pop up in an irregular setting or with more specialized fireteams.

The doctrinal big four are, as mentioned, a team leader (TL), an automatic rifleman (AR), a grenadier (G), and a rifleman (R).

The TL’s job is to command the team and issue fire commands and coordinates with higher leadership (usually the squad leader). The team leader’s primary weapon is communication and control. The TL generally carries a rifle or carbine and a radio to communicate with other squads, he may also have a compass and protractor along with maps for orientation.

The AR holds the unique position of sustaining suppressive fire, using some type of weapon suited for such a task, this can be a box magazine fed rifle or even a belt-fed system. His objective is to control the team’s rate of fire and anchors the base of fire in contact. That is to say, he keeps heads down while the rest of the team pinpoints and picks off the rest. The AR must understand how their system operates under sustained fire and how to mitigate issues such as barrel swapping or judiciously utilizing fire, they need to have fire discipline and ammunition management skills, and be able to operate in a support position rapidly (drawing sectors of fire, estimating ranges effectively, and able to leverage their weapon into the environment to provide stable fire).

The G(renadier) employs some form of grenade launcher to provide high angle fragmentation, smoke, and illumination. This can be done with an underbarrel option or a dedicated platform. Their skills are crucial when dislodging hostiles from cover, breaking up attacks, and providing concealment during movement. The grenadier otherwise generally carries the same equipment as the rifleman.

The R(ifleman) is the most flexible position. A jack of all trades and master of none. They can provide accurate and direct fire and often double as assistants to Ars or grenadiers. They often carry mission-specific gear such as AT weapons and extra batteries.

Along with the big four, irregular forces may utilize other team members for specialization purposes or due to sheer lack of manpower and necessity. There are untold numbers of specialties and roles out there, sometimes individuals may cover multiple specialties at once, but the most common individual roles are: designated marksmen (DMR), breachers, anti-tank (AT), combat lifesaver (CLS) or medic (corpsman), communications or SIGINT operator, engineer/demolitions, scout/pointman, and drone operator.

The DMR is a rifleman trained with the use of precision weapons at intermediate ranges, generally between 300 and 700 yards. They utilize some form of an accurized rifle with magnified optics. Their objective is to fill the roll between a rifleman and a sniper. The DMR provides overwatch, counters hostile DMRs, and provides longer distance and accurate fire.

The breacher handles the use of entry tools in the act of breaching. While breaching is an act conducted as a group, a breacher handles the entry tools such as shotguns, sledgehammers, or explosive charges and employs them effectively during a breaching operation. The breacher generally carries a rifle or carbine.

The AT’s primary job is to counter hostile armor and vehicles. They generally carry a shoulder fired heavy weapon such as a rocket or recoiless weapon’s system. It is not uncommon in irregular forces for the AT and breacher to be hybridized as a singular man. The AT generally carries a rifle or a carbine.

CLS, or Combat Life Saver, is a soldier who can provide advanced trauma care beyond the MARCH (massive hemorrhage, airway, respiration, circulation, hypothermia (see combat medicine)) baseline. They generally carry an expanded IFAK or a CLS bag with more bandages and IV gear but not the full medical suite of a corpsman. They bridge the gap between individual aid and professional care. A corpsman on the other hand is a medical specialist responsible for the triage, treatment, and evacuation of casualties. The corpsman carries a full aid bag complete with medications, airway kits, chest seals, the works. They are generally not embedded within every fireteam but may be present within one. The CLS or medic generally carries a carbine.

The comms/SIGINT operator manages radios, data links, or even field telephones. They may also be used for intercepting signals, coordinating UAV data, and maintaining encryption discipline. They are likely to double as a rifleman.

Engineers/demolitions are responsible for field engineering tasks such as construction of obstacles, laying charges, demolishing hostile positions, or rigging explosives for ambush sites. They generally carry detonators in a case, tape, wire, det cord, and prepared explosives. The engineer/demo-man generally carry a rifle or carbine.

Scouts/pointmen are the lead element of a patrol or team, that is to say, they are the man in the front leading the rest along, not leading the team in a commanding way generally. Their job is to be the tip of the spear. They scan the environment for movement, traps, and any other anomalies. They must be skilled in reading the terrain, reaction drills, and have the best situational awareness. The scout likely doubles as a rifleman.

Drone operators provide real time intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) for the fireteam or squad. They generally carry some form of a small UAV that is deployed for shorter range observation. They can then relay visual intelligence to the TL, maintain greater situational awareness as the team moves, mark or lase targets (or drop small munitions on targets) depending on the drone’s capabilities. The drone operator generally carries a carbine or a rifle and doubles as a rifleman.

The fireteam can be composed of many individual parts, as seen above, but is a series of individuals that make up a robust organism where it’s strength lies within it’s ability to leverage firepower, communications, flexibility, and discipline to move and fight as one.

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