TSA blunder hits travelers at U.S. airports – D.S.
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Bill Whittle – An Illegal Immigrant Catastrophe… In Europe? ISIS Refugees! – MtH
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Video Shows Cops Tell K9 “Good Boy” as they Let Him Maul a Handcuffed Man – RBS
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Traditional Family ? The CEO Of Starbucks DOESN’T WANT YOUR MONEY – T.P.
“It’s not an endlessly expanding list of rights – the “right” to education, the “right” to health care, the “right” to food and housing. That’s not freedom, that’s dependency. Those aren’t rights, those are the rations of slavery – hay and a barn for human cattle.” – P.J. O’Rourke
On September 10, 1776, George Washington asked for a spy volunteer. Nathan Hale stepped up to the challenge of an intelligence-gathering mission in New York City. Unfortunately, the British captured and executed him. He is probably best known for his last words before being hanged: “I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country.” He has long been considered an American hero, and in 1985, was officially designated the state hero of Connecticut. It is good for us to remember that every American patriot and hero from the times leading up to and during the American Revolutionary War would have been considered traitors to the crown and would have suffered much the same fate as Hale had America not won her independence.
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Today, we present another entry for Round 60 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $10,000 worth of prizes for this round include:
First Prize:
Second Prize:
Third Prize:
Round 60 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.
2. Arrange for Reconnaissance: The best way to describe this portion is with a story. Let’s say you’re looking to buy a new house with some property. This new place is going to be your retreat, so you really want to make sure it’s going to be the right place for you and your family. You found a place you really like by looking on the internet, but it’s on the other end of the state from you. So, the first thing you do is find the address to the property. Then you’ll probably MapQuest or Google map it, and get directions and time to it. Next, the real estate agent or homeowner is contacted, and a time and date is set for a meeting. You make sure your spouse/significant other and other possible family members or friends involved can meet on that same date and time. You have now just arranged for reconnaissance. It is that simple.
3. Make Reconnaissance: Now it’s time to go look at that awesome house you want. Everyone piles into the minivan, but before you get on the highway you need to stop at the gas station and fill up. While there you get some drinks and snacks and double check your map/directions to the place. Once in the closest town to your new retreat, you start to pay attention to things like the people, what stores are there, condition of the roads, et cetera. You arrive at the house and take a look around. You inspect everything to the best of your ability. On your way back home, you and everyone else will be discussing what you saw and observed. Now plans might change, due to you actually having boots on ground and seeing things for yourself, along with input from your trusted friends and family. The whole goal here is to see things for yourself and not rely on maps, pictures, and hearsay alone. Anytime you can physically be in a location and observe it for yourself, the better the information will be.
You are going to either confirm or reject your previous ideas and information after actually having eyes on what you needed to see. Remember the acronyms METT-T, SALUTE, DRAW-D, EMPCOA, and KOCOA-W; that’s the information you need to answer or confirm. Although those are just the basics, the more information the better.
4. Complete the Plan: It’s time to make a final decision on how you will accomplish your mission. You have already thought of a few ways of going about it. One of the ways that you thought was the best idea, you now realize is impractical, after completing your reconnaissance. After rejecting the first idea, you choose the second best idea you had and carry on with that. Using all the information you had, you filled in the blanks. Then, after completing a reconnaissance, you confirmed that info and answered all the questions you may have had. So now, we have to put it all together into something that is easy for everyone to understand. In comes the operation order.
5. Issue the Order: An operation order can be half a page to a few hundred pages long, depending on the size and complexity of the mission. There is a lot of information being given out to your team, and it must be clear, concise, and easy to understand. Notice I repeated myself there. The whole purpose of an operation order is to provide specific instructions and give direction to your team. It should also convert your plan into action. Although the operation order is written on paper initially and can be read by your team and understood, it was designed to be explained orally using a terrain model or map. Below is an outline of the operation order; following the outline will be a complete breakdown of what it means and how to use it. An easy way to remember what goes into an operation order is use the acronym OSMEAC.
Let’s start breaking this thing down.
6. Supervise: A very wise man once told me “Inspect what you expect”. You must supervise your team and ensure they are doing what needs to be done correctly. Do not expect that it will be done your way without your inspection. Supervision is continuous and occurs throughout the preparation phase and during the mission. As a leader, you are responsible and accountable for the mission.
Using BAMCIS and the operation order will make life much easier for you in most of life’s situations. Obviously, these processes were designed and are used for combative purposes, but we can adapt them to our everyday life. Some of you do so already without even realizing it; I know I do. Below is an entire outline of BAMCIS and the operations order in one complete unit that you can use this as a reference to plan and write your own orders.
I hope this becomes a handy tool for everyone and was easy to understand. Mr. Murphy has a way of infiltrating every operation, no matter the size, but with the Operations Order there should be a solid plan in place with everyone on your team all on the same page. Your team will have a greater understanding of the who, what, when, where, why, and how. Then when Mr. Murphy graces you with his appearance, you and your team are able to adapt and complete the mission.
HJL,
Regarding your answer on progressive presses; not to start a Red vs. Green vs. Blue war (this is a reference to the colors of different brands of reloading presses), but there are some other considerations to take into account. Here’s a link to a paper that compares three popular progressive presses.
I was considering purchasing the Hornady LNL AP but decided to go with another option. I upgraded from a single stage press to the Lee Precision Classic Turret Press. It’s a compromise between a single stage and a true progressive press. You have to pull the handle four times to make a completed round of ammunition, compared to a single pull on a progressive. In reality, it’s theoretical rate of production is about half that of a progressive press. However, its simpler design translates into higher reliability.
HJL responds: While purchase price is significant on something like this, there were other concerns that I weighed as well. I have used Dillon presses for 30 years and have watched their warranty polices change the market. I do have some brand loyalty there. While other manufacturers are now offering much of the same warranty that Dillon does, it wasn’t always that way. With that said, I am well aware of many of the presses short comings that are listed in the article that you reference. I have owned all of the Dillon lineup except the Square Deal B. I eventually sold the RL1050 because it was too expensive and too difficult for caliber changes. I would consider that one a specialty press that can be set up for large runs of one caliber. I sold my original RL550 but purchased another after I sold the 1050 because caliber changes on it are a piece of cake– easier than any other progressive I have used. I use my XL650 for largish runs of a caliber, but most of my load development is done on the RL550 because it can be used in the same fashion as a single stage or a turret press.
All of the deficiencies mentioned in the article comparing presses have been addressed by third parties, and some of them are pretty ingenious:
While many of the press enhancements require a considerable outlay of cash, many can be done with a little elbow grease like polishing the powder funnel. Also, while many of these improvements are specific to Dillon, some are also available for other presses as well. A simple Internet search on press enhancements yields a plethora of data. In the end, a progressive press is one of the most expensive investments that a person reloading their own ammo will make. Like the author of your letter suggests, you get what you pay for.
Social Security Disability Fund Will Be Broke Next Year – G.G.
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The Minimalists: Debt Free – A.L.
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Something Just Snapped At The Comex
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Video: Clear and Simple – What you already knew – 3 min. – W.W.
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Shock Video: Man High on PCP Tasered Twice, Hit With a Baton and Pepper Sprayed – D.S.
This is what you may be faced with WTSHTF. Are you prepared to deal with it?
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Wranglerstar: Who Builds The Best Splitting Axe? You’ll Be Surprised – He doesn’t actually get to the contest in this part one, but it has an excellent video part about sharpening your chain’s saw blade when it needs it.
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U.S. railroads warn of system disruptions over safety deadline – G.P.
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DEA Report Shows Infiltration of Mexican Drug Cartels in Major US Cities – G.P.
“Freedom is essentially a condition of inequality, not equality. It recognizes as a fact of nature the structural differences inherent in man – in temperament, character, and capacity – and it respects those differences. We are not alike and no law can make us so.” – Frank Chodorov
On September 9, 1492, Columbus’ fleet set sail west. The rest, you know as history, or is that revisionist history.
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Today, we present another entry for Round 60 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $10,000 worth of prizes for this round include:
First Prize:
Second Prize:
Third Prize:
Round 60 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.
After reading articles on this site and many other similar sites over the last few years, it has surprised me that no one has written about the planning process itself. I have read quite a few well written articles that have contained very good information about planning for tasks such as defending your home, bugging out, and other activities. In this article I would like to address the overall planning process that can be used for everyday life. During this piece, I will be throwing a lot of acronyms at you. My goal is to make this as easy to understand as possible. In the end, once the concept is understood it will surprise you how applicable this process is to everyday life.
This planning process comes from the U.S. military, specifically the US Marine Corps. The only reason I specifically state that is because that is my background. I understand that other services use this same method but each differs slightly. Depending on the service you were in or the time frame you served, there will be variations in the format and acronyms used. It’s not just combat units that use this; support units and businesses do, as well. There is nothing wrong with modifying the outline from what is presented here either. The whole point is to make life easier, to plan efficiently, and to not forget crucial items. So, please have fun with it and change it to your own specific needs. Just remember, if you change things, make sure everyone is on the same page.
When we talk about the planning process, we are looking at two distinct things. First is the acronym BAMCIS (pronounced BAM-SIS), which stands Begin the planning, Arrange for reconnaissance, Make reconnaissance, Complete the plan, Issue the order, and Supervise. The second is the operation order. We use the acronym OSMEAC to remember how to construct the operation order. Orientation, Situation, Mission, Execution, Administration and Logistics, and Command and Signal. BAMCIS is a decision-making cycle where the operation order is the information gathered from BAMCIS. Let’s look at it all put together in an outline form.
Now there is much more that goes into the planning and orders process, but I like to start “zoomed out” and get that wide-angled look before jumping in. Using BAMCIS properly allows us to organize our thoughts, notes, current information, and unknowns into a workable, easy-to-read and easy-to-disseminate order for team members or others. You know how you want something done, because you’re the one who thought of the plan, but in reality when there are many moving parts, not everyone will be on the same page. To mitigate that and reduce the possibility of confusion, we use the BAMCIS process to come up with a written order, which tells everyone exactly what they should be doing and what should be accomplished as the end result. That written order is the Operations Order, which goes by a few other names as well. Some call it a 5 Paragraph Order, Combat Order, or OSMEAC. So that we are speaking the same language, that written order will be referred to as the Operations Order. Then, and most importantly, we supervise the whole process to make sure it is being done properly.
As stated above BAMCIS is part of the decision-making process. We use the OODA loop process thousands of times per day, and you probably don’t even know it. OODA stands for Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act. The loop part of it means it’s just a constant process or on a loop that never ends. As an example: You are shopping at the grocery store when you observe an unsavory looking character walking in the door. You then orient yourself and your brain power to that person. All that brainpower is working to decide what to do next and how to proceed. Then you act on that decision. So we are just taking this normal everyday human function and assembling it in a way we can write it down and express it to others i.e. BAMCIS. So let’s start breaking down BAMCIS.
1. Begin the planning: This is where it all starts. So you have a problem or issue you are trying to solve, and now your brain needs to start working. During this stage you come up with a preliminary plan that will most likely change. You need to start thinking about the terrain you will be operating in, the weather and time of year, and also the friendly and enemy situation. You are going to identify one or more actions that could be taken and the costs involved, as well as resources needed and inclusion of the right people. Before we get started with our planning, we need to design a timeline to follow, but our timeline should be written in reverse. By planning our timeline in reverse we are able to maximize our use of time allotted, and ensure our subordinates have plenty of time to plan and prepare as well.
Now let’s look at a few more acronyms that will help the planning process. Look at these as questions that need an answer. The answer will help you decide on a plan and make the orders writing process much easier.
The acronyms SALUTE, DRAW-D, EMLCOA, and KOCOA-W are going to be used to answer information for METT-T. METT-T is a valuable tool in this whole process.
What is their overall appearance? Are they well kept, professional looking, and confidant, or are they disheveled, ragged, tired, and malnourished? SALUTE can tell you a lot about your enemy, but it is just the basic information you need. The more facts you have, the better decisions you can make.
It is important to understand the capabilities and limitations of the enemy. How do you acquire the knowledge needed? Reconnaissance, scouts, spies, prisoner’s, insider information, the list is endless, but we need good, accurate information. SALUTE is going to help you with some information for DRAW-D. Consider the same information under bad weather or at night. Do they have the capability to attack at night during heavy rain and wind?
Hi Hugh,
Regarding Redoubting Thomas’ article, in Missouri, we have more Amish than any state west of the Mississippi, not to mention a whole lot of Mennonites. It is true that they are good neighbors, and they do rely on “English” neighbors for a great deal, but I can’t imagine them ever wanting manual labor from an “English”. On the contrary, growing up in large families of 5 to 12 children without modern conveniences means that they can outwork most non-Amish with one hand tied behind their back. They do, however, provide excellent labor for someone establishing a new homestead and for a fair price. Around here, they work all kinds of construction jobs, including concrete, framing, sawmilling (by horsepower), and even putting up windmills to pump water. They have worked on fences and barns for my family and even gave us money back without being asked simply because they finished a job too quickly, and so believed they had overbid.
If you decide to live near the Amish, they highly value “English” that have the ability to bale hay after they cut and rake it. They also rely on outside help for nearly all communications and long-distance or emergency travel. Around here, they hire full-time drivers. Finally, in a SHTF scenario, they would rely on non-Amish for security. Most are extremely non-violent, though lately some will privately express the willingness to defend their families if necessary. While they do own hunting rifles, they would certainly make good partners with non-Amish with security skills and the willingness to use them. – J.M.
The government admits its own statistics are phony – R.M.
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Opinion: The Euro and Why the Dollar Will Not be Dethroned – R.M.
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The Truth About The Unemployment Rate
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Peak everything, charted – G.G.
The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nick Taleb
Boston’s Gun Bible by Boston T. Party
Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank
Christians warned to pull kids from public school – D.S.
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Judge Orders Kim Davis Freed from Kentucky Jail – T.P.
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Squatter sells home items on Craigslist – D.S.
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US College Grads Know Nothing About The Constitution – G.P.
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UNHCR data confirms it: 75% of the so-called refugees arriving in Europe are MEN
“When earthly treasures are swept away, those who trust in God have everything left.” – Fulton Sheen