https://4gwtimes.blogspot.com/2021/02/the-sniper-big-four.html
You saw my post about the Big 4, Little 4 the other day. See this bro’s post about the Sniper Big 4. It’s a good post.
https://4gwtimes.blogspot.com/2021/02/the-sniper-big-four.html
You saw my post about the Big 4, Little 4 the other day. See this bro’s post about the Sniper Big 4. It’s a good post.
It’s time we discuss training philosophy, and triage of training tasks. This post is intended for civil defense organizations and NCOs of rudderless military units, given the current unstable times (more to come).
The concept of the “Big 4” came from Ranger Regiment in the 1990s. It was a way of focusing training and ensuring that it was balanced. The original Big 4 were Physical Training (PT), Marksmanship, Medical, and Battle Drills. In 2005 Vehicles was added to make the Big 5. These basic competencies are the foundation of complex and difficult operations.
We’re going to do Big 4 Little 4. The Big 4 are the originals: PT, Marksmanship, Medical, and Small Unit Tactics (SUT). I changed it to SUT because that term is more representative of what is actually taught. Battle drills are just a few set drills, while SUT encompasses the battle drills as well as other common tactical tasks like patrol bases and ambushes. The Little 4 are Vehicles, Communications, Fieldcraft, and Leadership.
In the Little 4, Vehicles and Communications are self-explanatory; both are technical fields that require training and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Fieldcraft is on the list because people just don’t spend the time in the woods and outdoors that they used to. Leadership is something that is trained and practiced all the time. The reason it is included is that specific training outside of normal duties and performance should occur on this topic. That is, leadership development should be deliberate.
Principles:
What follows is a list of key tasks and training events for each of the B4L4:
Sponsor Note
This post is sponsored by Tier1Targets, home of the T-Post hanger, and dozens of AR-500 steel targets to choose from. The hanger is simple, with no moving parts. I highly recommend these hangers and targets. All you need is a T-Post and a gun. The training value is outstanding. Let freedom ring!
A true “run” event is a full mission profile, or exercises which encompass all phases of an operation. Ideally they will include Opposing Forces (OPFOR). This can be a legitimate training event for both groups. These events should also include leadership decisions that materially affect the training event. These events should build upon previous training.
Training schedules should, above all, be reasonable to implement and safe. They should build on previous blocks of instruction. The instructors should plan out the year based on the goal of running a culmination exercise if possible. It’s ok to dial the exercise back or up as the year progresses and the reality of the men is apparent.
Here’s a link to a good basic primer for online security. Long story short is to ditch social media, ditch Google for DuckDuckGo, and use Brave as your browser.
Value up front: Here is a drawing link to a raised bed design I made and use. It is cheap, easy to build, and easy to order from just a few local lumber store parts.
This bed costs a whopping $76.43 in April 2020 dollars from McCoy’s lumber (my preferred store). The bed has a few interesting features:
The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in a new era of food insecurity in the West. While people are not yet lacking for calories, they have less choices at the store. Many have responded by starting gardens. I heartily agree with gardening. The yield is knowledge, healthier food, and time outdoors. Gardening makes for a more healthful life. My own motivations for gardening occurred before the pandemic: I was dissatisfied with the produce at the store, and concerned about future supply chain problems.
When I started gardening years ago, I began with raised beds and had immediate successes, along with failures. I have experimented with many methods, including raised beds, traditional tilled fields, no-till garden, raised rows, cloth bags, and trellising. For beginners, raised beds are by far the best value-added method. To that end, I’ve decided to compare raised bed types. I did this for myself: I wanted to know the best practice for rapidly augmenting my growing capacity if need-be.
To that end, I’ve posted the comparison for the reader’s review. I’d draw your interest specifically to the pricing on the bottom. First is cost per ft^2 (CPF), then CPF over years of use, then CPF over total performance.
Type | Units | 5 30Gal Cloth Bags | Justin Rhodes Raised Beds | Justin Rhodes Raised Beds Treated | Cinder Blocks | Galvanized Horse Troughs | Simple Treated Wood |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall Inner Size | ft | 2’ Diameter | 4’ x 8’ | 4’ x 8’ | 2.67’ x 8’ | 2’ x 4’ | 4’ x 8’ |
Square Footage Per | ft^2 | 3.14 | 32 | 32 | 21.33 | 8 | 32 |
Square Footage Total | Ft^2 | 15.7 | 32 | 32 | 21.33 | 8 | 32 |
Depth | in | 16 | 20 | 20 | 24 | 24 | 18.5 |
Volume Per | Yd^3 | 0.16 | 1.98 | 1.98 | 1.58 | 0.59 | 1.83 |
Attributes | Score | ||||||
Toxicity | 0-5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
Gardening Performance | 0-10 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
Portability | 0-5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
Immediate Usability | 0-5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
Longevity Years | 0-10 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 6 |
Asthetics | 0-5 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Total | 0-20 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 27 | 19 |
Delivery | wks | ||||||
Cost | USD$ | $38.99 | $330.00 | $396.00 | $109.10 | $99.00 | $76.53 |
(CFP) Cost per Ft^2 | USD$ | $2.48 | $10.31 | $12.38 | $5.11 | $12.38 | $2.39 |
CPF / Longevity | ~USD$ | $0.62 | $3.44 | $2.06 | $0.51 | $1.55 | $0.40 |
CPF / Performance | ~USD$ | $0.11 | $0.47 | $0.56 | $0.22 | $0.46 | $0.13 |