The first article in this series focused upon the social and legal constraints we face in "normal" times, preparing to defend our communities against potential violent threats under future, "off-normal" conditions. Here we'll present representative examples of a variety of threats - some historical, and some hypothetical - that would provide a rati...

Type: Practice (live ammunition) Time: 1 hour Venue: Title: Basic Pistol Course- Lesson 4 Range Students: 12 Student Equipment: 12 X Pistols 36 X Pistol magazines 100 X pistol rounds per student Instructor Equipment: 1 X Pistol 3 X Pistol magazine 50 X pistol rounds Assistant Instructors (AI'S): 2 (Names) PRELIMINARY ACTIVITIES: Prior to arrival of...

As we evolved into the blissfully ignorant and physically incapable, human predators found the pickings got even easier. This was never truer than in this high-tech day and age where smart phones and air pods remove any awareness of what is going on around us and the first inclination is to hit video record, not save ourselves. Although more and mo...

Understanding and adopting encrypted email is a vital step in hardening your digital life. End-to-end, zero knowledge, open source, encrypted email is not overly complicated to use. But you need to understand the positive, negatives, and essential tightening steps. Later articles will go more in-depth on how to lock down ProtonMail and Tutanota. PR...

Type: Dry Practice (No live ammunition) Time: 1 hour Venue: Title: Basic Pistol Course- Lesson 3 Weapon Training Classroom Students: 12 Student Equipment: 12 X Pistols 36 X Pistol magazines 10 X dummy pistol rounds per student Instructor Equipment:1 X Pistol 3 X Pistol magazine 10 X dummy pistol rounds Assistant Instructors (AI'S): 2 (Names) PRELIM...

Type: Dry Practice (No live ammunition) Time: 1 hour Venue: Title: Basic Pistol Course- Lesson 2 Weapon Training Classroom Students: 12 Student Equipment: 12 X Pistols 36 X Pistol magazines 10 X dummy pistol rounds per student Instructor Equipment:1 X Pistol 3 X Pistol magazine 10 X dummy pistol rounds Assistant Instructors (AI'S): 2 (Names) PRELIM...

We live in a networked society 330 million in the US (of 370 million total in North America), sustained by a complex infrastructure with both private and public/governmental components that provide a means of exchange, deliver power, transport goods and services, enable communication, and maintain civil order. Kick out one leg of a three-legged sto...

Type: Dry Practice (No live ammunition) Time: 1 hour Venue: Title: Basic Pistol Course- Lesson 1 Weapon Training Classroom Students: 12 Student Equipment:  12 X Pistols 36 X Pistol magazines 10 X dummy pistol rounds per student Instructor Equipment: 1 X Pistol 3 X Pistol magazine 10 X dummy pistol rounds Assistant Instructors (AI'S): 2 (Names)...

"APPLE IS EVIL!" That may be true, but the tech is hard to let go for many, especially with so few decent alternatives that have a better privacy record out there. Many will find some of the following setting changes to be too impractical and that is normal and fine, everyone should make their own changes - balancing their threat level with ease of...

Introduction We grew up during the Cold War (the long standoff between the US and USSR superpowers and their respective alliances) under the constant background threat of nuclear war. We didn't necessarily understand it very well - even the military, academic, and scientific communities did not - but it was a constant presence in our lives. Since t...

We will be posting complete firearms training curricula on this site. Here's why. Lawless, violent threats to U.S. citizens are mounting. Violent crime rates that began a long decline from earlier highs in the 1990s are once again climbing rapidly in much of the country. These increases are much more pronounced in urban areas, where illegal drug tr...

Security Analysis provides a foundation for all forms of planning, preparedness, and security in the face of threats to our well-being. It calls for a hard and disciplined look at our surroundings, which helps us to anticipate threats, recognize them when they appear, and prepare in advance to manage or defeat them. Security Analysis has several co...

A Site Survey characterizes a defined location (for instance a home, neighborhood, or business), looking closely at factors that are generally under your direct control. Boundaries, barriers, access and egress, routine activities and profiles, everything that constitutes a potential vulnerability or an element of security, is inventoried and assess...

An Area Study is a collection and analysis of broad-spectrum information on a defined area, to support your planning and build situational awareness in advance of the need. It will profile both the human or social environment and the physical factors that can impact your security. The area study can never be static; it is not an exercise you comple...

Our previous article in this series, THREAT ASSESSMENT: The Concept, introduced a five-step process for this first phase of risk management. This post will discuss that process in greater detail.   Our Threat Assessment method has five steps: Describe the target: what is it that you seek to protect, and under what conditions?List all threats.C...

Threat assessment is a disciplined process by which we characterize and prioritize threats to our well-being, and allocate our finite resources and efforts to avert, avoid, or mitigate them. To be useful, a threat assessment requires open-mindedness, focused research and intelligence-gathering, and deductive analysis. The U.S. Department of Homelan...

An Assets Evaluation is a more detailed development and analysis of information compiled during your Area Study; or it can be conducted independently. Here you classify and characterize persons, groups, enterprises, and agencies that are beyond your direct control, but might contribute to your security against a variety of threats. Assets in this s...

One essential skill needed in preparation for protecting a community is tactical tracking. Linked intimately with patrolling, tactical tracking will provide intelligence on any movement around the community and allow patrols to interdict potential aggressors. After establishing the community's perimeter, knowing who is moving around it will be a vi...

If a phone, tablet, or laptop only store 24 hours of communication then how useful is that to the enemy? In contrast, how useful are months or years of someone's private messages? Many have their own favorite ways to communicate securely on messaging apps, but all will agree on this basic concept - encryption really works. Encrypted messaging, stor...

"Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy." —Perth, Scotland, 28 May 1948, in Churchill, Europe Unite: Speeches 1947 & 1948. Socialism's benefits are touted as nationalization of key industries (i.e. free healthcare etc), redistribution of wealth (through taxation), social security schemes, minimum ...