Audra Miller, First to Eleven (the cover band)
Greetings Sheepdogs,
Please donate blood (every 8 weeks, 56 days). The donor gets nothing out of it.
If fact, the donor needs to sacrifice some of his invaluable time to donate. The
recipient gets life. So it must be a good thing to do. This is what Jesus means
by storing up your treasure in heaven, not on Earth.
I have a friend, Mary Ann Benigno, whose bone marrow does not work correctly.
She needs weekly transfusions of 1 or 2 units of whole blood. (Which she gets, if
it's available.) So, when I get the emails or text messages from the American Red
Cross, I don't make excuses. I go. Please do likewise. All leadership is by example.
God doesn't make some rich and some poor. God doesn't make some happy and
some miserable. God gives everyone opportunities. It is up to the individual to
seize (or waste) the opportunity. If you are not constantly being bombarded by
opportunities, that is your fault for not recognizing the opportunities.
"Opportunity is missed by most people
because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."
-- Thomas A. Edison
"Support The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act" by Citizens Committee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWcQhfqaVHg
"No freeman shall ever be debarred the use of arms."
-- Thomas Jefferson
If you are debarred the use of arms, you are not living in a free state.
Living there is your choice.
"It's not that simple."
"Yes, it is that simple." -- Massad Ayoob
My ancestors crossed the Pacific Ocean from China and Korea to America
for freedom. I have no sympathy for those unwilling to drive a few miles to
get out of California, New York, etc. There are lots of jobs and lots of housing
in Tennessee, Texas, et al.
Table of Contents:
Prevention
Mindset
Situational Awareness
Safety
Training
Practice
Intervention
Strategy
Tactics
Techniques
Postvention
Aftermath
Medical
Survival
Education
Legal
Instruction
Gear
Cryptology
Signals Intelligence
Intelligence
After Thoughts
Psychology
*************************************************************************
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Prevention ***** ***** *****
Things you can do to avoid the lethal force incident.
Table of sections:
Mindset
Safety
Training
Practice
*************************************************************************
----- Mindset and Attitude -----
Figuring out the correct way to think.
"Be so focused on watering your grass that
you don't have time to check if someone else's is greener."
-- Nicola Cavanis
Awareness, Avoidance, De-Escalation, Escape
"Brave New World!" by John Farnam
Unarmed members of the Armed Forces is WRONG!
"Start the habit of asking yourself:
Does this support the life I am trying to create?"
-- Nicola Cavanis
"The Everyday Carry of Mindset" John Murphy
‟We don’t decide what is necessary to survive a
lethal force encounter initiated by someone else.
That person decides what’s necessary for us to survive.”
– William Aprill
I always carry. So I am always sober. So I never drink alcohol; I never do drugs.
Even if I have a prescription, I don't use any drug that will affect my judgment.
I urge you to do the same.
"I do not carry a pistol so that I may impose my will on others.
I carry a pistol so that others may not impose their will on me."
-- Tom Givens
---
"In any negotiation you must be able to walk away.
Otherwise, you're not negotiating, you're begging."
-- Donald Trump
---
That is why you must always carry. Your willingness to use your pistol,
your competence, allows you to walk away.
Ya, you may need to shoot and kill a few people to allow you and your
loved ones to walk away. But, those are just details. The important point
is that you had the option of walking away.
"How do you measure up?" by Orion Taraban, Psy.D.
Wednesday, February 5th, 2025
Though I don't consider myself an expert climber, I'm proud to say that I've
climbed the tallest mountain in the world. I won't lie: it was more challenging
that expected. The air is much thinner at altitude, which demanded that I
frequently stop for breath. What's more, the soft terrain gave way with each
step, slowing my progress considerably. However, when I arrived at the
summit – and I saw the brilliant ocean stretching out in all directions to the
very end of the visible horizon – my sense of accomplishment overcame any
fatigue I felt. It was worth it.
You'd be forgiven if you found the previous paragraph confusing – but it's
all perfectly true. Though, I suppose, it does depend on what you mean by
“tallest.” Most people associate that superlative with Mount Everest; however,
that peak is “only” the tallest point above sea level. If you were instead to
measure mountains from their bases, then that title shifts to the Hawaiian
high point, Mauna Kea. From its foundations on the Pacific Ocean's floor,
this volcano measures over 33,500 feet – nearly 7,000 feet higher than Everest.
And, of course, if you were instead to measure mountains by their distances
from the center of the Earth, then the title would shift yet again to the
Ecuadorian stratovolcano, Chimborazo. Due to the wonky nature of our little
planetary sphere, this peak shoots over two kilometers further into space than
the top of Everest.
My point here is that many of our assumptions about the world are founded
on systems of measurement of which we might be – at best – only dimly aware.
If we change how we measure, then our models of reality might shift considerably,
which – in turn – will alter how we behave. If we measure in the “right” way,
then we can influence human behavior – including our own – in non-insignificant
ways. Are you making progress? Or do you seem to be going nowhere?
Are you fortunate? Or has fate given you a raw deal? Whether you're aware of
it or not, how you answer these questions might depend on how you are measuring.
Warmly,
Orion
"Survival is a mindset, not a skill set."
-- Greg Shaffer
"The Irreplaceable Role Of Men" by Nick Freitas
"Have your affairs in order."
-- John Hearne
"Mediations on Combat Mindset, part 2" by Ian
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
"Your gunfights will always be anomalies.
So are those of all the instructors you venerate.
It’s useful to keep those facts in mind."
-- Greg Ellifritz
---
Jews venerate King David, the 2nd king of Israel. Christians, not so much.
Why? Morality. David stole another man's wife and then murdered the man
so David could keep the woman. It was not a crime of passion in the heat of
the moment. It was a coldly calculated order to one of David's generals that
David knew would (and did) result in the man's death. That's premeditated
first degree murder. (And an abuse of power under color of law.)
Be careful whom you venerate. It says a lot about you.
“You need to have the capacity for danger. You need to be ‘dangerous’.
Yet, you need to learn how to not use it except when necessary.
And, that is not the same thing as being harmless.
There's nothing virtuous about harmlessness.
Harmless just means you’re ineffectual and useless.”
-- Jordan Peterson
"John Boyd (Patterns of Conflict)"
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
"Your life is as good as your mindset." -- Nicola Cavanis
"Why Self Defense Without This Mindset Is Useless" by Tim Larkin
---
‷If you look at someone bigger, faster, and stronger and immediately think,
‶I'm at a disadvantage″,
I have news for you: you are.
But that's only because you just put yourself there for no reason.
The truth is that anyone can do debilitating violence to anyone else.
Your size, your speed, your strength, your gender --
all the factors that untrained people think make the difference when it comes to violence --
all matter far less than your mindset and your intent.‴
-- Tim Larkin
Self deception.
***** Situational Awareness *****
How to avoid being taken by surprise.
"Many people don't realize that your awareness skills are more important than
your marksmanship skills. Well, you can't shoot something you don't know is there,
or don't know it needs to be shot!" -- Tom Givens
I don't usually cite articles that I think are wrong. But sometimes it serves a purpose.
I don't know where or how the author, Mr. Benton, got "Condition Black = Panicked".
I had never heard Jeff Cooper say such a thing. I have never heard any of Cooper's
disciples say such a thing.
"3 Types of Awareness that will Help in Self-Defense"
by Dave "Boon" Benton
Excerpt:
Situational Awareness
Environmental Awareness
Spatial Awareness
"Jeff Cooper's Color Code exists to help you get your head
around the need to kill someone in the immediate future."
-- John Hearne
---
Jeff Cooper's Color Code of Mental Awareness
UNAWARE - of what's going on around you. (White)
AWARE - of who is around you and what they are doing. (Yellow)
ALERT - to a POTENTIAL threat and taking action to avoid the threat. (Orange)
ALARM - by a REAL threat and taking action to escape the threat,
which might include shooting to PREVENT the attack. (Red)
COMBAT - front sight, press. Shooting to STOP the attack. (Black)
*************************************************************************
----- Safety -----
How to prevent the bad thing from happening in the first place.
How to avoid shooting yourself, friendlies, and innocent bystanders.
How to prevent unauthorized persons from using your guns.
"Gut feelings are guardian angels."
-- Nicola Cavanis
"Identify before you shoot" by tacticalprofessor (Claude Werner)
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
Excerpt:
"Is ‘the worst possible case’ having a dangerous armed intruder in your house or
shooting and killing a family member by mistake?"
Jeff Cooper′s Rules of Gun Safety
RULE I: ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED.
RULE II: NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER ANYTHING
THAT YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO DESTROY.
RULE III: KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER
UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET.
RULE IV: BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET.
---
RULE V: Maintain control of your gun. -- Stephen P. Wenger
"It's easier to stay out of trouble than to get out of trouble."
-- Claude Werner
"Terrorists in Uniform" by Greg Ellifritz
I remember a news article from several years ago that 50,000 United Parcel Service
uniforms had been stolen from the manufacturer. The various branches of the Armed
Forces change their uniforms every so often. UPS, not so much.
"You are not responsible for negative reactions to your boundaries."
-- Nicola Cavanis
“Problem?” What “problem?”
by John Farnam
Excerpt:
"Take aggressive, personal responsibility for your own personal safety,
while you still can!"
John Farnam's rules to keep you out of trouble:
Don’t go to stupid places.
Don’t associate with stupid people.
Don’t do stupid things.
Have a “normal” appearance.
Be in bed by 10:00 PM (your own bed).
Don’t fail the attitude test.
*************************************************************************
*************************************************************************
----- Training -----
Figuring out the correct tasks to practice.
"A mistake that makes you humble is better
than an achievement that makes you arrogant."
-- Nicola Cavanis
"A Real-Life Example of the Four Rules for the Use of Deadly Force"
by Keith Kolb
Excerpt:
1. You can only use deadly force when you are in fear
of grave bodily harm or death to you or someone around you.
2. You must be the innocent victim.
3. There are no lessor means to stop the threat.
4. There is no escape available.
"There are three different areas, or disciplines, in which the armed person must train.
These are mindset, gunhandling, and marksmanship. Each is equally important, and
you must be at least competent in all three areas."
-- Tom Givens
"Are You Ready For A Gun Fight?" by Duane Thomas
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
Excerpt:
Level 1: Shooters Who Don't Shoot
LEVEL 2: SHOOTERS WHO PRACTICE ON STANDARD RANGES
LEVEL 3: SHOOTERS WHO ATTEND TRAINING CLASSES
LEVEL 4: MATCH SHOOTERS
LEVEL 5: SHOOTERS WHO'VE BEEN IN GUNFIGHTS
"If you’re not measuring your training,
what you’re doing is called playing."
-- Chris Sajnog
A reader of this blog responded to a previous post concerning using the other half of
your brain to shoot, especially when making hostage rescue shots. (Shooting
left-handed instead of right-handed for example.) He asked me not to name him or
quote him, so I will paraphrase. [I consider the respondent a competent operator
who has killed many in combat. I don't know how many he has killed. I personally
witnessed him kill 5 armed combatants at close range with a pistol (it was a
7.62 X 25mm Tokarev that he had taken from one of the Russian speaking enemy
during the fight). Low light conditions (only the under water pool lights were on).
Wet slippery pool deck, indoor pool in the basement of a resort by Lake Issyk Kul
in Kyrgyzstan. Everyone was slipping and sliding around and falling into the pool
and climbing out, and such. Very chaotic.]
--- Start paraphrase --
I think in German (auf hoch Deutsch, high German) when fighting. [German
is not his first language, though he learned it as a child.]
French doesn't work for me, it turns the situation into the silly season.
I've always thought of French as a fru fru language. Useful when talking to girls
(with the intention of getting laid).
Mandarin doesn't work for me either. [He learned Mandarin as a teenager when
his family moved to Peking.] It's a tonal language. You can't recite the mantra in
the shot process.
Prof. W told me that you live in as many worlds as languages you speak. It's true.
It's nice to be able to shift from one world into another.
--- End paraphrase --
Prof. W had said the same to me, decades earlier. How important it is to be able
to think in more than one language.
[In Hawaii, I never ran into anyone who spoke Mandarin (except maybe at the
East-West Center at the University of Hawaii). [No, no, my mistake. My children's
nanny spoke Mandarin.] All of my (1st ex) in-laws spoke Cantonese. My paternal
grandparents spoke Haka and Punti. My maternal grandmother spoke Korean.
I never understood more than a word from any of them.
My 2nd ex's family spoke Thai. I never understood a word.]
Kaery Dudenhofer taught us the mantra, "Keep pressing. Keep pressing.
Keep pressing. . . . " It took a lot of research and study to conclude that that mantra
is the best, on many levels. (Take her class for the details.) So, if you can't recite
the mantra with the correct rhythm, cadence, tone, inflection, thoughts, etc. in the
language that you are using, better change language. You think I'm joking? I'm not.
You need training because:
You don't know what you don't know.
Much of what you know is false.
It's good to the have the answers before the criminal tests you.
-- Claude Werner (paraphrased)
"Realistic Scenario Training for Self-Defense: What You Need to Know"
“Training deals not with an object,
but with the human spirit and human emotions.”
--Bruce Lee
"Armed Bystander Mistakes Victims For Armed Robbers!"
The "bystander" was an off duty cop. So in reality it was the fault of an
incompetent cop.
RULE IV: BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET.
"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of people always
possess arms and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
-- Richard Henry Lee
Signer of the Declaration of Independence
"IMPORTANCE OF SPLIT TIMES?" by Gabe Suarez
The first time I ever heard the term was in 1991 at the Gunsite 499
(Advanced Special Pistol). The staff taught a “Split Hammer”. The original
“Hammer” referring to Cooper’s two quick shots with one sight picture.
The “Split Hammer” was two shots with one sight picture but slightly
moving the pistol laterally to hit a second target placed right next to the original.
“Use your split time to get the pistol on target number two”, was the instruction.
In sport shooting, “split time” refers to the time interval between two or more
consecutive shots fired at the same target, essentially measuring how quickly a
shooter can fire a predetermined number of shots, from one shot to the next using
a timer. The idea being that the lower the split times the better the shooter.
But is that actually true?
In my experience, street gunfighting performance doesn’t benefit from lightning
fast split times and focusing on them may detract from success. A student that is
focusing on getting the predetermined number of rounds out of his pistol,
ostensibly as fast as possible, is not able to read what his adversary is doing
(notice I didn’t say “target”) and adapt. Shooting at the precipice of failure
requires mental focus on staying on the trigger and the sights to the exclusion
of everything else. And therein lies the problem.
I recall the various SWAT qualification courses that I shot through the years.
The ones belonging to the most active teams with the highest operational tempo
relied heavily on accuracy and did not call for .15 second split times. More likely
something like a half second split time, but with a very high value placed on
surgical marksmanship.
LAPD in fact took Cooper’s “Hammer”, slowed it down insuring accuracy,
and renamed it the “Controlled Pair”. I learned that one from my buddy
Marc Fleischmann when we were teaching together at Front Sight. I was scary
fast (dare I claim considerably faster than Taylor or his various Combat Master
protegees). I could draw and fire two shots from open carry in 1.25 seconds,
had a 1.0 second speed load (shot to shot), and my split times hovered at .12.
But my accuracy wasn’t always perfect. I watched Marc shoot and he was
just a hint slower than I but his marksmanship was always impeccable. I learned
by watching, stopped focusing on speed and split times, and my shooting became
surgical. He said once, “You can’t miss fast enough to win a gunfight”, and that
perspective made all the difference.
Now because we are not advocating lightning fast shooting and lighting split
times does not mean we are advocating being slow. Read that again if you didn’t
get it the first time. But I am advocating heavily for accuracy over speed.
The other matter is that the focus on sub .20/.25 split times require both the
shooter and the target to be in fixed points and stationary. And those of us
who’ve done this for real as well as watched videos of real fights know that is
extremely unlikely. If you stand still at such intervals, you will either get shot,
or both of you get shot. When everyone is moving those split times hover as
long as .50, and that is just fine.
So my opinion on split times - ignore them as they are irrelevant for street
fighting. Focus on perfect accuracy and physical smoothness and you will
develop the skills to win the street gunfight with confidence and grace.
As the old gunfighter said, “Speed is fine, but accuracy is final”.
-- Gabe Suarez
“It may seem difficult at first but everything is difficult at first.”
-- Miyamota Mushashi
"We should not forget that the spark which ignited the American Revolution
was caused by the British attempt to confiscate the firearms of the colonists."
-- Patrick Henry
“Train, Practice, Compete
are the key elements in the development of humans.”
-- John M. Buol, Jr.
---
The lethal force incident is your competition. You don't get any warning as
to where or when it will occur. You have your entire life to prepare for it.
This is a good thing. Your mortal life is God allowing you to prepare for
your eternal life. Prepare well.
“The secret of success is this.
Train like it means everything when it means nothing –
so you can fight like it means nothing when it means everything.”
-- Lofty Wiseman
"Safe gun handling and knowing how to operate the gun competently is one thing.
How to fight with the gun is a whole other plane of knowledge."
-- Tiger McKee
"Train and practice so that you can stay in your rational mind,
and force your enemy into his emotional mind. The emotional
mind makes bad judgments which will allow you to win."
-- John Hearne
“If you are reading this and can’t put your hand on your defensive firearm,
all of your training is wasted.” -- Col. Jeff Cooper
"Those motivated by a desire to improve their
gunfighting skills as opposed to a quest for trophies,
must be willing to bleed ego on the match results
to avoid shedding blood in combat."
-- Andy Stanford
"Doing The Training Macarena" by Clint Smith
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
"Why are the little things called little things?
They are everything."
-- Nicola Cavanis
"Filling the bucket." by Orion Taraban, Psy.D.
Wednesday, February 12th, 2025
Moved by the heart-wrenching testimony of a young girl who had been raped
and beaten, John Grisham was inspired to enact his own justice in a fictionalized
account of the case. A trial lawyer by trade, he had never written a novel before,
and – between his family and his career – he had very little free time in which to do so.
However, Grisham was undaunted. His solution was to arrive at his office
fifteen minutes earlier and devote a quarter-hour to his creative project each day.
It look him three years of working in fifteen minute increments to complete his
first novel, A Time to Kill. He wrote the entire work by hand on legal pads he
found in the supply closet. Of course, no reward awaited him: the world was
indifferent to Grisham's efforts. His book was rejected by twenty-eight publishers
before a small house was willing to print 5,000 copies – a very modest circulation.
And through it all, Grisham continued to quietly work his day job.
I like to relate this story whenever I'm told by a client that he doesn't have the
time to devote to his passion project. This is almost never the case. Like Grisham,
nearly everyone has fifteen minutes a day that could be allocated toward a long-term
goal. What people lack is not time, but consistency and self-efficacy. The first is
needed to fill the bucket – drop by drop. And the second is required to stay the
course – as it could be years before anyone besides you believes in your vision.
Excellence and achievement are the aggregates of thousands of smaller efforts.
We neglect the small to the detriment of the large.
Warmly,
Orion
------------------------------ Classes and Conferences --------------------------------
Attending classes and conferences is required for continuous growth.
Stagnation is complacency. Complacency kills. (Unfortunately, it also
kills your students.)
"The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword;
because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force
superior to any bands of regular troops that can be, on any pretense,
raised in the United States."
-- Noah Webster
Rangemaster Certified Instructors
Map of Rangemaster Certified Instructors
Tactical Conference
Rangemaster Tactical Conference
Friday-Sunday, March 28-30, 2025
Dallas Pistol Club; Carrollton, TX
Law of Self Defense, live online class upcoming dates
April 26, 2025, and
September 27, 2025
Bullets & Bibles Conference
Friday, September 26, 2025 – Sunday, September 28, 2025
Living Water Ranch, north of Manhattan, KS
For more information about lodging on site or
if you have any questions regarding the event,
contact our Bullets & Bibles Conference Coordinator,
Vonda Copeland
director@fhftc.org
or call 785-293-2449.
Guardian Conference
September 19th - 21st, 2025 in Oklahoma City
Dustin Salomon
KR Training
Kari Grayson
Citizens Safety Academy
Carry Trainer, Mickey Schuch
Paladin Training, Inc.
FPF Training, John Murphy
Defensive Training International, John Farnam
Rangemaster, Tom Givens
Trident Concepts, Jeff Gonzales
Apache Solutions, Tim Kelly
Harris Combative Strategies, Randy Harris
Patriot Training
Mead Hall Range & Tactics
Two Pillars Training, John Hearne
‟Training is NOT an event, but a process.
Training is the preparation FOR practice.”
-- Claude Werner
The outline for my Defensive Pistol course is online at
Or, send me an email requesting the latest version.
*************************************************************************
Audra Miller, the reader
*************************************************************************
----- Practice -----
How to get proficient at that task. Matches.
"Nothing changes if nothing changes."
-- Nicola Cavanis
---
"But, that's the way we've always done it."
Such is institutional inertia. Embrace or discard it, but don't pretend.
"Be stronger than your strongest excuse."
-- Nicola Cavanis
---
"I have to work on my house."
No, you have to go to the range and fire your new pistol,
because you don't even know if it works, much less groups for you.
"Your speed doesn't matter. Forward is forward."
-- Nicola Cavanis
"Remember, growing may feel like breaking at first."
-- Nicola Cavanis
Regional ARC (Americas Rifle Challenge) (AR-15 match)
Match April 19, 2025
CAMP ATTERBURY, EDINBURGH, INDIANA
"People rust faster than equipment."
-- John Hearne
‶Practice is the small deposits you make over time,
so that in an emergency, you can make that big withdrawal.″
-- Chesley Burnett Sullenberger, III
‟Be careful what you practice.
Because you will do in combat whatever you have practiced,
no matter how ridiculous.”
-- ‶Shooting in Self-Defense″ by Sara Ahrens
Why practice?
“To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are
figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very
special thing, unique to them and fitted to their talents. What a tragedy
if that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for that which could
have been their finest hour.”
-- Winston Churchill
“Willingness is a state of mind. Readiness is a statement of fact!”
-- Lt. Gen. David M Shoup, USMC Commandant 1960-1963
"Remember, the day you plant the seed is not the day you earn the fruit."
-- Nicola Cavanis
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Intervention ***** ***** *****
Suggestions on how to deal with the incident that you failed to avoid.
Table of sections:
Strategy
Tactics
Techniques
*************************************************************************
----- Strategy -----
Deciding on the end state and how to achieve it,
which tactics to use, which always includes walking away.
"Never let fear decide your fate." -- Nicola Cavanis
"Home Defense Guns-What Experts Choose" by Mickey Schuch
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
Excerpt:
Deter.
Detect.
Deny.
Delay.
Defend.
---
Capacity.
Shootability.
Efficacy.
Over penetration. (not significant)
---
You can live without a leg. You can't live without any blood.
---
I would use the pistol I carry. Why? Because I train with it the most.
“How do you win a gunfight?
Don't be there.”
-- John Farnam
"Having a gun is important. But knowing WHEN to use it is even more important."
-- Greg Ellifritz
"You win gunfights by not getting shot."
-- John Holschen
“You are no more armed because you are wearing a pistol
than you are a musician because you own a guitar.”
from "Principles of Personal Defense" by Col. Jeff Cooper, USMC,
(1920 – 2006 A.D.)
‟Fear is an instinct. Courage is a choice.”
-- Rear Admiral Joseph Kernan, U.S. Navy
*************************************************************************
----- Tactics -----
Maneuver and fire in support of your strategy.
“People shoot you because they see you.
They see you because you let them.
Don’t let them see you.”
-- Clint Smith
Wow! Greg posted this article on his Weekend Knowledge Dump. It's hard
to read and hard to watch. The depravity of some humans is sickening.
"Incidents and Takeaways: Defensive Lessons from Real-World Gun Fights"
by Bob Campbell
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
Excerpt:
"The taser had no effect, as often occurs for many reasons."
"Real fights are short."
-- Bruce Lee
"The Bigger They Are…" by Marshal Halloway
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
Tactics for children in self-defense.
"Without discrimination, you're going to shoot the wrong person really fast."
-- Paul Howe
"You brought a gun to the fight. That doesn’t mean it’s YOUR gun.
The gun belongs to whomever can keep it. Think about that before intervening
in other folks’ problems. When is the last time you practiced your in-hand
weapon retention skills?"
-- Greg Ellifritz
---
". . . if the assailant has a gun, it may actually be the easiest gun for you to access,
if you know how to take it from him."
-- Stephen P. Wenger
---
When was last time you practiced your in-holster weapon retention skills?
Have you taken a class to learn such techniques?
“Fortuitous outcomes reinforce poor tactics.”
-- Chuck Haggard
"You often don't know where the bad guy is who is shooting at you."
-- Phillip Groff
“When you’re in the dark, stay in the dark;
when you’re in the light, light up the dark.”
-- Stephen P. Wenger
"The shorter the fight, the less hurt you get."
-- John Holschen
*************************************************************************
----- Techniques -----
Ways to execute a given task in support of your tactics,
especially when disabled or under stress.
"As I’ve said many times in class,
practicing sighted fire will improve your unsighted fire,
but it doesn’t work the other way around."
-- Greg Ellifritz
"Use only that which works,
and take it from any place you can find it."
-- Bruce Lee
"TRIGGER CONTROL (Master Class & Training Tips)"
by Cold Bore Tactical LLC
Hyperlinked table of contents below the video.
---
Cold Bore Tactical, LLC
Playlists,
"Denn jedes Mal, wenn was geht, ist Platz für Neues.
Und wenn es gestern nicht sein soll, dann klappt es heut 🦋"
-- Nicola Cavanis
If you're pointing your pistol into space when reloading or clearing a malfunction,
you're WRONG! Your pistol should be pointed down at the ground or at least down
range (where ever that may be).
If you're not pointing your pistol at something, you don't know where you're
pointing your pistol.
"The foundations of your grip are established
before you even draw the pistol from the holster."
-- Tanner Denton
"TRANSITIONS LAB SERIES: Continuous Control" by Tim Herron
"Grip first, then press."
-- Mike Seeklander
Every square inch of her body is covered by cold weather clothing.
She can't help it. She's build that way.
“What’s the number one reason for reloading? Missing the target!”
-- Claude Werner
How do you ensure a hit? Surprise break.
"It's not daily increase but daily decrease - hack away at the inessentials!"
-- Bruce Lee
*************************************************************************
Ene Kallas
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Postvention ***** ***** *****
Suggestions on how to treat your wounds or the wounds of your loved ones.
Suggestions on how to avoid prosecution, conviction, and prison time.
Suggestions on how to avoid the civil law suit and judgment.
Table of contents:
Aftermath
Medical
Survival
*************************************************************************
----- Aftermath -----
You must be alive to have these problems: criminal and civil liability.
“Your understanding and consent are not required
for someone to take your life, kill your loved ones,
and destroy all you hold dear.”
-- William Aprill
"What to Say to POLICE After Self-Defense! | LAW101" by Andrew Branca
Free webinar,
In the right hand column of this web page, click on "Never Talk To The Police"
or use the address,
In the right hand column, click on the link labeled "Self Defense Insurance".
Or, the link is,
Read this before you buy insurance. You need to make an informed decision.
The various policies are drastically different.
"You need to read the fine print." -- Massad Ayoob
“The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him,
but because he loves what is behind him.”
― G.K. Chesterton
*************************************************************************
----- Medical -----
"If you prepare for the emergency,
the emergency ceases to exist!"
-- Sherman House
Tactical Emergency Casualty Care Course - NAEMT Certified, $495.00
This is a mental exercise. And we need mental exercise!
"Walking Backwards Has a Surprising Number of Health Benefits
Walking backwards burns more calories and has many other health benefits."
by Jack McNamara
Hat tip to Docent. From,
"Science #3" by Docent
Excerpts (by Docent):
One of the most well-studied benefits of walking backwards is improving stability
and balance. Walking backwards can improve forward gait (how a person walks) and
balance for healthy adults and those with knee osteoarthritis. Walking backwards
causes us to take shorter, more frequent steps, leading to improved muscular endurance
for the muscles of the lower legs while reducing the burden on our joints.
Adding changes in incline or decline can also alter the range of motion for joints
and muscles, offering pain relief for conditions such as plantar fasciitis – one of the
most common causes of heel pain.
The postural changes brought about by walking backwards also use more of the
muscles supporting our lumbar spine - suggesting backwards walking could be a
particularly beneficial exercise for people with chronic lower back pain.
Walking backwards has even been used to identify and treat balance and walking
speed in patients with neurological conditions or following chronic stroke.
---
Excerpt:
"When we become confident with travelling backwards, progressing to running
can enhance the demands further. While often studied as a rehabilitation tool,
backward running increases the strength of crucial muscles involved with
straightening the knee, which not only carries over to injury prevention but also
our ability to generate power and athletic performance."
"Walking backwards is simple, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy."
"Once you become more confident walking backwards,
you can begin to speed things up and even transition to a treadmill,
being sure to use the guide rails when necessary."
“Your character is what you do when no one is looking.”
-- Thomas Jefferson
*************************************************************************
----- Survival -----
"Survival is a mindset, not a skill set."
-- Greg Shaffer
“In these times, any able-bodied person who is able to carry a gun, should do so.”
-- Jerusalem Post Newsletter, 7 Feb 25
Being a “Warrior?” by John Farnam
“ ‘Being a warrior’ is a foreign concept for most modern Jews,
but keep this in mind:
Traditionally, Jews have always been warriors!”
-- Jerusalem Post Newsletter, 7 Feb 25
"The Law IS in our hands!" by John Farnam
“ ‘Taking the law into your own hands?’
The law IS in our hands!
‘Law enforcement’ is not something sovereign citizens seize from police officers.
It is a societal function that citizens delegate to civil police. In doing so, we do not
abdicate our own sovereignty, nor our duties as citizens. Ultimate responsibility is
still ours. When people we hire as police are either unwilling or unable to perform
that function at the critical moment, there is no law nor standard that says we cannot
perform it for ourselves.
Indeed, when personally threatened, we have no choice!”
"Survival is not based solely on technique. Survivability may hinge on the use
of the correct technique appropriate to the environment you are fighting in.
Oh, and yes, marksmanship is always valuable."
-- Clint Smith
A year's worth of meat for $600.
"If you stay fit, you do not have to get fit.
If you stay trained, you do not have to get trained.
If you stay prepared, you do not have to get prepared."
-- Robert Margulies
*************************************************************************
Audra Miller, the graduate
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Education ***** ***** *****
Table of contents:
Legal
Instruction
Gear
*************************************************************************
"Cogito, ergo armatum sum." (I think, therefore armed am I.)
-- John Farnam
Quips
Active Response Training
The Tactical Professor
Rangemaster Newsletter
Shooting Classes Blog
"You will never get smarter or broaden your horizons
if you're unwilling to learn from others and read."
-- Becca Martin
*************************************************************************
----- Legal -----
"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.
It is wholly inadequate for the governance of any other.
-- John Adams, October 11, 1798
In case you don't understand the afore mentioned quote,
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Jcw0uudW9oo
"President Trump Signs Executive Order Protecting the Second Amendment"
"[U.S Circuit] Court Says Family Can't Sue Over Wrong House Raid" by Liberty Doll
The U.S. Supreme Court accepted this case!
FBI raided wrong house. Wrong number. Wrong street name.
"A Big Victory in Challenge to Hawaii Law Keeping Lawful Residents From 2A Rights"
by John Petrolino
Because I was born and raised in Hawaii.
"BREAKING!!!
Supreme Court 8-1 Gun Possession Decision Changes Second Amendment Fight Forever!"
by Armed Scholar
This ruling only applies to Mr. Range. "As applied to Mr. Range." Non-violent
convictions do not remove the person from the class of "the people" as stated in the
U.S. Constitution.
"HUGE WIN: Waiting Periods Are UNCONSTITUTIONAL" by Jared Yanis
"Law of Self Defense" by Andrew Branca
(free book, just pay for shipping so you don't have to go to Colorado to pick it up)
http://lawofselfdefense.com/freebook
"2 More States Join The Race To Constitutional Carry!" by Jared Yanis
"In Wyoming’s Cowboy State Daily: Let’s Repeal Gun Free Zones"
Law of Self Defense, live online class
upcoming dates April 26, 2025, and September 27, 2025
"Defensive Gun Uses By People Legally Carrying Guns: 28 Cases During November 2024"
Transgenders in Federal Prison:
15.3% of Prisoners in Women’s Prison are Men,
0.5% of Prisoners in Men’s Prison are Women"
“Is there no virtue among us? If there is not, we are without hope!
No form of government, existing nor theoretical, will keep us from harm.
To think that any government, in any form, will insure liberty and happiness
for a dishonorable population represents the height of self-deception.”
-- James Madison, 1788
*************************************************************************
----- Instruction -----
“The most valuable resource that all teachers have is each other.
Without collaboration, our growth is limited to our own perspectives.”
-- Robert John Meehan
----- Instructors -----
Colonel Robert Lindsey to his fellow trainers:
"We are not God's gift to our students.
Our students are God's gift to us."
"5 Tips for Firearms Teaching" by Kris “Tanto” Paronto
Excerpt:
1. Don’t be a tough guy.
2. Run some of the drills with the students.
3. Be clear in your instructions. And, be open to questions.
4. At the beginning of class, check out the gear everyone brought.
(You and the students can learn a lot from this.)
5. You have to genuinely care about your firearms students.
"Every time I teach a class,
I discover I don't know something."
-- Clint Smith, Director of Thunder Ranch
“He who dares to teach must never cease to learn.”
-- Richard Henry Dana
Be careful what you teach.
Because your students will do in combat
whatever you have trained them to do,
no matter how ridiculous.
-- "Shooting in Self-Defense" by Sara Ahrens
"Remember,
the students who require the extra effort
are the ones who need us the most!"
-- John Farnam
"You must teach skill sustainment as part of training."
-- John Hearne
"The limited time you spend with students may be the only training they ever receive!"
-- John Farnam
----- Students -----
"Growth is uncomfortable because you've never been there before."
-- Nicola Cavanis
"Keep in mind that this is some seriously next level material.
It is totally normal that the first time you see this stuff, you find
it confusing. You find it difficult to understand. So, confusion
should not discourage you. It does not represent any intellectual
failing on your part. Rather, keep in mind that it represents an
opportunity to get even smarter."
– Tim Roughgarden, Professor of Computer Science and other
stuff at Stanford University
The test of whether or not you understand a thing is whether
you can explain it to someone in the field. The test of whether
or not you have a deep understanding of a thing is your ability
to explain it to a layman.
-- Norman Christ
"It's better to be wrong than to be vague."
-- Freeman Dyson
"Try.
Try again.
Try once more.
Try differently.
Try again tomorrow.
Try and ask for help.
Try find someone who's done it.
Try to fix the problem.
Keep trying until you succeed."
-- Nicola Cavanis
----- Andragogy -----
‟An instructor should not expect any learning to
take place the first time new information is presented.”
-- ‶Building Shooters″ by Dustin Salomon
*************************************************************************
----- Gear -----
And the safe storage thereof.
“Mission drives the gear train.”
-- Pat Rogers
Truth is often hard to swallow.
"A Female Perspective on Choosing a Firearm" by Tara Dixon Engel
"Rotating and Culling Carry Ammunition" by Robert McLeod
Excerpts:
"Many instructors recommend using your carry rounds in low-light classes to
observe the muzzle flash in the dark; I reserve these marked rounds for that purpose."
"I ran each round through a case gauge. I chose to use a case gauge instead of a
plunk test in a barrel because the tolerances of a case gauge are made to SAAMI
specifications."
"Carrying a Red Dot on Your EDC Pistol, The Pros & Cons."
by Sean Gharabaghli
Making my mortar barrel.
Worzalla Brothers
"Here's Proof the P320 is Defective. Sig Sauer Lies Exposed" by Protraband
Now you know why Mexico did not sue Sig Sauer.
The primary sources are listed below the video.
---
"How the P320 Cost Sig Millions (the Untold Story of Sig Sauer)" by Protraband
This is effectively part one of the video above.
---
"It happened again: Texas officer injured by holstered SIG SAUER P320"
by CBS Austin
"Breaking: Court Rule The Machine Gun Ban Is Unconstitutional" by John Crump
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff,
v.
JUSTIN BRYCE BROWN, Defendant.
"Pistol Recoil Management" by Bob Campbell
“Your car is not a holster.”
-- Pat Rogers
The vast majority of firearms used in crimes are stolen out of cars.
*************************************************************************
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Cryptology ***** ***** *****
Cryptosystems are considered "arms" by federal law, ITAR,
International Traffic in Arms Regulations. That means cryptosystems are
protected by the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Never let the
government infringe on your right to keep and bear cryptosystems, to
include home made cryptosystems, to include sharing cryptosystems with
others.
"Arms discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe,
and preserve order in the world as well as property.
Horrid mischief would ensue were the law-abiding deprived of their use."
-- Thomas Paine
"Understand Tensors Like a Physicist! (The Easy Way)" by Lukas Rafaj
Meat starts at 4:45.
Angular momentum is not a vector? This is a fucked up presentation.
Moving the origin of the coordinate system is not the same as moving the
axis of rotation. This guy is a Ph.D. student. I hope he gets straightened
out before receiving his doctorate.
But, still worth watching.
"2025 Computer Science Predictions" by Laurie Wired
Table of contents with links below video window.
03:48 Cryptography
05:02 Memory Safety [Memory safe languages are crippled languages that
think they know better than the software engineer how the code should be
written. Memory safe languages were designed to prevent stupid programmers
from shooting themselves (in the head, not the foot). -- Jon Low]
"Never memorize anything. Rather, study it until it becomes obvious."
-- Norman Christ
"Tips for C Programming" by Nic Barker
"Computer science has nothing to do with computers or science."
-- Donald Knuth
"How to self study pure math - a step-by-step guide" by Aleph 0
Helpful material listed after the video.
A very useful web site.
Ольга Васильева (Olga Vasilievaa) wishes you pleasant dreams.
"Nothing in life is to be feared; it is only to be understood. Life is not easy for any of us.
But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves.
We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing must be attained."
-- Marie Curie
Aguśka wishes you pleasant dreams.
"Premature optimization is the root of all evil."
-- Donald Knuth
Two mathematicians sitting in a diner and the first one says to the second that
the average person knows very little about basic mathematics. The second one
disagrees, and claims that most people can cope with a reasonable amount of math.
The first mathematician wanders off to the bathroom, so the second guy calls over
their waitress. He tells her that in a few minutes, when his friend has returned,
he is going to call her over and ask her a question. All she has to do is answer
"one third x cubed." She repeats "one third ex cubed?" "Yes, that's right," he says.
So she agrees to say it. The first guy returns and the second proposes a bet to
prove his point, that most people do know something about basic math. He says
he will ask the blonde waitress an integral, and the first laughingly agrees.
The second man calls over the waitress and asks "what is the integral of x squared?"
The waitress says "one third x cubed" and while walking away, turns back and says
over her shoulder "plus a constant, asshole".
"You don't need to memorize theorems,
because you can always derive them from first principles."
-- Sven Hartman
"FIT3.2.1. Cyclotomic Polynomials" by MathDoctorBob
Check notes below video for typos.
"TOTEM: TOkenized Time Series EMbeddings for General Time Series Analysis"
by Sabera Talukder
Her talk is very dense. I had to stop several times to think about what she was saying.
"I've convinced, at least myself." She gets away with this shit because she's a girls.
But, ya, she is correct.
Source code at
Primary source paper at
"TOTEM: TOkenized Time Series EMbeddings for General Time Series Analysis"
by Sabera Talukder, Yisong Yue, Georgia Gkioxari
Having studied time series (from towed arrays of Navy hydrophones) in grad
school, I find this interesting.
We should not be using photos free of charge for our steganography,
even if they are published to the public without restriction. We are not
parasites. By using such photos, we are more widely distributing and
exposing the subjects of the photos to a wider audience. And isn't that
the purpose of the publishing of the photos in the first place? The purpose
of the photos is for the model to get bookings. If you would like to hire
Nicola, you may contact her modeling agency at
c/o Plus One Talent Agency
Nicola Cavanis
Luisenstraße 25
80333 München
Deutschland
Of course, some of the others have their Only Fans or Fanvue accounts
you may subscribe to. Be careful.
"How Did Water Solve the 1800-Year-Old Talmudic Bankruptcy Problem?"
by Mathologer
"Theory of Computation" by Chris Staecker
2023 class
2025 class
The episodes are out of order in the play list.
May I recommend,
"Mathematics: Its Content, Methods and Meaning"
(3 Volumes in One) (Dover Books on Mathematics, much cheaper than the MIT version)
by A. D. Aleksandrov, A. N. Kolmogorov, and M. A. Lavrent’ev
(editors)
Translated by S. H. Gould et al.
ISBN-10 : 0486409163
ISBN-13 : 978-0486409160
A book to carry into combat with you. Don't depend on the Puzzle Palace.
They may never recover from their wokeness. All competence was fired or
forced to resign under the Obama and Biden administrations. Trump tried
during his first term in office, but he didn't understand our community nor the
self serving scum that inhabit the crevices.
Advertisement
Advertisement
***** Signals Intelligence and Ground Electronic Warfare, Cyber Security,
(sometimes Air Electronic Warfare too) *****
"A free people ought not only be armed and disciplined,
but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain
a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them,
which would include their own government."
--George Washington
In my humble opinion, sufficient ammo would be:
30,000 rounds (1000 hollow point, 29,000 ball for practice) for
each handgun, because, the vast majority of self-defense (pistol)
encounters end without a shot being fired.
50,000 rounds (1000 hunting, 49,000 ball for penetrating barriers
and practice) for each rifle, because that's the life of the rifle.
20,000 for each shotgun (500 slugs and 00 buckshot, 15,000 trap
loads for hunting and practice).
"How Ukraine outfoxed Russia’s electronic might" by Oliver Carroll
A colleague recently asked me what the front lines of Ukraine looked like.
I’ve had enough time to reflect during the many dozens of times I’ve been
there over the past decade. So I reeled off the same spiel I’ve given countless
times before. The pock-marked landscapes, the chewed-up towns, the hollow
faces on everyone you meet. But this time I found myself describing something
I hadn’t fully expressed before: the dissonance of it all. This war, you see, does
not speak one language, or belong in any one single era. It’s stuck in a kind of
time warp, oscillating between the stone age and the internet one. Rat bites to
your left, robots to your right. The Somme, but with first-person-view (FPV)
drones.
For all the technological progress, war is circling back to its comfort zone:
infantry battles. You’ll see a difference today, of course. The infantryman
moving on the battlefield in 2025 is more likely than not to be carrying bulky
tech-laden contraptions strapped to his back. These electronic-warfare boxes,
equipped with cooling fans, batteries and protruding aerials, are modern-day flak
jackets. Without them, soldiers would be defenceless against the drones that
hover and hunt from above. Similar arrays of mushroom-like boxes and aerials
stick out from the roofs of any vehicle approaching the front lines.
The story of electronic warfare (EW) might not seem particularly glamorous —
there are no flashy explosions or cinematic heroics to be had here. But any
soldier will tell you that it’s among the most consequential fronts of the war.
In this week’s science section, my colleague Shashank Joshi and I attempt to
chart the latest twists in this high-stakes game of technological cat-and-mouse:
one played by drone operators and would-be jammers on both sides. Distilled
down, it’s the extraordinary lesson of this war in miniature: Ukraine had no
right to prevail against a recognised EW superpower. But it has managed to
achieve parity, and in some aspects even outpace its much better-resourced enemy.
How? Ukrainian engineering brilliance, volunteer crowdfunding efforts and
Russian negligence all played a role. But within the story, we think, lies a warning.
Ukraine has shown that the EW battle favours disrupters and fast movers.
Expensive EW defences can be destroyed in seconds by FPV drones that cost a
fraction of the price. Technology that was cutting-edge in January will be obsolete
by March. NATO armies may still possess best-in-class EW systems, but the
question is: for how long?
Ukraine’s survival strategy has hinged on adapting quickly, using private
companies to produce cheap upgrades, sometimes in a matter of hours. Though
Russia has generally been more sluggish, it is doing its best to imitate that model.
For now, there is little evidence NATO forces are following suit. If Russia — or
indeed any similar adversary — were ever to take the war beyond Ukrainian
borders, this shortsighted approach could prove costly.
-- Oliver Carroll
"Pairwise Authentication of Humans" by Bruce Scheiner
Set up a pseudo-random number generator. Hand your friend a copy.
When communicating, check the other person's generator to see if the
numbers match. Nothing new. That's what we use the number generating
fobs for. But no fob, so that's an improvement. Depends on 3rd party
authentication software. That's bad.
Breaking Defense has a weekly newsletter, "Networks & Digital Warfare" at
Crypto-Gram by Bruce Schneier
2600
‟If violent crime is to be curbed, it is only the intended victim who can do it.
The felon does not fear the police, and he fears neither judge nor jury.
Therefore what he must fear is his victim.”
-- Col. Jeff Cooper, "Principles of Personal Defense"
*************************************************************************
Ene Kallas
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Intelligence ***** ***** *****
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State,
the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
-- Second Amendment, U.S. Constitution
President's Intelligence Advisory Board
Saturday (15 February 2025) by 12:00.
We must protect POTUS, his allies, and their families. Because the government
bureaucrats won't. Remember the U.S. Secret Service agent who posted on social
media that she would not take a bullet for Trump during his first term? What ever
happened to her? Transfer, raise, and promotion.
Gather, analyze, disseminate. Unfortunately, we cannot rely on our audience to act.
So we must gather, analyze, and act. As Michael Mann says, "Prevention, not reaction."
It would be best to kill the enemy as they sleep, as that minimizes friendly casualties.
Remember, the U.S. Navy SEAL team killed Osama bin Laden at night in his home
where his wives and children lived and were sleeping, not on a battle field. Just like
the U.S. federal agents killed Bryan Malinowski as he defended his home from invaders,
Victoria Weaver as she held her baby in the doorway of her home, the Branch Dividians
(including many women and children) as they slept in their home (burned to death),
and many many others. So, killing the enemy at night in their homes has never been
a problem for the federal government. Why should it be a problem for you?
"You're talking about murder, Staff."
May your enemies die peacefully in their sleep. Done properly, there is no suspicion
of foul play. So there is no murder. Murder is a legal construct. Don't let anyone
construct it.
In our legal system, there is legal, illegal, and extra legal. Keeping our President
alive is defending the U.S. Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic.
Remember, the Israelis are releasing thousands of convicted terrorists. MCIA
knows of at least 5, whose destination is Nashville, Tennessee, USA. As in they have
the passports, visas, and plane tickets. Sorry, all sourcing dead ends with me.
"Ask what you can do for your country." -- JFK
When LBJ had JFK killed, the policies changed. Let's not let that happen.
(No, I am not disparaging Vance.)
God's speed!
---
"Tucker Carlson - Biden Wanted to Kill Donald Trump"
There were / are lots and lots of assassination plots.
---
"Secret Service Investigating Trump-Hating Agent" by Jared Yanis
---
🔷 Drone Boats!
Logistics.
Don't let the front line advance past the supply train.
"Forces: Maritime Missile Madness" by James Dunnigan
February 2, 2025: Russia is at war in Ukraine and China is making moves against
Taiwan and in the South China Sea. In both cases the U.S. Navy is expected to deal
with these situations if they escalate to the point where they threaten American
interests. Currently the U.S. Navy consists of 475 ships. China has 400 and Russia 370.
While the Chinese fleet is new and growing, China has no experience or tradition of
naval warfare beyond its own coast. China did not start a modern, oceanic fleet until
the 1980s. While China has not fought a major naval war with modern ships, between
1949, when the communist took control of China and the late 1980s, Chinese forces
destroyed over 600 hostile ships and aircraft. Two thirds of those losses were ships,
albeit small ones. While the U.S. Navy has for decades maintained a force of at least
a dozen large aircraft carriers, China only began introducing carriers in the last decade.
China currently has three carriers, none of them as capable as the American carriers.
China is working towards U.S. style large nuclear powered carriers but not expected
to reach that goal until the 2030s or 40s.
The Americans also lead the world in submarine warfare with a current force of 51
nuclear attack submarines and fourteen SSBNs or nuclear powered ballistic missile
carrying subs. Eventually there will be more than 60 Virginia-class nuclear attack
submarines.
The U.S. Navy is having problems deciding what types of weapons their Virginia
class SSN attack submarines should carry. The most favored weapons are launched
from torpedo tubes. It’s not just torpedoes. You can put a Harpoon anti-ship missile
into a torpedo casing and launch that torpedo towards the surface target the sonar
detected. When that torpedo reaches the surface it launches the Harpoon missile,
which has a much longer range of 280 kilometers than any torpedo. The Mark 48
torpedo has a 70 kilometer range. One advantage torpedoes have over missiles is
that the target cannot easily detect an approaching torpedo. Navies say they have
all manner of torpedo detection systems, but sailors doubt that any of those detectors
will work. The detectors have not performed well in tests when the targets knew an
unarmed test torpedo was headed their way. In actual combat there is little or no
warning. In contrast an incoming missile is spotted by radar and these missiles have
been shot down by the 20mm autocannon of the Phalanx system. Other nations have
weapons similar to Phalanx.
The Navy has also developed accessories for its air-launched torpedoes, the
lightweight Mk 54 which enables the torpedo to glide long distances before entering
the water. The new accessory enables a maritime patrol aircraft to launch the torpedo
from high altitude. The modified Mk 54 has pop-out wings, so the high-altitude
torpedo can still be stored inside the aircraft bomb bay. When dropped, the wings pop
out, an onboard computer uses GPS and tiny electric motors, to operate the wings and
fins to guide the torpedo to a preprogrammed location, at which point the glide kit
falls away as the torpedo enters the water and starts searching for the submarine. The
glide kit can also be used with air dropped naval mines. It took contractor Lockheed
Martin a year, and three million dollars, to develop the system.
Normally, aircraft or helicopters have to come down to a hundred meters altitude
to launch torpedoes. That takes time and makes them vulnerable to anti-aircraft
weapons. Some subs have systems that can release a small anti-aircraft missile while
submerged, when they pick up the sound of a low flying aircraft or helicopter. By
staying at a higher altitude, the sub won't know it is being tracked, and that makes it
more vulnerable to the torpedo attack. Finally, the U.S. Navy’s new maritime patrol
aircraft, the P-8, is a jet, and does not operate as effectively at low altitudes as the
current prop-driven P-3. Same with the jet propelled drones the navy is developing
for maritime patrol work.
The Chinese Navy has 78 submarines but 90 percent of them are conventional
diesel-electric designs. China has some nuclear powered attack subs and SSBNs.
What is more difficult to create are proficient crews. The U.S. Navy has established
and maintains very high standards for officers and sailors on its nuclear subs.
American submarines remain at sea much longer than Chinese submarines. China
is trying to catch up but is finding that serving on submarines is not a popular career
choice for Chinese Naval officers. As a result the submarines’ officers are low quality
and would rather not be serving on submarines.
Because of this China has had a lot of problems with its submarines. Their
submarines are poorly designed and built. The crews are often poorly trained and
supervised. Back in 2003 this led to an incident where 70 officers and sailors
aboard a Chinese submarine suffocated and died. The sub did not sink, it just drifted
for weeks until the Chinese Navy searchers found it and all the dead personnel on
board. To remedy this situation the Chinese Navy was ordered to improve crew
training and demonstrate the success of that by keeping the subs at sea longer while
operating as they would in wartime. That is still a work in progress.
[Why didn't they surface and open their hatches? No, this is not a rhetorical question.
It is a technical question. -- Jon Low; see answer below.]
This means the U.S. Navy is encountering Chinese submarines in areas of the
central Pacific where Chinese subs had rarely been seen. This has put a strain on
Chinese submarines and their crews because neither has operated this far into the
Pacific before. The Chinese government ordered its submarines to regularly patrol
the central Pacific, and not just along the Chinese coast as they had in the past.
The Chinese are new to operating on the high seas, otherwise known as far out
in the open ocean. The Americans have long been out there because the United
States has not had local enemies on the north and south American continents for
more than a hundred years.
The Americans and Chinese are both dependent on seaborne imports and exports.
Thousands of ships regularly operate out of American and Chinese ports because
these two countries are the largest importers and exporters in the world. Keeping
those ocean sea routes safe is important for both countries. Enemy submarines are
the major threat to those commercial transports and it’s been eighty years since
there has been a threat to commercial sea lanes. The U.S. Navy exists to, among
many other things, protect American seagoing trade and threaten that of its enemies.
The only potential enemy now is China but the Chinese are far more dependent on
trade by sea, both for imports to keep the Chinese population fed and supplied with
the raw materials to manufacture the exports to keep its population employed, plus
all manner of goods they have become accustomed to consuming. The U.S. is the
largest exporter in the world and the American economy is dependent on that trade
to maintain the high standards of living Americans have become accustomed to.
For both China and the United States, control of seaborne trade is essential in
wartime. American submarines have operated off the Chinese coast since World
War II when the Americans began mining the waters around Japan to block essential
food imports from Japanese occupied northern China. In the 21st century China is
dependent on imports of food and other goods. So are the Americans, but not to the
extent the Chinese are. America can survive without seaborne trade but modern
China cannot. Before the 20th century China used seaborne trade to bring in
luxuries, not essentials. That has changed and China is scrambling to build a navy
that can protect its trade routes.
Currently the Americans are easily able to threaten those trade routes and China
is having a difficult time coping, particularly as the Americans have local friends
and even allies with significant navies and air forces, all of whom the Chinese have
unwisely antagonized bigtime. Chinese submarines in the central Pacific and even
along the American West coast are a possible solution but one that is very difficult
to achieve. At the moment China is trying to build submarines and train crews that
can operate on the high seas and threaten U.S. Navy operations in the western
Pacific and off the Chinese coast, at the same time. Both navies are increasingly
arming their submarines with missiles that can be launched from torpedo tubes or
Vertical Launch System tubes built into the hull. In the Far East South Korea is
doing this with its new submarines.
-- James Dunnigan
---
In case you don't understand how "70 officers and sailors aboard a Chinese
submarine suffocated and died", I asked a U.S. Submariner.
"The diesel engine sucked the air out. In circa 1983, I learned in diesel school
that we would die before the diesel [engine] would stop, if you were stuck in a
room with it. It would happen very fast. This sub disaster happened in 2003."
---
Please note that Wikipedia is not a peer reviewed journal. It's not reviewed at all.
---
When I pressed the submariner for details, he told me that diesel-electric boats
come to snorkel depth and suck air from the atmosphere and expel exhaust into the
water to charge their batteries. Then, they submerge and run on electricity from
their batteries. If the valving is wrong and there are no safety devices or protocols
to prevent the incorrect valving (both of which are implemented on U.S. boats),
the diesel engine will suck the air out of the boat (not just the oxygen). And
everyone dies, almost immediately.
---
Incompetence has severe consequences. No, it was not a mechanical malfunction.
"Elon Musk On The Future Of Warfare"
---
The full interview.
"Inside West Point: The Future of Technology in Warfare with Mr. Elon Musk"
Please read the Economist article,
"The added dangers of fighting in Ukraine when everything is visible"
for the first hand experience report.
"China’s Defense Industry in Crisis After Rocket Force Fallout" by Lei's Real Talk
Remember NORINCO?
Always cite open source.
"USS Harry S Truman Hull Pierced | Heading to Port for Damage Assessment |
What May Have Happened?"
---
Intentionally running a huge merchant ship into an aircraft carrier at a busy
choke point like the Suez / Panama Canal or Straits of Malacca seems like a
low cost way for an enemy to destroy it.
-- Sid Ontai
Moral flexibility.
"The Untold Ethics at CIA: How Morals Get Twisted in the Field"
by Andrew Bustamante
Did you catch the part at the end about preventing the bad guys from winning?
"Good habits and skill beat luck every time."
-- Sheriff Jim Wilson
"The Merge"
Breaking Defense
Intrigue
1440
29155
Global Recap
Timber Sycamore
Always cite open source. Tulsi Gabbard's DNI confirmation hearings.
*************************************************************************
Audra Miller, in the sun
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** After Thoughts, Politics, and such ***** ***** *****
"I hate it when I'm trying to eat a salad and
it falls in the trash and I have to eat a taco instead."
-- Nicola Cavanis
"Should the Marine Commandant Resign or be Fired for Lying about DEI. PC77"
by Sentinel
"Analyzing the Mid-Air Collision Over the Potomac:
A Detailed Examination of ATC Communications"
by Captain Steeeve
---
"Military Helo Pilot Gives Possible Cause for DCA Midair" by Ward Carroll
---
"The FAA REFUSED To Hire Qualified Whites" by Actual Justice Warrior
---
"Female Pilot in Deadly DC Crash REVEALED,
Social Media Totally DELETED:
Worked For Joe Biden, Woke?!" by Benny Johnson
---
"Black Hawk helicopter was flying too high before DC
midair crash with American Airlines flight, NTSB confirms"
by Anna Young
---
"DC Plane Crash Black Box Shows Unusual Finding" by Roman Balmakov
Control tower says the helicopter was at 200 feet altitude. The flight data recorder
in the airplane says the crash occurred at 325 ± 25 feet. So at a minimum, the
helicopter was at 300 feet altitude.
---
"Blackhawk Crash BOMBSHELL As Key Safety Feature TURNED OFF For No Reason!"
by the Quartering
The meat starts at 2:35.
"Great Purge to Leave 10,000+ DEI "Experts" Unemployed;
Judicial Watch WINS New Case" by Roman Balmakov
"Now We Know Where $100 Million In Stolen ICE Agent Guns & Ammo Went!"
by God Family and Guns
26,000 guns used in crimes traced back to missing guns from ICE armories.
4,000,000 guns stolen last year, mostly out of civilian cars.
Several hundred FBI agents were involved in this.
I wonder what their names are? Do you think they will resign before they are caught?
Maybe, like Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, they will get a big pay off.
In case you don't understand the FBI culture.
"This Is Why Biden's Pardon
'May End Up Boomeranging Against Fauci'
by DeSantis"
"The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it."
-- Mary Flannery O'Connor
California politics.
Elon Musk on guns.
"Dozens of registered federal agencies don't even exist" by The National Desk
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/H3VTbLdPuQA
"Training, Law, and Human Factors – SHOT 2025 Highlights" by Von Kliem, JD, LL.M
The stupidity of minimum wage laws explained.
In case you missed the horror of Mao Tse Tung.
If you carry a bag with the picture of Mao on the side, like Cameron Diaz,
you are wrong and evil. Ignorance is not an excuse.
"Switzerland Announces EMPHATIC Referendum Result"
by Michael Heaver
Senator Addison Mitchell McConnell III voted against Pete Hegseth,
Tulsi Gabbard, et al. Ships sometimes make funny noises when they sink.
“You can’t truly call yourself ‘peaceful’ unless you are capable of great violence.
If you’re not capable of violence, you’re not peaceful, you’re harmless.
Important distinction.”
-- Stef Starkgaryen
"Ultimate Drivetrain Guide: FWD vs RWD vs AWD vs 4x4 – Everything You Need to Know."
by Motoring Masters
*************************************************************************
Psychology
"This Is Why the Life Cycle of the Modern Woman Leads WOMEN to Loneliness"
by Pearl Daily
Whoa! Deep truth.
When I went to college (Columbia University, School of Engineering and Applied
Science) in 1977 most of the female students were there to get their Mrs. degrees.
The Bachelors degree was optional. A lot of female students dropped out before
getting their B.A. or B.S. because they had obtained their Mrs. by contract, pregnancy,
or other means.
Discipline and work to reach the objective (marriage) and then once the goal is
achieved, pull the pin on the fat grenade and gain a hundred pounds over the next
few years. (If you're not rolling on the floor laughing, you're too young.)
Head meds.
Die alone.
---
So, what's the solution? A foreign (I recommend Thai) girl, 20 years your junior,
who is pretty and slender (qualified to work as a stewardess on Japan Airlines), and
desperate for a green card. No need for a pre-nup (do you understand why?).
Brett Cooper comments.
Do you understand why this is so wrong on so many levels?
Image of female urethra,
Ignorance runs rampant in our society. Beware, or it will over run you.
Brett Cooper comments.
Pointing out how superficial skin color really is.
My cousin, Donna Jean, on my father's side looked completely white.
Her sister, Jan, would comment that Donna was passing (not telling
people that she was Chinese, pretending to be pure Irish.)
It is very important you understand this. Because it is counterintuitive.
And most people have this backwards.
"When women hedge: the bet determines the payout" by Orion Taraban, Psy.D.
"Tests are opportunities: the way of Hercules" by Orion Taraban, Psy.D.
---
Nothing is obvious.
In the Armed Forces, medals are given for conspicuous gallantry. The vast majority
of gallant behaviors are inconspicuous; often times hidden for various reasons. So, I
am often suspicious of persons with enough fruit salad to cover their left shoulder,
like Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Smith. I agree with Lt.Col. Khan, Gen.
Smith should resign or be fired. Hopefully, Trump will fire him.
Recognition of your mastery from those who don't understand is unreasonable.
But you are still required to be a master and to maintain your mastery, by continuous
study, in order to teach. Otherwise, you're a quack.
It's easy to convince (deceive) yourself that you possess a skill that you don't
possess, before you have been tested. We see this in the firearms training community
continuously. BEWARE! Dunning-Kruger effect.
Tests don't usually occur at the first level of gate keeping.
God doesn't make some rich and some poor. God doesn't make some happy and
some miserable. God gives everyone opportunities. It is up to the individual to
seize (or waste) the opportunity. If you are not constantly being bombarded by
opportunities, that is your fault for not recognizing the opportunities.
"Opportunity is missed by most people
because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."
-- Thomas A. Edison
*************************************************************************
Gun Bunny got an FFL.
Remember, one of Gun Bunny's stated goals is to show off her breasts.
At the end, she says she will join the Marine Corps.
Not all sports need to be separated by sex.
National Championships | Sullivan Rue vs Sam Dijohn
Medkova - Не разлюбила
Hat tip to Кристина Грунюшкина.
"Hey, Staff, what's with all this foreign language stuff?"
If humans use it, you ought to be able to understand it,
or be able to find an interpreter.
Semper Fidelis,
Jonathan D. Low
Email: Jon_Low@yahoo.com
Radio: KI4SDN
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