Picking up where we left off on rounding out your armory, you might also usefully add in some body armor (whether soft, concealable or standalone hard plates in an overt carrier). Armor can get expensive and having any is better than having none but, like many things, it is a "cry once, buy once" kind of thing. The trade off between heavy, thick, cheap armor and the lighter, thinner more expensive stuff is greater the longer you end up wearing it. When you need it, you really need it but it does you no good if you've long ditched it for being too uncomfortable and for slowing you down. Personally, if the choice was between a set of economical AR500 steel plates with a high spall risk vs. no plates at all, we would opt for the latter and continue to save our pennies until we could afford some of the better ceramic or high density polyethylene versions. Or we would relegate AR500 steel plates to training runs or ruck marches and use a lighter and thinner set for when the threat was present. Either way we have no desire to have the copper jacket of any pistol or rifle round spinning off a steel plate and cutting our jugular.
We too have heard the stories of how members of certain Tier One high speed low drag units will leave the armor behind in order to be faster and more mobile on particular missions. Given the training and rehearsal which goes into their work, their decision to do so is no doubt highly justified. For the rest of us mere mortals, we too have the choice as to whether to wear it or not as the situation dictates. But only if it is already sitting in the closet. Better to have and not need than need and not have. Where it does get more nuanced is on the question of ballistic helmets. The technology is not really there yet: the standard heavy Army issue helmets put great strain on your neck in a short period of time and limit effectiveness. They do not offer that much protection (virtually no defense against rifle rounds and minimal against pistol) and even the latest and greatest struggle to prevent massive energy transfer of a hit from the helmet dome into your neck vertebrae, risking catastrophic indirect damage. They certainly have their place when the fragmentation risk is high from explosive shrapnel but you will want to do plenty of your own research to decide whether one is worthwhile for you.
A suppressor (aka "silencer") for your carbine is another consideration. With this you are up against the unconstitutional and fundamentally flawed National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934 and are required to fill out an application for a $200 Tax Stamp to that non-3 letter agency the BATFE. You then have your 2A rights on hold for 12 months while you wait for the Nanny administrative state to approve it. Only you can answer for yourself whether the cost, wait and "ending up on a Federal government list" is worth it. Suppressors protect your hearing (and that of those nearby), facilitate communication during the noise of a gunfight and reduce your muzzle flash signature. Never Hollywood quiet but they have true cool factor (but get dangerously hot after being shot through a few times) and all the "operator" types have them these days. One day, the NFA will be scrapped, suppressors will be mandatory in polite company and you will be able to get them in bubble packs out of vending machines at Walmart for dirt cheap. Until then, however, we recommend picking a good one from a quality brand and filling out the paperwork. The sooner you do so, the sooner the clock starts ticking and the sooner you will have it. Many people, especially for their first suppressor, agonize over finding just the right compromise for one that can fulfill multiple roles, or at least multiple calibers. We think it better to pick a dedicated "can" for your main rifle (most probably an AR15 type in 5.56mm) and call it good. This is the one you will need it on when you really need it. Collecting tax stamps for suppressors is its own kind of slippery slope even if you just restrict it to .22LR (probably the most fun) and a 9mm pistol, let alone pistol caliber carbines (which don't need a Nielsen type recoil device) or 30 cal hunting/precision rifle.
Before we finally start talking about night vision devices and turning the tables on bad guys operating in the shadows, there is one other piece of the force multiplier puzzle we should discuss, namely communications. Just as each of the above paragraphs could be (and may well be down the road) a series of stand alone Stand Tall articles in their own right, the topic of communications and, specifically, radios is both broad and deep. In "prepper" circles the subject quickly gets swamped by HAM radio aficionados who want you to join their club with all its history, traditions and rules. Unfortunately, there are not too many Amateur radio call signs who have sufficient worldly experience, flexible attitude or tactical understanding to help novices structure a truly useful communications plan. As a sweeping generalization, the world of HAM radio is self policed by know-it-all busy bodies stuck in a time warp of the golden days of Elmers (a HAM radio mentor system) totally immersed in the technology of it all and clogging the airwaves discussing their latest medical problems. HAM radio may well have a role in your communications plan but it should not be front and center nor the only option. The plan should be multilayered and have redundancies, some of which should provide both privacy and security.
Firstly, the ability to communicate is a huge force multiplier. In a deteriorating or dangerous situation we want to be able to:
- Know what is going on, either strategically (global, national, state news) or tactically (in our neighborhood and with our group)
- Discuss what is going on with those in our group
- Share information
- Issue direction, make requests
- Receive direction, accept requests
- Coordinate activity
- Raise the alarm and summon help
- Protect certain information
There are lots of times when seeing someone in person is impractical - just think of how you use your cellphone. There may well be other times when meeting up in person is dangerous and ill advised, either due to the physical threat or a counter intelligence perspective. COMSEC, ie. communications security, might become vital. Good procedures and methods established during normal times will serve you well when things are tougher. Indeed, there are good practices to be embraced right now which not only begin to set the right tone but also provide significant advantages in terms of your day to day use of technology. First and foremost, once you begin to formally or informally identify and recruit members of your trusted circle (family, friends, specialists), adopt a secure messaging app on your smartphone for everyone. We like Signal Secure Messenger. You initialize it on your phone but you can also place the account on a laptop or desktop computer. It allows for secure end to end encryption messaging, phone calls and video calls, including group calls. It is free to use and quite powerful. You can set up channels for different topics (eg. "World Events", "Wyoming News", "Training", "Next Meeting" etc). And you can easily share website links, pictures, video clips and other data.
There are plenty of other secure messaging apps out there (Wire, Wickr Pro, Threema, for instance). But we have found Signal to be the most robust and user friendly with excellent voice and video stability as long as you are on a decent network (Wifi or Cellphone data). One downside is that your account must be tied to a telephone number, though you can successfully register an account with virtual/VOIP number if you want to go down the road of burner phones and IT tradecraft. Of course, Signal is only as secure as how you use it. Invite an undercover Fed into your group and put them on the channel then they will be busy taking a screenshot of everything. If you never set your channels to auto-delete messages after 24 hours or a week then any phone that falls into the wrong hands will be a treasure trove for investigators. And anything really sensitive would be best discussed face to face far away from all electronic devices and any walls which have ears with only those you trust the most. But for everyday exchanges where you want to keep data mining Google, Facebook, Microsoft and cell carriers away from your information, Signal is a very good idea.
Unfortunately, we must also prepare for the day that the internet and cellphone towers are no longer working, whether temporarily or permanently, or are fully compromised. You can pick your own scenario: high altitude EMP; global nuclear war; massive cyber attack; rolling blackouts; a Fascist Police State; Balkanization and attendant civil strife. Whatever the reason, you will still want to keep in touch and cooperate with your group - especially those physically close enough to you in the same area to make a difference. Depending on the topography and how much line of sight you have (and there is generally plenty in much of Wyoming) handheld radios (walkie talkies) can be quite viable. Of course, if EMP is your concern any radio will need to be stored in a Faraday Bag or modified ammo can. The FRS (Family Radio Service VHF and UHF channels) and GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service UHF channels) bubble pack radios from the sports store or Walmart might work for your needs but you have to accept that they are not encrypted and that lots of other people use them: both clogging channels and having the ability to listen to what you are saying. FRS is license free whereas for GMRS you are supposed to register and pay for a 10 year license from the FCC. Not many do.
A better option in the VHF range are the MURS (Multiple Use Radio System) channels used by eg. drive way alarms systems. The power of MURS radios is limited by the FCC but handsets with decent antennas are quite capable. Not many other users sit on the channels, which is nice. Another option is the CB Citizen Band Radio Service, well used by truckers in times past but fading from popularity. All of these are unencrypted and insecure (by law). The only really secure option open to the public is to apply for a business radio license under the FCC where a use case needs to be given (not too hard to do) but radios from major manufacturers (Motorola, Kenwood, Midland, Yaesu) can be supplied with strong encryption. Something to consider, at least. And whichever class of handheld radios you settle on, make sure you look at options for aftermarket antennas (to improve performance), extra batteries (including longer life ones) and ancillaries such as earpieces and remote push to talk leads. Any attempt to conduct surveillance, search a building, shoot at at threat or detain a trespasser will soon convince you of the need to go as hands-free as possible.
There are also a myriad of technology developments which could be of use. For example, promising things are happening in low power LoRa (Long Range Radio) in which MESH devices which act as nodes can be strung together to create a robust network which propagates messages over longer distances (see www.gotenna.com). Garmin's InReach and the Spot satellite system offer remote location messaging outside of terrestrial infrastructure but require subscriptions. And the sooner SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet system starts offering an economical phone option, possibly built into your smartphone, the better.
Then there is the underground ecosystem of those willing to push the envelope of the FCC's regulations (or ignore them completely) by jumping on the many cheap Chinese imported radios which do not comply with US restrictions on bands, transmitting vs. just receiving, encryption and/or power levels. Baofeng radios are the epitome of the "movement" and its model UV-5R is the standard bearer. For $20 each you get a dual band (VHF, UHF) transceiver which can transmit on frequencies it should not at power levels considerably higher than permitted while leaking over into adjacent channels. Incredible value for money but do the research first, use at your own peril and mitigate the risks of upsetting others. There are quite a few good written resources over the web and on Amazon which will help you get fully up to speed. We recommend "The Guerrilla's Guide to the Baofeng Radio" by NC Scout.
For information gathering we believe every house should have a radio capable of receiving short wave signals. At short wave frequencies, the signal bounces off the ionosphere around the earth well beyond line of site though the actual distance depends on atmospheric conditions. At different times of the day/month/year, this allows a listener to pick up radio stations in other parts of the world as well as listen to the transmissions of Amateur Radio operators around the country and beyond. In any grid or internet down situation, news of events, guidance from authorities or just a friendly voice will have value. The buy once cry once option here is something like the Grundig Satelit 750, now back in production. But Amazon and Ebay are awash with other, capable, shortwave radios including the cheap FEMA and DHS promoted ones.
Another rabbit hole is the world of scanners. Depending on where you are and the systems used by your local services, you can buy and learn to use a multiband scanner which will allow you to listen in to Police, Fire and Ambulance service communications as well as almost everyone else's radio communications. Such a scanner can be dedicated to a particular channel (eg. your county sheriff's office) or programmed to cycle through all of the frequencies it covers (or a subset of them) and then lock on any particular transmission for its duration. In an emergency situation, that could give you valuable insight into what is going on. While a lot of walkie talkie type radios have a scanner mode, you might soon find that a dedicated scanner from someone like Uniden is a lot more efficient and user friendly. If you want to flex your inner techie, there are even PC or Android "dongles" which contain wideband SDR (software defined radio) chips and can act as a scanner from 1kHz all the way up to several GHz. They can be set up with a mezmerising "waterfall" screen which shows where all the transmissions are happening across the spectrum, allowing you to click on each one to hear the signal. If bad buys are in the neighborhood and using radios to communicate, you stand a chance of spotting them first.
If somewhere along this journey your inner techie is truly ignited, only then would we suggest taking a look at the HAM Amateur Radio world. There are books to be studied, tests to be taken and badges to be earned. In return for a bit of commitment it does open exclusive parts of the radio spectrum and, for most, it is truly a hobby in itself. You will learn a lot about signal propagation, antenna design and on air etiquette, as well as have the chance to join teams in support of emergency services and disaster relief. You can also relive the World War Two secret agent in the attic if you learn and get proficient with Morse Code (although you are not allowed to use a one time pad). Just be prepared for someone in that world to try to convince you that NVIS (Near Vertical Incidence Skywave) is HAM's answer to secure tactical comms. This basically involves you dragging a long wire antenna behind you, sending the signal straight up and bouncing it off the ionosphere to send your unencrypted transmission over a few hundred square miles to anyone who wants to listen. While it might be difficult to direction find from the ground, your movement is severely limited by the 50 foot of cable you have to manage. And lots of people potentially heard what you just said.
OK, enough with the radio part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Next article: visible, near and far infrared force multipliers.