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  You do not need to be living in a fully stocked remote retreat to utilize this manual, but having the basic weapons and equipment will give you the gear to enable you to better carry out the techniques, thus improving your chances of survival. In fact, it may well be that many of the techniques described in this manual are more likely to be used by those who are not securely located in that remote fully stocked retreat, because you will have a greater need for them in order to survive. Therefore, this manual does not aspire to exclusivity among the prepper community: rather, in preference it would be read, assimilated and acted upon by a wider audience of law-abiding folk in order to provide a better defense against lawlessness and the inevitable starving post-collapse horde.

  Responsible citizens should all be taking action to make sure that they have the basics available to survive at least a short term disaster, but the great majority will make no preparations at all. What they do not realize is that once the infrastructure starts to shut down, for whatever reason, they will not be able to live the convenient lives that they do right now.

  As a whole, we have become a society dependent on the conveniences that technology has provided us. For the most part we have become a ‘fast food society’ driven by immediate gratification and less focused on the ability to provide for ourselves. When disaster strikes we are reminded about how woefully unprepared we really are.

  As technology advances so too does our dependence on that technology. If it were to fail, so too would we. During the Great Depression people did not have the safety net of the Federal Government to bail them out of hard times and therefore they were more self-reliant. We did not have unemployment, social security, Medicare, Medicaid and the like and most people were able to grow some of their food. Today most people cannot even cook their own food much less grow it.

  For instance, if the electricity grid were to fail, there would be a knock-on effect across all services. Fuel would not get to gas stations, supply trucks would not get to supermarkets. Supermarkets and restaurants use a ‘just in time’ system whereby they do not have an extensive stock room. Once the shelves are bare after a short period of panic buying, that’s it. Without grid power, services will not work. Communications will go down, especially the mobile phone system; once the relay stations run out of diesel for the usual site standby generator - that’s it.

  Historically, many public workers, including police and fire service, will go home to look after their own families in the wake of a disaster, thus exacerbating the problem. The government and public services will not be there to help people or bail them out. Fast food restaurants will not be able to serve food. The masses will not be able to find food or gas and they will soon get desperate.

  Remember when you last had an unexpected power-cut; the odd realization that none of the ‘stuff’ in your house worked anymore? Did you go and break out the flashlights and then realize that, if this was the moment, if that was it and the power was not coming back on, how woefully unprepared you would be?

  You cannot rely on the government to bail you out in such a situation because the government will be overwhelmed and many of the workers will be looking to themselves. At least in the short to medium term you will have to look after yourself and whatever group you have prepared to survive with. The attitude of relying on others or emergency services is dangerous because you expect someone else to come to your aid rather than being self-sufficient and prepared to not be a burden. If help does come, then great; if it doesn’t, or takes a long time, maybe even years, then be ready to survive in the meantime.

  Importantly, this manual deals with topics of defense and violence. It does not advocate violence as a way of life, or advocate that post-event groups should make their way by the ‘power of the gun’. Rather, it anticipates a situation where the lives, safety and freedom of your family or group are threatened and seeks to pass on knowledge to better prepare you to deal with, and survive, such situations.

  The perspective is one of parents concerned for their kids and family, or friends concerned for their friends, or such combinations. The premise is that those utilizing this manual will be law abiding folks who will take measures to be ready for a post-event situation should one occur. A large part of the tactical message is AVOIDANCE. The smaller part of the message is controlled use of VIOLENCE for the purpose of DEFENSE.

  The hope is that survivors will conduct themselves with dignity and grace post-event in an attempt to continue, as best as possible under the circumstances, to provide a level of quality of life for their groups, families, and children. There should be space for forming alliances, building relationships between groups, charity, barter, cooperation, education and reconstruction. We are not talking Zombie Apocalypse, where everyone out there is the ‘undead’! The people out there are fellow citizens; some will have become victims, others will be poorly prepared and desperate. In such situations, it is imperative to maintain the safety of the group, but if there is room for charity or to aid others, then do so.

  Seek out the good decent people who have survived the event. Be mindful that some of these people may simply be starving and desperate and afraid for their families and children. This can make them a threat to you, but given some precautions and charity they may also make great allies. Be welcoming of the decent people in society and be prepared to see the good in people across cultural, ethnic and religious boundaries.

  There is no place now, and there is no place post-event, for bigotry and exclusion. It is this attitude that will increase violence and exclusion both in the ongoing collapse of society and after a specific event. However, on the flip side, be realistic and learn to assess threat: there will be elements out there that are very dangerous. They will seek to survive by armed strength and taking from others by force. They may simply be amalgamated groups, but they may also be more organized around political, religious or other agendas and motivated by exclusion and bigotry. Whatever the specific motivation, it is for those threats that this manual is written.

  Remember, to a certain extent we will all become looters, or a better term foragers. For example: If your health relies on a certain drug prescription, at some point you will need to get more. In a societal collapse, you may need to raid the pharmacy to get it, along with supplies of essential broad-spectrum antibiotics. Perhaps foraging or scavenging would be better words: when faced by starvation, most would agree that taking food is ok; similarly for other essential supplies.

  When your kids grow out of their clothes and shoes, would it be ok to go to an abandoned children’s store to pick up more, when no harm appears to be done? If such a store is actually occupied, or someone has opened a store stocking such items, then perhaps it would be ok to barter for such goods? However, this does not advocate the attacking of other groups in order to take or loot supplies; it is against this kind of threat that the book will prepare you.

  Why?

  The reason why this manual was written is therefore to prepare citizens with the tactical knowledge that they will need to survive a post-event situation, where lawlessness has broken out and where they may find themselves facing a physical threat, with only their own resources available to protect them.

  There are many books and resources available that educate and describe in great detail the various aspects of prepping. These are detailed and involve topics that are beyond the scope of this book. The scope of this book is concerned with security, tactics and the ability to utilize controlled violence as necessary for the defense of self, your loved ones and your group.

  Thus this book will not advocate the rights and wrongs of your survivor philosophy; the rural retreat (or castle) approach versus staying in your house in the suburbs, or going mobile and camping or in an RV or whatever other situation you may plan for or find yourself in come the day. You may in fact have idealistic prepper goals but be unable to attain them, such as not yet being in possession of a fully stocked retreat.

  Thus, this book deals with the realities of the
situations in which you may find yourself, the decisions that you may have to make, and the tactics, techniques and procedures that you will need to train and prepare for. The techniques described in this book are also not just relevant for the initial event or the immediate days that follow; they can be trained and utilized for multiple situations that your group may find itself in as time goes on. It is also not the purpose of this book to re-hash military publications which are freely available, such as the Ranger Handbook.

  This is a tactical manual, and as you advance through the book you will notice that tactical procedures, including battle drills and the like, are covered in detail. This is firstly to give you the tools to mount an effective tactical self-defense of your family, tribe or group. However, it is also written with a view to giving you the tools to fight an effective resistance campaign should you face a situation where your liberty and safety is compromised by the actions of enemies both foreign and domestic.

  It is very important that you not only read this book, but train and rehearse the tactics, techniques and procedures that are laid out within. If you need help with that, see the chapter on training or go to the Max Velocity Tactical website (maxvelocitytactical.com) for more details on available training classes. It is very likely that after a collapse event, after the SHTF, the survivors will be those have formed groups and organized themselves tactically. Small unit tactics are a force multiplier. It's the holistic effect. The difference between a rabble and an effective fighting force is discipline (both self and group) and training, translating to shock and awe at the small team level. That is about translating a basic skill, shooting, into something really useful and effective in the post SHTF environment. Force multiply and create an effective force by

  forming teams that are trained, organized, and employ common drills common drills.

  Frankly, if you are a serious survivalist or prepper and you have only got as far as shooting on a square range then you are not serious about survival in a post-collapse world.

  About the Author

  The author is a British born U.S. Citizen with extensive military experience. He has served in both the British and US Armies. He served with British Special Operations Forces, mainly with the Parachute Regiment which is Britain’s elite quick reaction force and which also provides support to the UK Tier 1 Special Forces, the Special Air Service.

  The author served on multiple operational deployments, including to Afghanistan immediately post-9/11, and also a tour training and selecting recruits for the Regiment. In explaining what the Parachute Regiment is, it is easiest to compare it in role to the 75th Ranger Regiment, although it is of course its own unique and elite force. The author passed both Parachute Regiment selection and also UK Special Forces Selection during his career. He retired from the British Army in 2003.

  Following retirement, the author spent five years serving as a security contractor in both Iraq and Afghanistan. This included working on contract for the US Government in Iraq, a year of which was based out of Fallujah, the rest variously based out of Baghdad and country-wide, and also two years working for the British Government in Helmand Province and Kabul, Afghanistan. These roles were operational security roles that included exposure to multiple different training methods and operational schools of thought, as well as both high profile and low profile mobile operations across Iraq and Afghanistan. The author then joined the U.S. Army and trained as a Combat Medic and Civil Affairs Specialist, he is a U.S. Citizen and lives in the United States.

  The author is a family man with a strong interest in prepping. This comes from a desire to prepare for the worst while living to the best in our current society. This book springs from the author’s ruminations on the need to keep his own family safe and survive any coming apocalyptic event, and a desire to share this knowledge with other law abiding folk. The intent is not just to train you as a tactical team; much of the manual is written with the presence of young kids in mind. However, as the manual progresses it will give you the skills to train and operate a tactical team that will be able to conduct necessary operations beyond the family sphere.

  The author can be contacted at: [email protected] or via www.maxvelocitytactical.com.

  Blog Post

  ‘Max V: Training Qualifications’

  It occurred to me that an explanation of my training background and qualifications might help, for those who are wondering 'Who is this Max Velocity guy anyway, doesn't he have a strange British accent? Why isn't he retired U.S. Special Forces" I don't fit into any neat little boxes, such as being U.S. SF, or anything readily understandable like that. I've given a little of my background out before, on [my blog] and also in my books etc., and the intent here will be to focus on my qualifications to train people, rather than my operational experience.

  I have mentioned before that I bring some diverse experience to the training game. I initially enlisted into the British Army (The Parachute Regiment) and then I went to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst to earn my commission. I was selected and commissioned back into the Parachute Regiment. I left the British Army having attained the rank of Captain. I served on multiple operational deployments, including Northern Ireland, the Balkans and Afghanistan after 9/11.

  For those who don't know what the Parachute Regiment is, I often draw a parallel with the U.S. Army Rangers. The Paras are an elite, selected special operations force and the units do not exactly equate, but it gives you an idea. Of the three active duty Parachute Regiment battalions, the 1st Battalion (1 PARA) serves with UKSF directly alongside organizations such as the SAS and the SRR (Special Reconnaissance Regiment). 2 and 3 PARA serve in 16 Air Assault Brigade as the spearhead battalions. I served in both 1 and 2 PARA. The Paras are described as 'Tier 2 Special Forces' in UK terms, the SAS being Tier 1. This is where confusion arises, with Special Forces in the U.S. being an actual Tier 2 unit (i.e. The Green Berets), with CAG (i.e. Delta) being Tier 1, but the roles don't directly equate and a CAG/Rangers relationship is more apt. There is no Green Beret equivalent unit in the British Army.

  As part of my time in the Parachute Regiment I was a rifle platoon commander, both for training and operations. Part of my responsibility was to train my platoon; in fact when we were not deployed, that is what we did: train. Part of my training to become a platoon commander in the Parachute Regiment involved attending the Infantry Platoon Commander's Battle Course (PCBC). This is an intense infantry school involving training in infantry tactics and small arms. In comparison, RMA Sandhurst (which is a year in duration) also involves infantry tactics, but they are training officers for all branches so the tactics are used as a 'vehicle' for leadership training rather than the ultimate objective. PCBC is all about tactics. Part of the small arms training at PCBC involves qualifying to 'Stage 5 Field Firing' which allows you to plan and conduct ranges all the way up to full field firing exercises. That is how I know how to create and run realistic but safe live firing ranges for small unit tactics.

  Following my initial stint as a rifle platoon commander, I was selected to be a training platoon commander at the Parachute Regiment training company (Para Company). I spent two years doing that; taking Parachute Regiment candidates through the 22 week long course. Unlike US Army training, where there is a drill sergeant per platoon, we ran things as a rifle platoon. The platoon commander is very much involved, and the platoon office is at the end of the corridor where the trainees live. Rather than a single drill sergeant for a platoon, each squad has a section commander (squad leader) who is a corporal, and there is a platoon sergeant, just like a rifle platoon. The platoon commander is responsible for running training with the section commander's, and the platoon sergeant supports with admin.

  A training platoon commander is very much involved. There is an outline training plan for the whole course, as a guide, with training areas booked for you, but it was my responsibility to plan and conduct every single field exercise and the ranges, from basic marksmanship up to full field firing. For
the live firing we would provide our own integral safety from within the platoon staff, until we got up to platoon level attacks, where we would bring in another set of platoon staff for safety and we would perform our roles within the platoon, play acting the pre-planned attacks for the benefit of the trainees. It is also a tradition within the British Army, and the Parachute Regiment in particular, to be involved as a leader and to lead from the front, which means being out there leading the trainees for PT and in particular the platoon tabs (ruck marches). You live with them in the field as if they are qualified paratroopers.

  The actual pre-parachute selection course (Pegasus, or P, Company) is a separate organization within Para Company. In the videos I have put up [on my blog] about P Company, they are the guys wearing the blue tops, whereas the platoon training staff from Para Company wear the maroon tops. We would train our platoon up through the PT program so they were ready for P Company, and then hand them over for test week. We would, at that point, be running the course with them to provide encouragement, while the P Company staff assessed them. If they passed P Company, there were further field training exercises, as well as Jump School following which they would conduct a full parachute operation involving a jump and live firing raid to 'seal the deal' as it were at the end of training. Of course, it was my job to plan and lead that.

  Following that job I returned to the Para Battalions for more command roles - my next job was as the anti-tank platoon commander in the fire support company - another platoon to train and lead. I spent the rest of my career doing similar jobs interspersed with deployments, also doing UKSF selection at one point.

  Having achieved all my personal goals, I decided to leave the British Army. My 'resettlement' plan was to be a professional yacht skipper (I'm a qualified Yachmaster Offshore). I did that for a very short period of time and ended up in Dubai. Things took a turn at that point - I was in touch with some former SAS guys who were running a security company. This was back in the 'wild west' days in Iraq. They had a platoon of South African former security force types who they had recruited for a job. They asked me to take on a 14 day contract, go into Iraq, train these guys up as a platoon team, do the job and that was it. I said yes, that evolved into a three month contract which ultimately turned into three years in Iraq. Doing that, there is always someone to train, whether it is your team or Iraqi Nationals. I did both low and high profile operations across Iraq, reconnaissance, security escort, close protection etc. That included a year based out of Camp Fallujah.