Meditations of a Modern Warrior: Vol Ii

By Paul ‘Rock’ Higgins

This second volume carries on where the first book finished. Here again you are taken through a small percentage of what you as a modern day warrior must know, not only for personal safety but also for the safety of your family or the ones whom you protect. You will find not only physical applications but also mental development chapters, and also challenges some of the myths which in the protection industry run rife. Your journey on the warrior path is full of questions, tall tales, challenges, trial and error. This book is here to help keep you, the warrior on your chosen path.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Sep 8, 2014
• ISBN: 9781496989352

Paul ‘Rock’ Higgins

Paul ‘Rock’ Higgins is a Certified Master Anti-Terrorism Specialist who has worked in the executive protection industry for the last twenty two years and has been employed as an executive protection operator for a high profile businessman and his family. Paul also provides company’s and company employees with anti-terrorism training while developing operating procedures helping mitigate risks and threats from many forms of attack. Paul has taught all forms of response to attack strategies, tactics and techniques to over 500 bodyguards working on low to high risk operations. While serving in the military Paul instructed close quarter combat for troops going up against Russian Spetsnaz Special Forces. Paul is a graduate of the Professional Bodyguard Association and has been involved in close quarter combat teaching civilians, bodyguards, military and law enforcement personnel since 1978. Paul is an ex-military CQC instructor, holds Blackbelts in various combat systems, is a registered self-protection instructor with the British Combat Association, an instructor with the Self-Defence Federation and an ABA assistant boxing coach. Go to www.vipatacticaltraining.com for information on training programs or contact Paul at [e-mail]

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© 2014 Paul ‘Rock’ Higgins CMAS, SAC Dip. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 09/03/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4969-8898-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-8935-2 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Aknowledgements

Tactical Considerations

Movement

Combat Fitness

Why We Will Always Be Easy Targets

Threat Continuum – Aggression Continuum & Force Options

It Can Happen Anywhere

3Rd World Violence In 1St World Countries

Back-Up Systems

The Myth Of Motor Skill Depletion

The Evolution Of The Sheepdog

Vehicle Based Ground Appreciation

Terminology

Terminology 2

Beginners Do You Love Them Or Hate Them?

Targets And Their Acquisition

Are You Like Joss Stone

Advance To Ambush

Inspiration Physical – Mental – Spiritual

When You Are Not Working, You Are Still Working!

Have You Seen The Grey Man

Balance Part 1

Balance Part 2

Improvisation – The Mother Of All Skill Sets

Adaptability

Instructor Myth #1 Action Will Always Reaction

Instructor Myth #2

The Following Of Dogmatic Doctrine

Why Do We Do It? Becase We Don’t Know Any Better

An Alternative To Instructor Myth #2

Getting Off The X

Mediocrity And The Limitless Mind

Firearms Training Or Not!

Will, Won’t, Can’t, The Choice Is Yours

Home Invasions

Home Invasions Part 2

Accepting Death In Order To Live

Hostile / Friendly Crowd – Would You Know What To Do?

Hostile / Friendly Crowds Part 2

Instructor Myth #3 Most Fights End Up On The Ground

The Selling Of False Hope

Ground Defence Part 2

Codes Of Life

Missile Thrown

Protecting Your Principal From Launched Weapons

A Future & Present Threat To The West And To Western Citizens

Final Thoughts At The End Of Vol II

COMBAT FOCUSED

ARE YOU?

ALSO BY PAUL ‘ROCK’ HIGGINS CMAS SAC Dip

Meditations of a Modern Warrior

AKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thank You to everyone who bought Meditations of a Modern Warrior, book one. I would especially like to thank everyone who has helped make this book even better through your insightful tips and constructive criticisms in my first efforts.

Thank you to all of the instructors with whom I am lucky enough to train, as well as my students. Inspirational instructors and quizzical eager students help keep me on my toes and make me continue to achieve and become more in what I do.

Thanks to Dr John D. Byrnes for the use of his Aggression Management System.

Thank you to Fiona Quinn: Fiona is a writer who writes thriller novels and also hosts her website ThrillWriting. While ThrillWriting is a research resource for writers, there is an immense amount of information for anyone involved in security or self - protection in whatever capacity. Fiona and I also co-wrote the two chapters in this book on Home Invasion.

You can find Fiona and her ThrillWriting website here: www.thrillwriting.blogspot.co.uk

Dedicated to all warriors, past - present and future.

To the Military warriors who protect our country

To the Law Enforcement warriors who protect the public.

To the Close Protection warriors who protect their clients.

To the Civilian Warriors who protect their family

Stay Dangerous

Rock

TACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Active Shooter – Terrorist Attack – Assassination

Before we look at some tactical considerations, lets clear up a misconception about the active shooter, terrorist attacks like Mumbai and Beslan, and assassination.

TRUE or FALSE: They are all totally different combat situations?

Training organizations, law enforcement tactics, and the principles that cover shooter scenarios, show no distinct tactical differences between these three scenarios. Training packages offered to security professionals reflect a consistent response across the varying circumstances. However, different combat situations demand different training regimens.

Recently in New York, a disgruntled ex-employee assassinated his former employer. He shot the manager then proceeded to walk away from the scene without shooting anyone else, concealing the murder weapon in a holdall. This is not an active shooter situation.

Active shooting events might take place in populated public areas such as schools, workplaces, hospitals, or shopping malls. They might be either pre-meditated or a shooter’s instant reaction to the environment. Typically, these events consist of one or two attackers. In the active shooter scenario, the assailant’s game plan for ending the event might include a suicide, suicide by cop, arrest, or escape. Active shooter combat situations require first-responders on scene to deal with the threat effectively. Responders would use either single-person or small team tactics. This is not a terrorist attack.

Public, highly populated spaces such as those listed with the active shooter description, can all be targets for a ground assault by terrorists. Terrorist attacks often include four or more combatants, who have good intelligence on the intended target. They arm themselves with a variety of assault weapons, which might include side arms, grenades, and/or explosives. They will have a pre-planned attack phase that they carryout, in some cases with military precision. The planning phase includes an end game.

Assassinations, active shooter situations, and terrorist attacks all have unique strategic planning requirements in order to thwart the criminals. One-training doctrine does not work for all scenarios.

The term active shooter is now a buzzword. Unfortunately, this buzzword has taken root as an all-encompassing term for the combat situations involving firearms. Training programs reflect the inclusiveness of the term and do not develop the differentiation between the combat situations.

From first-responders, small units, right up to full SWAT assault teams, the tactics employed show no distinction from one-shooter situation to another and; therefore, there are no special strategies for a particular attack.

Active shooter and assassination attempts fall under the domain of law enforcement. When there is a terrorist attack - although in the domain of law enforcement, since it takes place within the public sphere – it is preferable to view these acts in the context of combat and war.

In order to safeguard the welfare of all responders, there are a number upgrades that would improve tactics.

MOVEMENT and SPACING – Rolling movement is employed when advancing towards the threat. Single persons or groups in tight formations moving as one in open or closed areas regardless of any cover available. The movement is slow at a fast walk pace which may be fine if you are faced with a lone gunman but what about a terrorist attack?

Y – T and DIAMOND – These formations were designed for large areas outdoors; good fields of fire, ease of troop movement, effective responses to attack. Spacing of each individual is at a distance which is good for communications, and if taking effective enemy fire there is less likelihood of taking multiple casualties. Now think of these formations in a tight enclosed corridor, crossing an office space or classroom. One burst from an AK or a grenade tossed into the midst, trip wire or infra-red booby traps and the whole team could be dead. Look at the picture below, it’s not how you form up; it’s where you form up. There is no point forming up behind a bus only to fast walk to an entry point in a single stack or tight diamond formation only to get taken out as you cross an open area or because you did not get into cover fast enough.

E:\PHOTOS 1234 MAIN PAGE\Fire and Manouver.bmp

There are no bounds being covered and no team fire and support.

It is not HOW you form up

It is WHERE you form up!

BOUND – A bound is tactical distance of movement, your next stopping point. Each area needs to be searched as you go through each bound and all of your arcs still need to be covered.

It is easier for a single person or for small team tactics but much more difficult for larger teams, here though larger teams can use each bound to leapfrog each other or split into smaller groups to make searching easier.

COVER – Within each bound cover must be utilised. One person moves, one person covers. This doubles for small teams and doubles again for larger teams, each person moving to cover within that tactical bound.

FIRE and SUPPORT – When a team member has moved to a cover position within the tactical bound he then covers his arcs, which in turn covers his team member as he moves to his next position.

WEAPON HANDLING – Wherever you look that is where the weapon points. In any of the combat situations mentioned you are effectively ‘Down Range’, there is no point aiming your weapon at the ground or upwards when in this situation. The only times this should happen is if a team member is going to cross your line of sight, which really should not happen anyway, or you are crossing behind a standing team member.

Response time is always about recognising what you see, if you then have to bring your weapon to bear then that response time amongst other actions will be impaired.

The above are basic infantry skills that are not usually used by LE. Although the job needs to be done as fast as possible it will not get done at all if responders are not equipped with skills for single man and small team tactics.

Recap – A brief description of different types of threat:

• Active shooter – 1 or 2 gunmen, possibly armed with assault rifles, more than likely shotguns and side arms. Out to kill as many unarmed civilians as possible. Will have an end game plan, suicide, suicide by cop, arrest or escape.

• Terrorist attack – multiple terrorists, armed with assault rifles, side arms, explosives, grenades. Will have good intelligence on the location to be attacked, responses from LE and may carry out their mission with military precision. Will have an end game plan as above and depending on their ideology will have other end game plans to choose from.

• Close range assassination – single person, armed with either a side arm, shotgun, knife or machete. Single kill and escape.

MOVEMENT

How many of you move tactically?

We are constantly moving, standing up. Sitting down, lying down, walking, running, twisting and turning. Moving is one of the things we do more than anything else (ok apart from