Info from Iraq
From Someone who is Doing the Run and Gun
Ben Thomas
Yesterday a friend of mine who runs a small security company here in Iraq emailed me. He is standing up a protection detail and wanted my opinion on tactics and equipment running the roads of Iraq; Tactics, SOP's, hard car or soft? I have been giving it some thought and here is where I am at.
I am willing to speculate Iâm as well traveled in Iraq as anyone Iâve met. Iâve been just about everywhere between Kuwait and Iran, all points in between. And Iâve traveled every way possible.
Iâve gone in military convoy up armored hummers at 40MPH. Iâve run the Fallujah Baghdad gauntlet in a 15 truck convoy, thin skinned white F350's. Iâve rolled all over in blacked out Pajeros in local dress. Diplomatic convoys with armored suburbans and helo cover.
Iâve done the whole hide the guns and smile a lot all the way to showing just about everyone the front sight post.
Iâve done 140KMH up MSR Tampa and weaved through Sadr city at a near standstill.
I, like nearly everyone have made mistakes and been lucky to be here writing this.
I think the most important and neglected aspect of survival in theatre is training. Every freaking day your crew should practice "actions on" - At least do it on a dry erase board. Actions upon anything and everything. What usually happens is we start going through the "what ifs" and all the sudden every guy in the crew has a different idea of what should happen. After all we come from many different backgrounds. After about 30 minutes of that we all end up scratching our head debating which idea is best and say "letâs get chow". Decide on some fundamental concepts. And stick to them, but of course always remembering that the plan is just something to deviate from anyway. As long as we all know the end goal and work towards it. i.e. If the vehicle is stalled in the ambush, driver flicks it in neutral so the rear car can ram us out and we prepare to un-ass the vehicle on the opposite side of the contact.
From Someone who is Doing the Run and Gun
Ben Thomas
Yesterday a friend of mine who runs a small security company here in Iraq emailed me. He is standing up a protection detail and wanted my opinion on tactics and equipment running the roads of Iraq; Tactics, SOP's, hard car or soft? I have been giving it some thought and here is where I am at.
I am willing to speculate Iâm as well traveled in Iraq as anyone Iâve met. Iâve been just about everywhere between Kuwait and Iran, all points in between. And Iâve traveled every way possible.
Iâve gone in military convoy up armored hummers at 40MPH. Iâve run the Fallujah Baghdad gauntlet in a 15 truck convoy, thin skinned white F350's. Iâve rolled all over in blacked out Pajeros in local dress. Diplomatic convoys with armored suburbans and helo cover.
Iâve done the whole hide the guns and smile a lot all the way to showing just about everyone the front sight post.
Iâve done 140KMH up MSR Tampa and weaved through Sadr city at a near standstill.
I, like nearly everyone have made mistakes and been lucky to be here writing this.
I think the most important and neglected aspect of survival in theatre is training. Every freaking day your crew should practice "actions on" - At least do it on a dry erase board. Actions upon anything and everything. What usually happens is we start going through the "what ifs" and all the sudden every guy in the crew has a different idea of what should happen. After all we come from many different backgrounds. After about 30 minutes of that we all end up scratching our head debating which idea is best and say "letâs get chow". Decide on some fundamental concepts. And stick to them, but of course always remembering that the plan is just something to deviate from anyway. As long as we all know the end goal and work towards it. i.e. If the vehicle is stalled in the ambush, driver flicks it in neutral so the rear car can ram us out and we prepare to un-ass the vehicle on the opposite side of the contact.
