I finished re-reading Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons from Malaya and Vietnamover the weekend. (It’s a MUST READ; non-negotiable for preppers and Patriots.) After talking with a few friends, it dawned on me that formulating a defense plan for post-SHTF preppers is a lot like planning for the counterinsurgencies of Iraq and Afghanistan. Preppers need not become experts on counterinsurgency, but I recommend learning the tenets and learning from others’ experiences. There are (at least) three reasons why preppers should learn about counterinsurgency: re-establishing local governance, taming the criminal/irregular threat, prioritizing missions with competing resources.
(Re-) Establishing Local Governance.
Unlike the other forms of warfare, counterinsurgency (COIN) is population-centric. As the populace goes, so goes the conflict. COIN is a battle for legitimacy: in a vacuum, who has the rightful authority? That boils down to perception, which is why its critically important (can’t stress that enough) to be able to influence the populace and win them to your side. We do that, in part, by providing for them. We provide security firstly. One thing I’ve learned in dealing with Iraqis and Afghans, and I can extrapolate from there to include the entire population of the world, is that most human beings want security; they want to see their children grow up and be successful. They don’t want to live in a war zone; they don’t want to live in fear of being blown up by an artillery round or an IED. They want peace and security because peace and security mean prosperity. Therefore, the populace is much more willing to support whichever side is able to provide that peace and security, as a general rule of thumb. In other words, they will support the faction that seeks justice, upholds the rule of law, and prosecutes those who break the law. If you’re not scoping out your local and county law enforcement and learning about their abilities to provide peace and security for the populace (and where they plan to provide it; it won’t be everywhere), then you have an enormous intelligence gap to fill. Work on filling that soon; start this week. (It’s as simple as a conversation and asking some questions. It’s really no more complicated than that.)
