Self-Protection in the New Normal - 4th Generation Warfare
Wow! 2020 couldn’t have gotten off to a better start, right? Well, we have all seen a tremendous amount of history in a very short period of time. Only time will reveal what type of lasting changes there will be, but rest assured, there will be changes. Even if you’re like me and have canceled cable, you have no doubt seen the mass chaos that has moved the country into a very sad place.
Fear has been poured out on the country in huge servings with multiple portions and even some side dishes. Shutting down a 25 trillion dollar economy for a pandemic gives 350 million people a reason to be scared. Racial disharmony and riots creates another portion of anxiety and upheaval. There are no shortages of fingers pointing blame in all directions. Yet, regardless of what we think or how you may feel about what’s going on, this is what’s happening. As I have heard it said before, “You can argue with reality all you want, but you will be wrong 100% of the time. “ The goal then is to ascertain to what degree you and your loved will be effected.
Life in the “new normal” appears to be one where anxiety and fear, stemming from the likelihood that violence may erupt at any moment, will be a constant. Already, within just the past few months, the increased sense of constant tension and anxiety can almost be felt. Whether it’s from the fear of getting sick, or it’s from the fear of being hit, the general public has become almost hyper vigilant and aware of their surroundings. And for that, we in the self-protection world are very happy.
The present crumbling of social structures releases or passes on accountability; so that by the time any assignable cause has been looked at clearly, the waters have been further muddied. Wherever you have only 2 groups, there will always be us and them. Therefore, good guys and bad guys. (See Roberts Cave.) You are either with us or against us. The lack of social structures and lack of any accountability/learning curve allow for many to become that which they have hated. Through media, this quickly festers and multiplies, until the madness of crowds becomes judge, jury and executioner, over the events in all our lives.
4th generation warfare is a result of a collapsing state or a house divided, so to speak. It is where small groups rise up from to fight for survival. It can be seen from both us and them, Antifa or Malitia. I would like to submit, that as civilians, your family is your militia. The type of 4th generational warfare I am speaking of is a cultivated effort to arrive at a synchronized understanding within the family nucleus, that directly affects their probability of survival. Imagine being in a time when you couldn’t call the police and self-protection was entirely depended on the family. Imagine that time was now.
Many self-protection instructors are in the habit of teaching their kids what they have learned by handing down skills and passing on trade secrets. While awesome, this is not what I am referring to. I am suggesting that families need an Emergency Response Protection Plan. And then, they need to train it as a unit. A plan that is thought out, considers each members talents and abilities, has an objective and carries strategies and tactics that work toward the family’s survival as a unit. This isn’t to suggest that you become a full on "Dooms Day Prepper”. However, it does demand planning, preparation and practice.
Every person in the family unit has a role, a job, a mission. Each member is just as important as the other. Just as in taking care of chores around the house, each chore or task is set around the abilities and expectations of the member. In the moment of panic and fear, when people are pounding on your car and breaking glass, when you’re instantly caught in a mob of angry people, when people charge your house or attempt to accost you and your family at the gas station, how well you respond will be determined by one thing and one thing only, your training. And, I don’t care how good of a fighter you are, you still need your support team, just as a surgeon needs nurses.
Team up!
(Practice Example)
Establish stationary objectives and mobile objectives - Home
1) Stationary - At Home
Get Stationary. Have a predesignated meeting room and a secondary room, in case you get separated in the house.
Contact Support - 911 - have burner phones in bathrooms/basement
Weaponize - Have stationary weapons (knives) in designated drawers/spaces
Create task assignments - Children and heads of household. Oldest child- In charge of contacting help. Second oldest - In charge of taking care of youngest. Mother - Weapon access and secondary defender. Father - Primary defender. These are base line examples. Families and homes are made up of all types demographics, like single mothers or same sex couples. Either way, divide the tasks appropriately.
2) Mobile - From Home
Pregame - Have a “go bag” in the vehicle and in the house. A “go bag” should have medical supplies, phones and chargers, wipes, matches'/lighters, weapons, a couple bottles of water with some protein bars. Your vehicle is the best choice for mobility but not always available. You will also want to put blankets, candles and some additional outer gear in your trunk.
Get mobile
Create task assignment (who does what)
Contact Support - 911 - Family
Access go bag - Secure passengers /breath and follow route to police station. Have back up station routes, as well. (Provided they still exist.)
Call Neighbors and inform them of the situation and possible threat.
Control your breathing and don’t go all Nascar!
The home is a really good place to start your training. Most family members are usually present and it is a great way to make family game night into family training night. Keeping everyone on task during crises is what keeps everyone from freaking out and freezing. There are however, several additional ways to train for other places and different situations. They all deserve your attention and time.
As a free society, it has become a comfortable cultural norm to outsource our safety to the government. And, up until this point, it seemed that was all that was needed. Oh how times are a changing. (Just before I was to put this out, disbanding certain police departments appears to be an actual thing, as a result of the protest.) While definitions of 4th generation warfare vary and are normally defined by military personnel, I would submit that in the New Normal, the people we call family, fighting for theirs lives, will be the real groups that rise up and define what warfare in the “new normal” looks like.
I am not suggesting that zombies are running around and we should all get “World War Z”. But, i’m also not saying that the results of dramatic and swift change, like that which we have all seen, favors your families safety, because it doesn’t, regardless of where you live.
Not being effected by what’s happening doesn’t mean you have to agree with it, think it’s right, or be on the right side of history. It means you must be prepared for it. The amount to which you are effected by anything is in direct proportion to the degree to which you are prepared for it.
Stay safe.
If you would like additional information on our Emergency Response Protection Plans, for you and your family, follow the link below.
Michael VanBeek