Pistol Marksmanship

Knife Fighting

In his book All-In Fighting, W.E. Fairbairn wrote: "The knife in close-quarter fighting is the most deadly weapon to have to contend with. It is admitted by recognized authorities that for an entirely unarmed man there is no certain defense against a knife." The knife, in trained hands, can be a very effective and deadly means of personal protection. In the hands of a criminal it can also be a very deadly means of assault. While any knife may be used for personal protection, a knife specifically designed for fighting is the best choice for the person who chooses to carry a knife for protection. Rex Applegate wrote in Kill or Get Killed: "When a man has a weapon which he knows is designed for fighting alone and has been trained in its use, he immediately develops a sense of confidence in it that he will never feel toward the utility knife. His fighting knife takes on a definite personal characteristic. He carries it with him at all times, he sharpens it often, and he will regard it as a very necessary part of his personal equipment." If you need a knife for utility purposes then carry a utility knife or a multi-tool, but let your personal protection knife be a dedicated fighting knife.

So what knife should you carry for close-quarter fighting? The Fairbairn Fighting Knife is an excellent choice, as is an updated version of this knife, the Gerber Mark II Knife. These are fixed blade fighting knives, and will likely be deemed "illegal" in places with oppressive governments. In such case, be sure that you keep your knife concealed, or carry a smaller folding knife such as the Gerber Applegate Combat Folding Knife. 

To learn knife fighting, it is of course best to find an expert to teach you to use your knife effectively. Still, it may be possible to learn a few basic techniques from books and videos, and even these basic techniques can save your life once you are confident with your knife.

Into the Fray Episode 168: Basic Knife-Fighting Techniques 

Military Training with a Knife (Russian)

EFF Surveillance Self-Defense

English:  https://ssd.eff.org/en     Pусский:  https://ssd.eff.org/ru

Modern technology has given those in power new abilities to eavesdrop and collect data on innocent people. Surveillance Self-Defense is EFF's guide to defending yourself and your friends from surveillance by using secure technology and developing careful practices. Surveillance Self-Defense (SSD) is EFF's guide to defending yourself and your friends from digital surveillance. In addition to tutorials for installing and using security-friendly software, SSD walks you through concepts like threat modeling, the importance of strong passwords, and protecting metadata.

I support the EFF and recommend that anyone with an interest in personal privacy take the time to read their Surveillance Self-Defense Guide, and that you implement those practices that are applicable in your life. There is a lot of good information on their web-site, and understanding that information can help keep you stay safe both on-line, and in the physical world as well.  

However, the EFF SSD is not the only thing you should read. The EFF SSD Guide guide does not address operational security or "OPSEC" in the broader sense. OPSEC is the process of protecting information about one's activities that may be important to a potential adversary. This is a process that frequently goes beyond the digital realm.

For example, people trying to have confidential meetings may have to worry about whether someone physically followed them, or whether they were observed by CCTV cameras, or whether their neighbors might have become aware of the meeting, or whether their meeting places have been bugged. Perhaps they should wonder if they are creating a suspicious pattern of activity. They may also have physical security concerns; could they tell if someone broke into their home or tampered with their laptop? Are their confidential documents safe? These are important and valid concerns for people with certain kinds of security needs, but they fall outside the scope of the EFF SSD Guide.

However, if you are interested in this broader concept of security the American government has several courses on their Security Awareness Hub  that address these topics. Although the courses are designed for US Government and Military personnel, they are available to anyone who wants to take them.

Additional information about protecting yourself on-line is available from many sources on-line. Some sources I like are:    

• Security in a Box 
  
• Dark Web Beginners Security Guide
  
• Privacy Tools 

Take time to read articles about on-line security and personal privacy, and understand things that pit you at risk, and things that make you more secure.

E-mail Self-Defense

Surveillance Self-Defense Against the Trump Administration

Upgrade Your iPhone Passcode to Defeat the FBI’s Backdoor Strategy

How to Protect Yourself From Government Surveillance and Criminal Hackers

With C.I.A. Hacking Revelations, How to Protect Your Devices


Security Tools

HTTPS Everywhere
https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere

Privacy Badger
https://www.eff.org/privacybadger

Wickr

https://www.wickr.com/

Telegram
https://telegram.org/

** Russia Threatens to Ban Encrypted Messaging App Telegram **

Tutanota
https://tutanota.com/


There is no one single answer to protecting yourself from surveillance (if there was then everyone would use it). There are a wide variety of things that should be used, depending on your particular circumstances. Every security procedure you put into place makes it that much more difficult for an adversary to target you. So, read, research, and add the security tools that best fit your needs.

Personal Respirators (Gas Masks)

The most basic respirator is the N95 particulate mask. You can buy these masks for just a few rubles each, and I recommend having one or two in your bug-out bag.  A more durable option is a half-face respirator with replaceable filters. These half-face respirators often have the same N95 rating as the basic particulate mask, but are more durable, provide a more secure fit, and may also filter OV (organic vapors) and AG (acidic gas). 

Neither the basic N95 particulate mask nor the half-face respirator provide protection for your eyes, so you will need goggles to afford that protection, or you will need to buy a full-face respirator. The full-face respirator provides much more complete protection, but also more than the half-face respirator.

A very simple, but effective full-face respirator can be made from a plastic soda bottle and a few other basic supplies. A couple of good instructional videos on making a respirator can be found here: 

• How to Make a Gas Mask (Black Scout Survival)

• How To Make An Emergency Gas Mask (Survival Lilly)

Now this homemade respirator may not be as effective as a commercial version, but it may be effective enough to help you escape a hazardous area, and is certainly better than nothing at all. Do you need more than a basic particulate mask, or simple homemade mask in your gear? This depends on your threat model. Are you expecting volcanic eruptions, wildland fires producing heavy smoke, civil unrest and the use of tear gas by police and government forces? Does your planning consider the possibility of a pandemic and the need for you to come into close contact with possibly infected people?  

Military Surplus Gas Masks

Many models of surplus masks & filters are available in nearly unlimited quantities at low prices. In most cases, these prices are low because the mask is either obsolete, recalled or replaced due to design flaws or defective components. Generally speaking these surplus gas masks offer NO protection against: Nuclear, Biological, or Chemical agents. Many offer NO protection against even tear gas! Also, old (even sealed) filters may become toxic. If you plan on using a military surplus gas mask it is essential that you find a compatible current production filter.  

If your threat model includes the possibility of having to pass through a nuclear, biological, or chemical contaminated area, you can purchase a current production gas mask approved for use in this type of environment, but know that this type of mask is quite expensive. 

Filter Types:

• N95 - Filters at least 95% of airborne particles. Not resistant to oil.
• Surgical N95 - A NIOSH-approved N95 respirator that has also been cleared by the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a surgical mask.
• N99 - Filters at least 99% of airborne particles. Not resistant to oil.
• N100 - Filters at least 99.97% of airborne particles. Not resistant to oil.
• R95 - Filters at least 95% of airborne particles. Somewhat resistant to oil.
• P95 - Filters at least 95% of airborne particles. Strongly resistant to oil.
• P99 - Filters at least 99% of airborne particles. Strongly resistant to oil.
• P100 - Filters at least 99.97% of airborne particles. Strongly resistant to oil.

The first part of the filter's classification uses the letters N, R, or P to indicate the filter's ability to function when exposed to oils.

"N" means Not resistant to oil;

"R" means somewhat Resistant to oil; and

"P" means strongly resistant to oil, or oil-Proof.

This rating is only important in work settings where oils may be present, because some oils can reduce the effectiveness of the filter.

The second part of the classification -- the number-- refers to the filter's ability to remove the most-penetrating particle size during "worst case" testing.

Filters that remove at least 95 percent of these particles are given a 95 rating. Those that filter out at least 99 percent receive a 99 rating, and those that filter out at least 99.97 percent - essentially 100 percent - receive a 100 rating. 

Scout Stave

When Baden-Powell first conceived the idea of the Boy Scout, part of the uniform that he designed included the hiking staff. Yes, indeed, he considered the hiking staff or ‘Scout staff’ to be an indispensable part of Scout equipment. This was for good reason, for the Scout staff has been and always will be a very useful and versatile piece of gear.

Baden-Powell, Scouting’s founder, suggested that a good staff should come to a Scout’s nose (although in many cases a stave may be a bit taller). Scouts can represent their accomplishments in its carvings and as Baden-Powell wrote, use it in, "making a stretcher, keeping back a crowd, jumping over a ditch, testing the depth of a river, keeping in touch with the rest of your patrol in the dark" and more.

A thick, heavy rubber band near the handle has many uses. Peep holes drilled at right angles to each other can be used to lay out a 90º corner. The same peep-hole, surprisingly works as a focusing tool something like a telescope. Brass tacks at one foot intervals make it a yardstick; mark the last foot with one inch intervals by notching the wood, and you will have a ruler. Wrap 50 feet of fishing line and a fish hook around the pole and cover with duct tape, both could be useful in many situations.

But walking and hiking is where the Scout stave finds itself most often nowadays. As a trail companion, you will enjoy hiking with it. You can buy one, such as the Heavy Duty Wooden Walking/Hiking Stick, or better still, you can cut and make one yourself.

Solyanka

Solyanka, a thick, spicy and sour Russian soup that is common in Russia and other former Soviet republics, can be made from fish, meat or mushrooms. Here's the recipe that is probably most widespread in Russia that uses sausages, salami and ham.

Ingredients

Bologna Sausage - 150 grams
Salami - 100 grams
Saveloy Sausage - 150 grams
Ham - 150 grams
Potatoes - 150 grams
Pickled Cucumbers - 200 grams
Onion - 1
Tomatoes  -  350 grams
Lemon - 1
Bell pepper - 1
Cloves of Garlic - 2-3
Olives - 12-15
Dill and parsley to taste
Sour cream to taste

Preparation

1 Dice the potatoes, throw them into boiling water and add salt

2 Sauté the cubed sausage and ham in a frying pan and then add the onion and garlic

3 After five minutes, mix in the diced bell pepper and tomatoes and continue to sauté for about 10 minutes

4 Add the contents of the frying pan and the pickles (also diced) to the saucepan

5 Let it simmer on low heat for five minutes

6 Add the olives, parsley and a lemon wedge to the soup and serve

Cellular Telephone Signal Boosters

Many people carry mobile telephones. There are a great number of models, designs, and service providers; but at their core all mobile telephones are just radios that communicate with cell-towers and cell-sites in the area. The standard GSM mobile telephone has a maximum transmission range of 35 kilometers (22 miles), because of technical limitations of the system. CDMA and IDEN have no built-in limit, but the limiting factor is the ability of a low-powered personal mobile telephone to transmit back to the cell-tower. As a rough guide, based on a tall cell-tower and flat terrain, it is possible to get between 50 and 70 km (30 - 45 miles). It must be understood that these are maximum ranges, and many factors serve to reduce that range. Some of these limiting factors include:

• Height of antenna over surrounding terrain (Line-of-sight propagation).
• The frequency of signal in use.
• The transmitter's rated power.
• The required uplink/downlink data rate of the subscriber's device.
• The directional characteristics of the site antenna array.
• Reflection and absorption of radio energy by buildings or vegetation.
• It may also be limited by local geographical or regulatory factors and weather conditions.   

Because a mobile telephone is really just a radio, you can get a better signal by using an improved antenna and a signal booster.  It is important to note that a signal booster does not create a cellular signal, it only boosts weak signals. If there is no cellular signal whatsoever in your area, a signal booster will not function. 

Cellular signal boosters can be quite expensive, but one example of a fairly affordable signal booster is the weBoost Drive 4G-S Cell Phone Signal Booster. Combined this with an improved external antenna, such as the weBoost 800/1900 MHz Magnet Mount Antenna and you will likely push your mobile telephone to near its maximum communication range. 

If you have a weak cellular signal in an area, a signal booster and improved antenna will certainly be of value. If you have no signal in an area it is either because no signal exists, or because the signal is so weak that you can’t pick it up. An improved external antenna may pick up that very weak signal and allow you to have mobile telephone service where none exists using just the internal antenna of your mobile telephone. 

An additional advantage on using a signal booster is that it can extend the run time of your mobile telephone's battery. Mobile telephones increase their power when the signal is weak with the cellular tower, and decrease that power when the signal is strong. Because the signal booster gives you a stronger signal, your mobile telephone needs less power to connect to the cell tower and thus uses less of your battery each hour.

Although many cellular signal boosters are designed to be installed in vehicles, because they run off of a 12-volt power supply (your vehicle’s battery) a signal booster could be set up at a hunting camp or bug out location.  Now, having a mobile telephone connection while out in the forest may not be all that important to you, but if it is you should consider the advantages of a cellular signal booster.