My wife and I have taught, co-hosted, and worked as range officers at numerous classes over the past 30 or so years. One the most recurring safety infractions are keeping the students finger off the trigger until they are ready to shoot and/or on target. We have tried to teach folks to keep their trigger finger along the side of the frame and with some students we have great success… others not so much.
Of course this is one of the most important safety lessons. We read about instances of what is commonly called an AD (accidental discharge) some resulting in severe bodily damage to the shooter and some cases resulting in death of the shooter or worse an innocent. AD’s cross all shooting levels from competition, law enforcement, hunters, gun smiths and yes… instructors.
One of the methods we have used over the years to combat this is, telling the class two or three times do NOT anticipate the command to fire, and another two or three times to “keep your finger off the trigger until on target”. And for many in the class that works but there are always those who need stronger instruction.
For those we generally call a cease fire and have all the students empty and holster their firearms after double checking everyone is cleared and holstered walk between them and their targets and in a very calm voice tell them “I have repeatedly told you to keep your fingers off the trigger, (now in a command voice tell them) NOW KEEP YOUR FUCKING FINGERS OFF THE TRIGGER! That seems to do the trick.
But sad to say every now and then you’ll still have to take someone off to the side and “instruct them further”. Instruction can vary from having them take their equipment off and watching the rest of the class, up to taking their equipment off and going home for the day to “think” about the problem they are having with the instructions. Of course this depends on the length of class and the only thing that it guarantees is that you and the other students stay safe. For the most part that will solve the problem 99.9% of the time. It seems harsh but the alternative is just not acceptable.
Al Qaeda is once again in the news with death threats to CEOs of large companies.
It is interesting how Al Qaeda is still drawn towards the bigger, more dramatic threats and attacks in their quest to spread terror globally. Al Qaeda still seems to be focused on the idea that big grandiose attacks breed massive terror. This says a lot about how little the mindset of Al Qaeda’s leadership has changed over the years since September 11, 2001. In comparison, ISIS has figured out that carrying out simple bloody killings on obscure individuals thousands of miles away from the United States seems to be working just as well when spread quickly worldwide on the Internet.
When it comes to mitigating the threats here at home inside the U.S. most CEOs have some sort of security, however most of this security is smoke and mirrors.
Because these CEOs are also public figures, they and their security tend to compromise a lot in order to sustain their image.
What most security professionals fail to realize is that simply avoiding the public is the greatest way to ensure safety from potential attackers that are targeting their public figure clients specifically.
In contrast to the CEOs public image, many celebrities try and hide when not performing as to have some kind of a normal life. This is a simple technique that power CEOs can also incorporate in their daily security routines.
Utilizing obscure entrances and exits, avoiding large uncontrolled areas, and not telegraphing where and when they will be are tactics that are often neglected.
This day and age unfortunately has produced a high price for fame, fortune and notoriety. A normal life for those people that have these things can be somewhat obtainable but they have to be lived with some focus of tactics and a firm grasp on reality.
With the recent attack on NYPD officers showing how quickly and easily, and unconventionally an attack can be carried out, local authorities as well as Federal agencies should realize the nature of what is actually confronting us.
Unconventional warfare does not subscribe to uniforms, specific tactics, or well-defined battle lines.
Unconventional warfare is the practice of thinking as far outside of the box as possible in order to carry out attacks.
Often in unconventional warfare, the message is the biggest thing being emphasized. Not necessarily tactical destruction or specific targets. This is why terrorism fits in unconventional warfare so well.
Terrorism is the cheapest and easiest tactic to carry out. It doesn’t matter if you are shooting up a parliament, or if you are attacking a police officer with a hatchet, the goal of terrorism is to affect fear on a population in an attempt to change their political views. It doesn’t matter how big the attack or what technique you use.
I do believe the attack yesterday on NYPD officers was terrorism, whether directly related to any Islamic group or not.
If a mad man kills 20 people in a mass murderer and we find evidence that he did not like people of a certain race, that person is identified as a crazy person that committed a hate crime. Similarly, if an individual is crazy and he shoots up a public space or hits a police officer in the head with a hatchet, and his motivation is Islamic Jihad, he is an Islamic warrior using terrorism.
Have you ever wondered how the people that are least capable to lead in an official capacity end up in leadership positions and then go on to live the lives of kings a queens? Well, as a trained investigator, I have considered this problem. Having worked in several city level agencies and four federal level agencies, I have seen enough to realize that this is a repetitive phenomenon and that it couldn’t just be a coincidence.
In the simplest steps, this is how I believe it is broken down. Although this is a much deeper and complicated subject, I have carved it down to 10 basic levels on the official ladder of executive success.
1. Typically creepy, awkward, narcissistic individuals will pick an agency or political office, then climb the executive ladder achieving as little operational knowledge as it takes to get promoted.
2. Once these individuals have reached the executive level, they will identify companies or individuals with agendas and lots of money. These are otherwise known as Pocket Feeders.
3. The executives will then proceed to fulfill promises to potential Pocket Feeders by answering their requests or predicting those requests and completing them without meeting anyone but with the understanding that it is what the Pocket Feeders want. In both cases requests are fulfilled with the knowledge and hope that it will be repaid when official service is finished.
4. During this Pocket Feeder Grooming Time (PFGT) executives will purposely ignore the advice of the subject matter experts and continue to make decisions that favor the Pocket Feeders.
5. Once the executives’ official service is finished, tickets are cashed in and cards are punched so that they may become a paid Power Player.
6. Power Players set on multiple boards for $100,000 to $500,000 per board, making incompetent decisions. This is the easiest and most common way the Power Players are paid back for scratching the back of the Pocket Feeders.
7. Next, Power Players will write a book. Pocket Feeders help get the books published while the true subject matter experts struggle to educate the public with their wisdom and knowledge.
8. Power Players go on speaking tours saying the same useless executive party lines as they did when they were on official duty and serving the Pocket Feeders.
9. Power Players are experts at skating on taxes and living like kings and queens which is mandatory behavior once they have made a lot of money.
10. Power Players, like everyone else, die with nothing, except they typically leave the world in just as bad, if not a worse, condition than what it was when they were in it…
Everyone will breathe.
Everyone will hunger.
Everyone will thirst.
And Everyone will die.
There will always be war.
There will always be killing.
Freedom however is God given but it is not inevitable. Some people are born with it, some are not.
Where freedom exists it is inevitable that people rise up to preserve and protect it.
The modernized world lives under an illusion that freedom is protected by God Himself. The truth is, God guarantees one freedom, the freedom to choose Him. All other freedoms must be fought for by men and women who live freely, it is our duty.
Those that have never served on behalf of freedom but are propelled to speak and criticize those that protect it, are individuals that know neither the honor of sacrifice for their fellow human, nor the feeling of embracing true freedom.
Those of us that have served in the military, in law enforcement, as doctors, nurses, firemen, paramedics, etc., and for those that understand freedom comes at a price, living free is like holding hands with a child as you walk through life. It completes you, and it motivates you to protect it at all costs.
All those that have a platform to speak let them speak, but be prepared to be knocked down off that platform if you disparage those that fight for freedom. Public opinion has a wrath like a forest fire.
As for the Hollywood mouth pieces and the politicians in office, they should lead, fight, or get out of the way, we the people are not interested in that same old useless inflammatory banter. To those people I say this, the terms liberal and conservative no longer matter. Effective thinking matters now. Our freedom depends on it
2014 was a year full of exploitations of gaps in security and growing threats that face the United States. Looking back at the crisis and incidents of 2014, it’s easy to make educated predictions about what security vulnerabilities are most likely on our enemies’ hit list in the year to come. 2014 saw a rapidly scaled back approach to fighting overseas war and a breakdown of proactive military planning. This weakened the already shaky U.S. Foreign Policy and National Security and set the precedence for 2015.
Likewise, border security also took an amazing hit in 2014 simply because politics trumped safety, preventing any real effective improvement. This lack of action enlarged the country’s most vulnerable avenues of approach that allows millions of unchecked people to cross into the U.S. every year. As ISIS emerged as the major player in international terrorism with billions of dollars at their disposal, a thirst for nuclear weapons, and a dialogue of direct threats to the U.S., a lack of border security has created 360 degrees of attack possibilities.
2014 saw the arrival of the Ebola virus that produced wide spread fear all across the U.S. even though there was relatively no threat. This was due in large part to the mishandled initial response of the first case of Ebola in the U.S., coupled with the terrible communications and management of the crisis by the CDC. As the saying goes perception is reality, and in the case of Ebola in 2014, the perception was chaotic at best.
This was also a year of multiple large-scale cyber hackings that compromised millions of bank accounts, personal information such as celebrity nude photos and emails. These types of hacks culminated with a dramatic year-end attack on Sony Entertainment that literally froze their ability to function.
2014 saw major failures in airport security with numerous intrusions into large airports across the country. Newark International Airport, for instance, was the location where an intoxicated intruder scaled a $100 million dollar security fence before reaching the passenger terminal. San Jose International Airport had three major intrusions including a 13 year old boy who breached a fenced area before boarding a plane inside the wheel well and flying to Hawaii.
If all that wasn’t enough, two of the most secured locations on the planet turned out to be not so secure. The Freedom Tower, located at the hallowed ground of the World Trade Center memorial in downtown New York City, had numerous intrusions past its security fence, including yet another teenager that made his way to the top of the tower before taking a selfie. These breaches of the supposedly hardened security boundaries around the Freedom Tower pale in comparison to the 10 fence jumpers at the White House in Washington D.C. Of those 10 fence jumpers, one individual actually made it all the way into the White House, which was completely unlocked.
These examples of exploitations of gaps in security and growing threats in 2014 have placed a spotlight on several enormous security vulnerabilities that will absolutely,100% cause and/or allow all of the major problems we will face in 2015.
So, as an expert in vulnerability mitigation, I give you the top 10 Security Vulnerabilities that will be exploited in 2015;
10.Thinking That You’re Safe Because You’re Wealthy And/Or Powerful – As Sony Entertainment has demonstrated, even the biggest companies are vulnerable to cyber attacks. In fact, cyber crime is a great equalizer of economic classes. Securing your computer system is like having a mansion with thousands of windows that may or may not be secured. The house is continuously expanding, but every time you build a new section, there are thousands of additional windows that need to be secured. Chances are most large companies and wealthy and famous individuals will eventually become a victim of a cyber attack.
9. Thinking No One Will Bother With You Because You’re Poor – See number 10. If you are broke, but you have a smart phone, computer, or credit card, you’re still building a virtual house of windows that could be compromised. What’s that? You don’t have anything for them to take? Not a problem, they will just convince the bank that you paid for something you didn’t and now it’s up to you to prove it wasn’t you. Yes, you can be broker than broke, and criminals will exploit cyber vulnerabilities in order to help you get there.
8. Being Comfortable – Jonathan Gruber called the American people stupid when he spoke about sneaking Obamacare into law without anyone reading it. He was in fact wrong in calling the American people stupid. However, if he said the American people were so comfortable they could be easily exploited, he would have been a little closer to accurate. Comfort kills! It is the second greatest personal vulnerability each of us face.
7. Waiting For A Problem To Happen – Politicians, the airline industry, and executives are the worst violators of number 7. Sitting down and self-analyzing yourself and your surroundings is the beginning of a superior mindset and proper defenses. It is amazing how little this is done even by the federal government.
6. Throwing Money At The Problem – Ah yes, one of America’s favorite pastimes, wasting money on technology to solve problems. The common practice of throwing about 50 to 100 cameras around a facility with one guy to watch them all has become standard practice in security and it’s a great example of expensive useless security tactics. Throwing money into technology is a huge vulnerability that can easily be exploited by criminals and terrorists alike. For example, each year the retail industry loses billions of dollars to loss prevention despite the latest cameras and security tags. 2015 won’t be any different.
5. Choosing The Wrong Experts And Executives – This is probably the most common mistake made by large companies and federal agencies. A true security expert will be able to identify where the vulnerabilities are located and choose the right person to fix that particular compartment. Vulnerabilities are compartmentalized like the sections of a department store. An expert in menswear is not necessarily an expert in women’s shoes. Likewise, any security expert or senior executive that tries to convince you that they know it all, is a giant vulnerability themselves.
4. Lack Of Understanding Of Compartmentalized Vulnerabilities And Threats – Whether you’re the director of security or an individual trying to stay safe, understanding what areas are vulnerable and how they can be exploited will help you choose the right people and technology to mitigate the threat.
3. Lack Of Forward Thinking – Military units always forward think their plans because their mission success means life or death. This is not the same for political cabinets, federal executives, and business executives. Even though forward thinking is virtually free, it is one of the top vulnerabilities facing the U.S. daily. If you are prepared on paper, you will be more likely to have an effective plan in place before something happens. Remember, action always beats reaction.
2. Lack Of Effective Leadership – There are two great epidemics plaguing the U.S. in today’s world, a lack of educated effective leaders, and a lack of awareness by the American citizenry. Incompetent leaders pose the greatest vulnerability that groups like ISIS have exploited in order to move their fight closer to our own homeland. Incompetent leadership does not know race or sex, and it seems to be directly related to a person’s executive rank and the speed at which they rose to the top. This is definitely not improving in 2015.
1. Lack Of Awareness – And number one goes to an overall lack of awareness on the part of almost every American Citizen and leader. Awareness is key because no matter how much money you spend, how many meetings you have, how many guards you hire or cameras you install, nothing will ever be as effective at securing vulnerabilities as an aware human. Human awareness is the ultimate security technology and it’s the cheapest. Every American is a virtual security guard, and an expert in their surroundings, if they are aware. So far, 2015 looks like most of our citizen security guards will still be asleep on the job…
As a Navy SEAL and FBI Special Agent, I developed a deep understanding of unconventional warfare and the effectiveness of utilizing vulnerability exploitation for offensive attacks and defensive planning. Finding the gaps in security and awareness, leadership and understanding are how small units crush big forces. Vulnerability exploitation is how the Greeks entered the city of Troy with a gift of a wooden horse, and it’s how attackers, hackers, criminals and daredevils get in and do what they want in today’s modern world.
We are a nation of free people, and with that freedom comes great opportunity to relax as much as possible. However, the more relaxed we become, the further our guard falls. Procrastination, relaxed security procedures, and unchecked policies are vulnerabilities that grow when things are looking brighter. Never be comfortable with being completely comfortable. That is where trouble lurks and it is where our national security will continue to suffer in 2015.
On October 31, 2014, Rear Admiral Brian L. Losey, Commander Naval Special Warfare Command, sent an open letter to his active and former teammates in the Naval Special Warfare (NSW) community. The public letter was a reaction to the upcoming Fox News special that will identify the supposed Navy SEAL that shot Osama bin Laden. The Fox News special is being advertised as the shooter’s first hand account of the famous mission that took place in 2011.
Ironically, in the letter, Admiral Losey preached the ethos of the silent professional, yet at the same time he decided to publish the letter publicly instead of reaching out to the NSW community personally in a silent, professional manner.
Because I am in the press weekly as an expert military / national security / and law enforcement analyst on many national and local television stations, I am making my letter to Admiral Losey public. In doing so, I am hoping to show the U.S. Citizenry how many of the current and former NSW operators feel about the importance of being silent in regards to tactics and classified information. My goal is not to slander the Admiral or slam NSW, but to give pause to our community so that we may see the publics perception of our community that is growing.
I am a civilian now, having left active duty as a SEAL in 2002, then serving as a Federal Air Marshal, Security Contractor, and FBI Special Agent until 2013. Despite my distance from active duty, I will always be a SEAL because the man that is created through completing Basic Underwater Demolition / SEAL (BUD/S) training transcends the Navy. Those in my community that are still active, or have left active duty but haven’t figured out how SEALs can properly function in the world outside of NSW, please take my advice. You are a leader in whatever you choose to do, however if you choose to subscribe to the “notice me” rockstar mentality of today’s generation and political leadership, our Brotherhood of super men will continue to take a super plunge. Humble yourself and the world will notice you. Be a silent professional and the world will seek your wisdom.
Please join me and pass this around and take my advice to heart. Do it for our fallen warriors. Do it for those that will follow in our footsteps. Do it for the SEAL Brotherhood that so desperately needs to refocus and come together as one, because perception is reality…
Long Live The Brotherhood,
Jonathan T Gilliam
—————————————————————————————
November 1, 2014
Rear Admiral Brian L. Losey
Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command
Admiral Losey,
Please explain to our community how sending an open letter to your “Teammates” through the press, preaching about the quiet professional was somehow the proper example to your fellow SEALs.
Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC) has a list of who we are. The UDT/SEAL Association has our emails. Instead, you chose to further the unprofessional and dysfunctional perception growing in the public’s eye by flexing your pen in a public forum. Perception is reality regardless of the incredible community we actually are. Your inability to enforce the rules and set standards within the Navy is the biggest hindrance to our brand, even more than any other particular SEAL. You proved it by sending that letter publicly.
It is time for you to start setting the example for all of the NSW community. Get off social media, stop cuddling up with press, and start building silent professionals that used to make up Naval Special Warfare (NSW).
Every warrior knows that action always beats reaction. Regardless of what Team we served at, or how long we were active, we all earned the Trident. If we really are a community of brothers, then take action and reach out to us personally. Challenge us. Bring us together and lead us. Otherwise this community will continue to be a brotherhood of individuals.
A warrior should never mimic the politicians that govern because it is a recipe of destruction, and a SEAL should always set the standard. It is time to BE THAT MAN!
Very Respectfully,
Jonathan T. Gilliam BUD/S Class 218 Founder/CEO United States Continued
Four main things have led to the continued divulgence of classified information to the public with little or no consequence atmosphere in our country. Whether it is the “SEAL that shot Osama Bin Laden” or Leon Panetta, or even Vice President Joe Biden, classified leaks should not happened, and those that divulge classified information should fall under the full penalties of the law.
1. The President – Classified information has become a political tool to “pump up the home team” when needed, and is NEVER punished or even acknowledged when it is done by members of the administration. Our current presidential administration has set the bar so low on guarding classified information that often there is absolutely no thought by people in the know divulging what they know because if the Obama administration went out and hammered every military or government worker that wrote a book or spoke out revealing classified information, they then would have to be held to the same standard. So clearly, there are no standards enforced or to follow, regardless of the law.
2. The Operators – Our military and government operators work in an environment that has grown to support the executives and not the workers. In my experience of being a SEAL, a Federal Air Marshal, and an FBI Special Agent, the problem was always the same; Executives hold positions of stature over their subordinates and fail to function as team leaders. In other words, the simple fact is that Executives are able to check boxes to hold executive positions and that manifests itself into justification in their minds that they know more than those they lead.
This has been a growing problem since the Clinton administration when being a “warfighter” in law enforcement and the military was first frowned upon by the President. Warfighters got out, politicians stayed in.
3. The ME Generation – Simply put, the ability to take a “selfie” has destroyed the American culture of professional exceptionalism. Instant gratification without having to earn it has become the norm. People (not just kids) want to be noticed because they can position themselves into a persona or leadership position without having to really be good at anything. Just like a selfie picture with a cell phone, anyone can look awesome if they find the right lighting and angle (that’s why match.com is so popular). Instead of taking care of your physical person, or going out and meeting like minded people, it has become easier to take a really good picture and convince yourself that that’s the real you. But the same goes for the issues in problems 1 and 2 discussed above. If a person gets the right job regardless of their qualifications, they believe they are worthy of being in charge. Psychologists call this narcissism.
4. The Press – If I sell you a car that is stolen, and you know it’s stolen, and you get caught driving that car, you will go to jail for either accessory to a crime, or being in possession of a stolen vehicle. For some strange reason (not protected by the constitution) the press has become immune to this when accepting classified information. Whether they believe they are doing the public a favor or out of their own self interests, receiving and then publishing classified information should be held to the same legal ramifications as the person that is expected to protect that information.
When it comes to the “SEAL that shot Osama Bin Laden,” I see someone that is seeking to prosper off his knowledge and involvement in a classified operation. And for that, he should be punished. I see a self indulging operator that has no regard for the safety of his family or fellow Teammates. I also see a member of a Team, SEAL Team SIX, that has outgrown its position. The SEAL Teams were created to be covert and secretive, and by and large the SEAL Teams have remained that way. With the exception of one Team, SIX.
SEAL Team SIX was created for the purpose of counter-terrorism. But when the Navy officer corp discovered that the potential to gain a fast track promotion platform had been created, the SEAL Teams grew too fast, and too big, and Team SIX became something other than what it was created for.
Any SEAL Team could have done the assault on Osama Bin Laden. With the right equipment, adequate training and rehearsal time, and asset coordination, I could have put a blindfold on and picked the SEALs and the mission would have been just as successful.
SEALs are so much more than shooters. We are men with deep vision and abilities to understand a problem, dissect it, and create a plan that is effective in resolving the issue. Any issue. Unfortunately because of issues like this shooter that can’t seem to keep his mouth shut, SEALs are becoming a trinket to show to friends instead of the experts most people should be hiring to solve their problems.
My wife and I have taught, co-hosted, and worked as range officers at numerous classes over the past 30 or so years. One the most recurring safety infractions are keeping the students finger off the trigger until they are ready to shoot and/or on target. We have tried to teach folks to keep their trigger finger along the side of the frame and with some students we have great success… others not so much.
