ATF Raider with black web gear, circa 1990s..
My thanks to CPT Brian Vandersall, Chief Operations Officer of the Ohio Volunteer Corps for forwarding this link to their standard for 2nd Line Gear/Patrol Gear.
FBI Raid party with black web gear.
* Web Harness and/or Load-Bearing Vest NOT BLACK
* Flashlight w/red lens (ideally LED) & spare batteries
* Eye Protection
* Small Binoculars
* Leather 'driving-type' gloves
* Camo make-up
* 4500 Food Calories
* 2 Canteens / Camelback (1/2 gal. Min. volume)
* Knife
* Trauma/ Pressure Bandage
* Butt Pack / Backpack
* Map of AO
* Notepad
* Multi-tool
* Pruning saw
* Pen/ Pencil
* FRS & 2 Meter radio w/o 'roger beeps'
* Bug Repellant
* 30 ft. para-cord or equivalent
* extra lighter/ firestarter
* Dump pouch
Another more recent FBI raid party, again with black webgear.It was the first line that got my attention, and approval: "Web Harness and/or Load-Bearing Vest NOT BLACK." I had the same rule when I ran the 1st Alabama Cavalry. Black is more easily discerned, even at night. More importantly, black is the color of the federal raid parties. Or at least it was back then. Nowadays, I note that they have a new color scheme. These images are from an ATF raid party in Shreveport this week.
Note that they still have some black items from their old outfits, but have changed the overall color scheme.
Identification friend or foe still being one of the single most important things on any battlefield, stay away from adopting your probable opponent's color scheme.
20 comments:
Fireplaceguy's first rule of citizenship: Mammas, don't let your babies grow up to be fedgoons....
Solves everything, eh?
Of course, if you are Lone Wolf, looking as much like them as possible plays to YOUR advantage. And that may be part of the reason why Lone Wolf is what they fear most.
Good points made. There's still the old sash-around-the-arm method.
That ATF Raider in the top photo is wearing a really nice stocking cap which sure does NOT appear to be bulletproof. I recall when G.Gordon Liddy commented years ago to use a head-shot on invading Federales since they couldn't hide their face behind their bulletproof vest. That Liddy comment caused a firestorm and got blown out of proportion but the statement is accurate.
All my stuff is the old Woodland Camo pattern, well, except for that ALICE ruck I got from you, Mike (grin).
Besides being cheap, I chose it because OPFOR was/is using black or ACU or that OD stuff you have in your photo.
But, on the other hand, a note to ATF and other LEO raiders:
Please, please continue to wear ski masks that make you look like idiots and obscure your vision (like the guy in the top picture).
AP
damn. and I was going to use my old Idema Combat Systems vest I still have...
the south african combat vest works just as well and is in brown already. and the FAL mag pouches fit M14 mags perfect.
Those outfits must be a real pain to wear in hot weather, or for doing anything active.
I bet they're buggers for snagging on thorns, roses, brambles and thge like too.
You'd be really tempted to either stop for a rest or just take the damned things off...
;^)
Just commented about gettin all hot n sweaty, and word verification pops up as; hotso
will the nexed one be
"chafed to hell"?
Just think what it'd be like if the contract cleaner just happened to scatter a bit of chopped horse hair, or some glass insulation fibre around in the locker room. Just scratch them crabz boyz n girlz!
@ MARK - Lone Wolf guy may prefer to wear grey man civvies, plain cargos, etc. and target anything in any kind of uniform gear depending on what is in his own AO; if ther eare zero militia or friendlies known in the area, then it would be weapons free.
BTW - in the other feebie picture, I can't tell if the guy facing camera, mid shot, is wearing nose-glasses or thinks he is the reincarnation of Frank Zappa.
By the way, which is more effective against expected Bad Guy attire at tactical distances:
5.56 NATO AP?
-or-
7.62 NATO FMJ?
There seems to still be some 5.56 AP on the market. Haven't been able to find any in 7.62, and haven't felt like buying 30-06 AP, pulling the bullets, and reloading into 7.62 cases. Sometimes there are real advantages to semi-auto.
Thanks!
What is that device on top of that vehicle from the Shreveport Raid? Image can be seen here:
http://cmsimg.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Site=DI&Date=20110414&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=104140802&Ref=PH&Item=9&Maxw=640&Maxh=410&q=60
Ironwill - III
A couple of yeas ago, I took a tac class and one of the instructors who is and teaches LEOs, told us at the time 'OD green is the new Black'.
Ironwill, looks to me like the commander's hatch on top of their armored truck, left open from the heat.
I agree with the selection of other than black gear.
One thing most should buy ASAP is a Fighting Load Carrier, available new on eBay for about 40 bucks still in the issue bag. It's MOLLE compatible. Then you add one double magazine pocket, move the "grenade" pouches up about the mag pouches, put a tourniquet in one and a compass in the other.
This is a one size fits all, lots of adjustment and easy to wear.
One more thing, head shots work, as do groin shots. Left or right groin contains the femoral artery and if that's cut in any meaningful way, the thug will bleed out in less than 10 minutes, unconsciousness occurs in about 3-5 minutes.
By the way, head shots right below the ear are particularly effective, they disconnect the brain from the rest of the body permanently.
Ironwill, it is a hatch left open ... note that it has a window in it also which gives protection from small arms fire (probably) while being able to observe, and if buttoned up allows some visibility to see.
Don't forget the upper inner thigh areas too! Femoral artery!! :-)
Also, if they're lined up on each side of the door, drywall and siding does NOT STOP bullets.
Imagine a half million "hit teams" roaming the country for the cause of FREEDOM and the Republic.
I will continue to ask God to make all this unnecessary though.
Diamondback
The thing that stands out to me, other than colors, is the amount of gear they carry.
It is an awful lot of gear.
That alone should easily mark the difference. If one is to defend himself against illegal attack, he won't want to be weighed down by his gear. Mobility is key when a man is outnumbered.... perhaps even more important that firepower under some circumstances.
The other guys pretty much Id themselves via their gear. A defender can use that difference (or similarity, depending) to his advantage.
Although the new ATF raid color scheme is more subdued and green like more common used gear, check out the size of all that stuff. Notice how the SAPI plates bulge out. Looks like what marines and soldiers wear in Iraq. That stuff also alters the way one moves. So, although the color doesn't make fried or foe ID easier, the sheer bulk of all that crap does. One place that SAPI plates aren't that practical is the crotch. That's most likely the most vulnerable point (not likely to be covered by the thicker armor)......physically and psychologically.
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