Over this past weekend I had the pleasure of teaching a 3-day training course to a private group. One unique trait of VSTAC is that I can tailor curriculum to meet the specific training needs of a private group. This group requested the following training modules: Training modules available for custom training events can beContinue reading “Custom MAG Training Summary and AAR Sep 2024”
Category Archives: Rifleman Skills
TDG 17: Hurricane Relief
Welcome to Season 3! A TDG is a Tactical Decision Game, a mental wargaming exercise designed to get you practice making tactically sound decisions in a hypothetical scenario. The ability to make sound and timely decisions based off incomplete and imperfect information is a critical skill to have, especially as a team leader. You will be givenContinue reading “TDG 17: Hurricane Relief”
Joint MAG Training AAR
This past weekend my MAG had the opportunity to cross-train with another MAG in the mountains of Kentucky. We arranged a mutually beneficial exchange of training where they taught us how they train to fight from and around soft-skin civilian vehicles, and we taught them some radio skills. It was an OUTSTANDING weekend of trainingContinue reading “Joint MAG Training AAR”
Hawg-Ops.com Part II: Unit Symbols and Map Making
Two years ago I discovered hawg-ops.com. It’s a very potent open-source map tool and I wrote an introductory article on it back in August 2022. Since then I’ve been fiddling around with it and have discovered a few more features that I will share with you today. Adding Unit Icons The site has the abilityContinue reading “Hawg-Ops.com Part II: Unit Symbols and Map Making”
The Minuteman’s Guide to Signature Management (SIGMAN)
When we hear the word “camouflage,” we think of a sniper wearing a ghillie suit or our favorite camo patterns. In reality, there is far more to the topic of camouflage than simply visual concealment. The modern battlefield is saturated with sensors of all types, and it is important to be cognizant of how vulnerable you areContinue reading “The Minuteman’s Guide to Signature Management (SIGMAN)”
Mountain Training Event AAR
This past weekend I had the privilege of spending a few days in the mountains of Western NC training with some friends. There was a combination of force-on-force exercises, radio practice, TCCC training, and the fieldcraft involved with just dealing with the elements of being in the mountains in winter. I came away from this eventContinue reading “Mountain Training Event AAR”
When Gear Fails
Stuff breaks. No matter how expensive an item is or how many torture tests it passes, everything will wear out and break eventually if it is actually used. Or human error gets the best of us and we just lose things. When this happens in the military, Uncle Sam just reaches into his your pockets and replaces saidContinue reading “When Gear Fails”
Assessing the Effects of Fires
Anyone who has ever done any sort of small-unit tactics training can remember “covering” a buddy while they move. This is good to learn, but there can be a bit of misunderstanding as to what actually constitutes “covering fire” or “suppression”. Just because you are putting rounds downrange does not necessarily mean that you have “covering fire,”Continue reading “Assessing the Effects of Fires”
Video: How to Paint a Rifle (Laundry Bag Method)
In this video I demonstrate how I paint my rifles. I do not claim to have invented this method, it was taught to me some time ago, and I am now sharing it with you. This is my first time making video content, and I may make more in the future. Please bear with me,Continue reading “Video: How to Paint a Rifle (Laundry Bag Method)”
The Jäger Course
During my time in the Marine Corps, I spent a lot of long field ops living out of my backpack. This was the case in every unit I served with, from a division COC to an infantry regiment to ANGLICO teams. As an amphibious expeditionary force, Marines never get too attached to our vehicles, andContinue reading “The Jäger Course”
Von Steuben Training & Consulting 