Uechi-Ryu.com

Van, I believe that you know Fred Leland from Walpole PD? He has an excellent web page that you may enjoy:

Law Enforcement and Security Consulting http://lesc.net he also hosts an excellent group on LinkedIn of the same name.

Tactics is the art and science of winning engagements and conflicts. Tactics refers to the concepts and methods we use to accomplish a particular objective.

The essence of conflict has been defined as a struggle between two hostile, independent, and irreconcilable wills, each trying to impose itself on the other, or a “clash” between two complex adaptive systems!

This “complex adaptive system” is a, walking, talking, submitting or confronting, interacting and isolating, persuading and forcing, running and gunning, thinking and acting, disrupting adversary(s).

Tactics is not a thing, but a process, especially a mental process. It’s a way of doing something. It is not just a certain type of attack or defense; it is also why you chose that particular attack or defense.

Tactics is not just your decision; it is how you come to your decision, your method. This implies that tactical judgment and calculated risk taking is necessary in our approach to solving complex violent encounters, with armed and dangerous adversary(s).

It also implies utilizing a unique approach and doing something unexpected by the adversary, considering the specific adversary, time, risk level and place. Keep in mind the unexpected tactic chosen may be conventional or unconventional.

Just because a certain method/tactic has been around for a while does not mean it cannot be used in an unexpected way. Tactics are both science and art not in what to do, but in how to think! We should not respond without knowing and understanding the “why” behind the way we respond.

Realistic training that factors in the ability to think and act under pressure has always been important.

I have been researching and experimenting in training with swarming tactics also known as converging tactics and whether this technique has a tactical place in our responses to an ongoing deadly action such as active shooter, multiple adversaries or multiple target situations.

The two great resources I used were John Arquilla and Dave Ronfeldt "Swarming & the Future of Conflict" and Sean J.A. Edwards', "Swarming on the Battlefield Past, Present and Future."

Both resources are from RAND, National Defense Research Institute, and cover the history of swarming tactics, how the methodology is utilized, the command and control structure necessary for successful swarming operations and the tactic's strengths and weaknesses. I recommend both resources.