PREPARING FOR THE BOOGALOO: MATT BRACKEN’S REVIEW OF JACK LAWSON’S “CIVIL DEFENSE MANUAL”
A Review of Jack Lawson’s Civil Defense Manual:
How to Prepare and Protect Your Neighborhood from Disaster, Riot and Civil Unrest
If you are reading this, chances are good that you consider yourself a liberty-loving patriotic American. You might also consider yourself, as I certainly do, a “prepper,” that is, an all-around survival and preparedness advocate. As preppers, we’ve long been anticipating crises ranging from financial collapse, to violent insurrection, to natural or even man-made disasters that could extinguish our electrical grid in a flash. Now, deep into 2020, the year of the Chinese Coronavirus pandemic and widespread Marxist-inspired riots, it appears that we may at last be on the doorstep of the long-anticipated SHTF scenario. Revolutionary Communists, (currently wearing the Antifa and BLM brands, and with the tacit support of today’s far-left Democrat Party), have declared that under no circumstances will they accept a Trump election victory. Instead, they promise to take their revolution to the streets, in violent nationwide riots beyond any yet seen in American history.
Across the political spectrum, the number of Americans who believe that a second Civil War is imminent is at an all-time high. This heightened concern is why, for example, it costs three to four times more to rent a truck to move household goods from a liberal to a conservative state than vice versa. This is also why common rifle and pistol ammunition is at unprecedented scarcity, and when it can be found, it can only be purchased at exorbitant cost. A hundred rounds of standard 5.56 or 7.62X39 rifle ammo can easily fit into your jacket pocket, and today they might cost you a hundred dollars — a buck a bullet — if you can find them. The reason for their shortage at this moment in history is that millions of Americans have come to the bitter realization that they might actually need them to defend their lives, families and property.
By comparison to the extra cartridges, what value would you place on obtaining the equivalent of a master’s degree in surviving through a period of violent insurrection, or even civil war? I’d imagine much more than the hundred or so dollars you might spend for a similar number of extra rounds for your rifle or carbine.
So, what is it about Jack Lawson’s Civil Defense Manual that makes it so valuable? First of all, it’s nearly a thousand pages long, making it too big to fit inside one book cover. Instead, it’s broken into two volumes that are sold as a set. And the two volumes are large in size, measuring 11 X 8.5 inches, typeset in a generous 14-point font. In the end, the CDM is meant to be readable even by candlelight, post SHTF. And it’s written so that ordinary people can understand it, completely free of esoteric military or technical jargon, with key sentences bolded to stand out.
The CDM is not just another long list of expensive survival gear and equipment, nor is it advice to move to a remote mountain in Montana. The CDM is much more practical than that. In fact, Lawson’s most essential idea, the Neighborhood Protection Plan, or NPP, can be adapted to any location and situation, from the urban high-rise, to apartment complexes, to single-family homes in the suburbs, and to rural areas. The critical concept behind the NPP is that the inhabitants of an individual home, townhouse or apartment building cannot stand alone and successfully defend themselves against determined attacks by roving gangs of armed predatory thugs. It will be too late to defend your single domicile when your neighbors’ homes are going up in flames.
A Neighborhood Protection Plan is not a glorified Neighborhood Watch, which is a passive arrangement whereby neighbors communicate with existing local Law Enforcement. Nor is an NPP a “militia” or any other kind of independent paramilitary force. In the first case, the activation of an NPP is predicated upon the inability or even the unwillingness of local LE to protect a neighborhood or other area during a crisis. In the second case, forming a militia or other paramilitary force implies that this group is planning to undertake proactive operations extending beyond the defense of a neighborhood and its immediate surrounding area. The Civil Defense Manual does cover the entire range of defensive options from existing Neighborhood Watch programs, through Neighborhood Protection Plans, and ultimately to coordination between separate NPPs for the mutual protection of wider regions, with the ultimate goal of restoring pre-SHTF civility, public safety, and restarting any disrupted infrastructure.
Lawson provides a sample command structure for his NPP concept, as well as methods to organize the NPP well in advance of a catastrophic series of events that might require a self-defense force to be stood up in days or even hours, instead of in weeks.
In the author’s vision, the elected Primary Leader of the local NPP is given overall command authority during emergency situations, but tellingly, the Secondary NPP Leader in Lawson’s suggested hierarchy is also the Fire Chief. During a breakdown of civil order, and the collapse of local infrastructure, when existing fire departments might be unable to respond, the protection of homes within the NPP against the risk of fire becomes second in importance only to protection against armed gangs, gangs which might be using Molotov cocktail firebombs as terror weapons to elicit surrender. It should also be recognized that during a period when the normal infrastructure might be disrupted, and running water and electricity are unavailable, the threat to structures from open-flame cooking and heating fires, and even candles, will be extremely high.
Just below the Fire Chief in Lawson’s suggested hierarchy comes the Third Section, the Watch Center Leader, overseeing a constantly manned Watch Center. These are followed by the Communications and Intel Section, the Supply Section and the Medical Section. The roles and responsibilities of each section are covered in detail.
This is not to say that Lawson has designed the perfect one-size-fits-all organizational structure to cover every post-SHTF neighborhood self-defense requirement, but what he has done is to conceptualize and provide a practical template that will serve well during a time of escalating crisis. When your neighborhood is undergoing a period of unprecedented stress, a viable pre-existing Neighborhood Protection Plan will be a Godsend. Your particular organizational structure can later be adapted to your unique local circumstances.
Every neighborhood self-defense force or NPP will require a small cadre of individuals that Lawson refers to as “self-starters.” If you are contemplating the purchase of the Civil Defense Manual, then that initial self-starter is you. For the Neighborhood Protection Plan to move from concept to reality, you will need to find and recruit a small nucleus of interested volunteers. Until someone more suited to the task of primary leader emerges during the formation of your NPP, that initial leader is you. The CDM will guide you through the tricky process of germinating the idea of the NPP within your neighborhood, to organizing its first small meetings, until your NPP’s final culmination as an effective volunteer community defense force.
If you purchase the CDM, I strongly suggest that you read it now, from front to back. Don’t wait, because it will take some time to get an NPP up and running. The two volumes of the CDM blend hard data and information, contributions by subject-matter experts, short fiction and non-fiction survival vignettes, and Jack Lawson’s own African combat experiences and survival philosophy. In this review, I have only touched on a few key concepts found in this truly encyclopedic work. After you have read and digested the complete Civil Defense Manual, you will be miles ahead of the “herd” in the coming survival derby. You will not only learn how to protect your own home, but how to defend your entire neighborhood by pooling all of its combined talents and resources for the common defense through “strength in numbers.” By doing so, you will be maintaining vital pockets of civil society amidst a roiling sea of violence and barbarism.
Just the chapter on post-SHTF radio communication, written by the acknowledged subject-matter expert NC Scout, aka Brushbeater, is worth more than the entire cost of the two-volume CDM. Most folks, even preppers, do not sufficiently appreciate the critical importance of maintaining secure communications across a spread-out community during a prolonged crisis. The immeasurable force-multiplier effect of strength in numbers does not come into effect unless the entire NPP can communicate. (While we’re on the subject, go ahead and buy some inexpensive yet invaluable Baofeng UV-5R handheld VHF-UHF radios — while you can. You can thank me, NC Scout and Jack Lawson for the tip later on.)
So instead of buying yet another box of bullets, I strongly recommend that you invest in Jack Lawson’s Civil Defense Manual, and earn yourself a master’s degree in post-SHTF neighborhood self-defense and community survival. What you learn from the CDM will be worth a thousand times more than another extra hundred cartridges to stack on top of your already existing prepper stockpile.
Matthew Bracken was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1957, and attended the University of Virginia, where he received a BA in Russian Studies and was commissioned as a naval officer in 1979. Later in that year he graduated from Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training, and in 1983 he led a Naval Special Warfare detachment to Beirut, Lebanon. Since then he’s been a welder, boat builder, charter captain, ocean sailor, essayist and novelist. He lives in Florida. Information about how to order signed copies of his novels can be found at EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com.
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I bought a pair of Baefongs yesterday on Prime. I need to get familiar with them I suppose. I was just talking with a buddy and we thought what a blue wave would look like. Doesn’t even have to be a wave just ultimate power in the executive branch. Would it be a slow boil to a society that looks like 1984? I think that would be their goal. But I don’t know we could devolve really fast. It really depends on Law Enforcement. Already demoralized after the RevCom riots and threats from elected officials I can see many saying “to hell with this.” Especially in blue states it would make an already very dangerous profession impossible. Even in Red States I can see the fear of having the AG of the US, probably be a Keith Ellison type, constantly holding a knife to their necks. Also anytime an officer comes into a scuffle a certain Marxist group promises to riot in the community but now with the AG’s wink and nod.
If Trump wins it’s going to get bad. If Harris wins it’s going to be Bedlam. I know the Deep State thinks it can maintain control but not so sure it can. Will depend really on LE and how quickly they quit. I don’t see them hanging around long and it’s going to be full on nuts. It can easily start in Chicago and other cities and spread very quick.
Thanks for all you do Matt. I don’t even know if I would stay here and I live in a rural suburban neighborhood in C FL all predominantly conservative. My brothers family has some land and it may make sense fortify there with my family. I guess my point it is I think if it goes; it’s going to break and I mean break hard.
Lots of LE, will just roll over and serve their former enemies.. They’ll get a pass, while the ones who wont, will be forced out.. And these RevComs, will be made “Auxiliary Police”.. Giving them cover, to do anything they like.. Like rounding up their political rivals, Me and You! So we fight and die, or off to the camps we go, and all our property will be forfeited to the State.. And passed out to their RevCom assets, that includes our women and kids, as RESTITUTION for our evil capitalist ways!
This is the lesson of history, IT WILL REPEAT!
Because it is the only system Communists know!
Hey Alan your scenario is feasible and I see that play out too. I call that the “slow boil” scenario. It’s ugly because in this one the Commies go slow enough to make the environmental changes they need.
In the “fast boil” scenario like I painted above societal structure completely collapses before the infrastructure the left needs to control us is put in place. It starts in Blue Cities where they will be very emboldened and the police (mostly still good) take a knee. They grab their families and become refugees. Chicago quickly engulfs have the state of Illinois into anarchy. Power is cut and no supplies. Others see this play out and start participating in other cities. Harris would at some point use the insurrection act but I don’t know if it will be enough. The right (me & you) will also be in the fray.
It’s sucks because I don’t see too many other scenarios lol. Sorry to laugh but it’s all we got. Listening to Beck and we know the polls are psyops. But that’s the good scenario Trump stays and we fight them now. Look I know we all love the Constitution but if these people take power we’re fucked so if he stays I’m all for it. Not much in the way of positive outlooks unfortunately.
Correct.
We have 200 years of enemy battle plans in our hands.
If we fail, we have only failed ourselves.
AB, and then their are a lot of active and retired cops who,will burn the mother fuckers down. Agree with NC, you must live in a shitty place, if you don’t have a good relationship, with the locals. If for nothing other then logistics, and tactical reasons.
What is it about the same ten posters here, you guys think you got the market on getting shit done, cornered?
If you think these guys are your enemy, then you should adhere to , the rule, Never Ever underestimate your enemy. Your AO may in fact be the home of Barney Fife. Around here the majority of my old associates are well aware of whats to come, are switched on, and perhaps the most important, they know every inch of this terrain. They patrol it daily, know the home less trails, the alleyways, what’s on top of the local hills and mountains.
Now to my real observation regarding Matt’s overview, I agree, I own the book, the price is cheap when considering the content. The book isn’t for those who get it, it’s for the families, our children our grand children who,will need a logical no shit script to referee to or follow when us guys are off doing,,,,,,, whatever.
Jacks done an outstanding job, Matt’s got a a section he’s add, well done, our other friend ? Shit I’m having a brain fart, our associate who training Intel courses has a detailed section, and others.
From a prepper, leader of our family prospective, knowing what we all knows coming this is the best 100.00 actually shipped I think it was hundred twelve bucks. . I’ve shared my current copy with neighbors, who are Glen Beck researchers, who were so impress they are buying a copy for them and their niece, who is on Trumps Campain, legal team,,,,,,and a regular on For X news.
If the book sucked I’d say exactly that, which isn’t the case. You will be amazed at the content, the man hours, and ease of use.
In fack I’ll be buying a second book today for my son, then next month for my daughter. They both got a case of freeze dried mountain house , fifty pounds of rice, and fifty pounds of dried beans this month.
Carole’s husband. ” Dirt”
4.5
I was taken back by the price but I broke down and bought it anyway. Yes it is worth the cost but I see some issues that I will address. The Neighborhood plan I dont think will work in most neighborhoods. While it seems nice that you will be able to get all your neighbors to work together, I believe the average neighborhood these days dont even know one another like they did in the past. This may have worked better in the 50s-70s but today the only time you see a neighbor is if going to work in the morning or out mowing the yard. You coming in trying to organize something and being the subject matter on it will ruffle some feathers for sure. Also everyone is so busy trying to get them to buckle down and commit to this is futile in todays world. Not everyone is a prepper. Not everyone believes the world is going to crap. There are too many sheep these days and trying to get them on board is like herding cats. I just dont believe you will get enough people to join your cause in an average neighborhood. Just my two cents worth. The book is still worth the cost and you can still implement some of the things in it with a small prepper group of your own. I just wouldnt rely on neighborhood folks to sign up for it.
1. Sounds like it’s time to move.
2. You’re making excuses.
Might be the reality for many, but comfy suburban living is the major part of why we’re in the pickle we’re in.
I moved to Franklin N.C. (Western mountains) 8 years ago in anticipation of what’s going on now but I’ll be damned if this place isn’t full of Biden signs.
You moved to the bedroom community of rich liberals.
People are quick learners. And nobody wants to watch their neighborhood of McMansions get burned down.
Also, Unless you live on the edge of a city, you will have time, and Intel, to work to prepare, train, and inform.
The SF do this in foreign nations, with people who don’t look like them, and don’t talk like them.
Your mission is ten times easier, with less obstacles, and is home territory.
If you fail, it’s a failure to try. Not the fault of the trials.
You can dig fighting positions now. And prepare them now.
An attitude of failure will only hurt morale, and thus, cause a failure.
I’m gonna fight to win. I suggest you do the same.
Do not despair Recon Prepper. We can, and will, win.
I know it looks like we are surrounded, but that is an illusion.
They are surrounded. Not us. Their propaganda is useless and desperate.
5
I had my first NPP meeting with about 10 neighbors and discussed the simple idea of quickly blocking access into our neighborhood (two streets come into our subdivision). I even suggested starting with construction-type “Road Closed-No Through Traffic” signs to block off the roads, then later expanding to immoveables. Everyone at the meeting thought it made total sense, IF the SHTF and LEOs were elsewhere. It was a plan, that’s all. We discussed it. In prepping for the second meeting with additional people, i invited the HomeOwners Association and they killed it in advance because they did not believe there is a threat and because it was political and divisive. (Go figure). Stated plainly they would not support it. This is typical- people either in denial or with their head in the sand. BUT, the first group of 10 families is on board, so I may have to have smaller, partial neighborhood meetings. Also, when I cancelled the second meeting, some people expressed their real interest in participating. Hard to get the whole neighborhood when some people have Commie signs in their yards. I know who the dependable people are and will continue to communicate with them, independent of the whole neighborhood. Next step is discussing fire prevention and control at the homeowner level.
Im continuing to read this book with highlighter in hand!
I have the original book that they wrote, I wish there was an ‘update’ pack with the new material. Sadly, even down in the South, most neighborhoods are so much less connected than in previous generations. I have had conversation with people, very few ‘get it’ as most have their heads in the sand. As I have adjusted to increasing age and death of my wife, I am less concerned with my own survival than how I may serve the Lord in the coming festivities. Somehow I have simply grown too weary of the entire mess, and believe that God is allowing this nation to reap what has been sown.
Here is a historical example of Lawson’s NPP put into action: the Northfield Minnesota Raid by the James-Younger Gang.
The Long Riders: Shootout in Northfield (1980) HD (4 minute clip)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsMwPIy4Ax4&ab_channel=Movieclips
On September 7, 1876, the James-Younger gang robbed the First National Bank of Northfield, Minnesota. Cole, Bob, and Jim Younger and Frank and Jesse James were among the members of this gang that robbed trains and banks following the Civil War.
At the First National Bank, they demanded the money from the vault and Joseph Lee Heywood, the bank clerk on duty, was killed when he refused to open the safe. When the townspeople were alerted they attacked the robbers, defending their town and their savings.
The Northfield Raid, as the robbery attempt has come to be known, has been the subject of countless novels and movies. It has inspired endless speculation and multiple theories of the sequence of events and who actually participated.
Unfortunately, the news media has poisoned minds for so many decades, most people can’t recognize the danger staring them in the face. Continue to prep and work out the details for your neighborhood. The time WILL come that many will be scared enough to accept a logical defense plan. Bear in mind that you may have to deal with neighbors supporting a revolution. Nobody ever said that this will be easy. Maintain OPSEC until you know what your local situation REALLY is.
So how do you organize the neighborhood without alerting the other neighborhood group, that of commies who will sell you out for nothing? It’s easy to dismiss us who live in the suburbs as being in a “shitty neighborhood”, but that’s a reality for many of us. The fellow who is organizing but ran afoul of the homeowners association just painted a big Target on his back. I hope this book gives advice balancing the need for organization with opsec. I have a couple of neighbors I shoot the shit with and I know their political stances but I have folks who live just as close that are a complete mystery to me. Being in Miami, the language barrier doesn’t help. But thanks, Matt, for the review.
I purchased the set and received them yesterday.
Looks like some outstanding information. Start reading and noticed the warning about not laying the book flat, or the pages will come out of the binding… well, I didn’t lay it flat when reading, and the pages are already starting to release crime the binding….
Pretty disappointing when one considers the $100 cost of the books, and the fact the material is intended to be reference again, like a manual should be, I’ll be eating more cost to get these sprial bound so they have a chance of survival
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