This Is For Your Eyes Only - Survivalist Briefing

It’s clear that from 2020 the attitude around general readiness and preparedness has changed radically.

What once used to be something reserved for survivalists and “paranoid” preppers, has now returned to just good common sense in an ever-changing world where daily threats make headline news.

The pandemic opened everyone’s eyes to how fragile the system is and how readily absolute power will be abused. My favorite example of this was when Governor Chris Christy shut down the beaches in New Jersey only to be filmed by a drone on his newfound private beach with his family!

With prepping reaching a new level of acceptance here in America and around the world, what does OPSEC really look like now. Should we all just keep our heads down and not say a word?

Should we use this moment to draft others who might be concerned into the prepper ranks? Should we completely open our coffers and show the world what we have been up to all these years?

I think there are some redlines when it comes to OPSEC even in an age where prepping is looked at with longing eyes by many rather than by suspicious eyes as it was in the past.

So, the big question is: What types of preps are for your eyes only?

Quantities

Do you store 3 months, 6 months, or even a year’s worth of food?

The correct answer to that question is: None of your business. I store food for emergencies.

Quantities of things like food, ammo, gold, and silver all your business.

There is almost no one who really needs to know how much of these things you have.

Storage Locations

Where you store the things listed above is also no one’s business! I am a huge fan of spreading the prepper message and getting people prepared. I talk a lot about my preps in public.

? Why You Should Never Hide Your Stockpile In Your Basement

No one knows where I store these kinds of things. This is my information, and it really wouldn’t even benefit another prepper to know exactly where all my food or ammo is.

Emergency Plans

As preppers, we have all kinds of plans. You have plans, right? These could be as simple as plans to escape a fire in the home. They might be as complex as reorganizing the entire neighborhood in a collapse to create a headquarters, infirmary, and base of communications in a collapse of society.

No matter what your plans look like, they are your plans. Keep them to yourself.

Alternate Locations

Do you have a bug out location? What about alternate locations for storage?

These are common for preppers. When it comes to keeping things secret, these are high on the list. If you want someone at your bug out location when you show up, I would keep that information as close to the chest as possible.

By divulging alternate storage locations, you are simply asking for someone to go and take what you have stored.

Caches

Do you have supply caches in hidden locations? These are another example of preps that are for your eyes only.

Caches can be bartered with or given to other preppers, but it is completely unnecessary to share information about the caches themselves and locations.

Other Preppers

This is a matter of trust but if you know other preppers you should never share what you know about them with others, unless they have given you permission.

This could be as simple as location. I have people in my own neighborhood who prepare but I would never compromise their OPSEC.

Use A Tiered Approach To Sharing Information

How do we decide who we can share more sensitive information with? Well, I think it helps to use a tiered approach with your tier 1 being the type of people you would share the most information with and tier 4 being the group you share the least with.

I believe it is vital to share the preparedness message with everyone. This tiered system helps me stay aware of the type of information I divulge to those around me.

Tier 4: Curious Observers

There are a lot of these curious observers now. They may be considering prepping themselves, they may have already started some prepping, or they may just be curious as to what preppers are all about. Either way, these people are hardly acquaintances or maybe they are just work acquaintances and have questions.

These guys get the crumbs! Give just enough info to satisfy their questions and nothing more.

Tier 3: Just Getting Started

Sometimes there are budding preppers in your life who need a little motivation to really get going. I find it best to share some kind of project or prep to inspire them.

Maybe it’s something like having a coop of chickens in a suburban yard and eating only homegrown eggs. It could be a new tool for training with firearms, like the Mantis X.

Preppers who are just getting started need something to aspire to. Of course, there is a lot you do not tell them, but you can give them just a taste of what you are working on in one aspect of your preparedness.

Tier 2: Known Preppers

If you are lucky enough to get around known preppers in your area, then you have many great opportunities. It is very common for preppers to get around other preppers and divulge everything in the hope that they might appeal to them and create a powerful prepper group for surviving doomsday.

Take a deep breath and get to know them. Ask questions. You have a lot they should never know about, and you must keep that in mind. Just because a person is a prepper does not mean they have your best interest in mind.

Tier 1: Allied Preppers

There are some sensitive things that you must share with allied preppers. One thing that stands out right away is sensitive information about the firearms you use. It is best to carry similar weapons or ammunition as the others you have allied with. So, divulging that kind of information is important.

You might even consider a shared bug out location and that kind of information will obviously need to be shared between you. This is the group you can feel most comfortable discussing your preps with. Still, it is never your duty to tell anyone about everything that you do.

As prepping has grown over the years it is clear everyone can benefit from a little basic preparedness. There is no denying that this kind of prepping has gone mainstream and I, personally, think it is all for the better!

All that said, prepping requires a level of operational security no matter how popular it becomes. There is a level of privacy to it, and you should treat those aspects of preparedness the same way you would your bank account numbers, pins, passwords, and any other sensitive information. These things are truly for your eyes only!

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