Marine Corps Cross-Training In Amateur Radio

Coming by way of a reader, RTO Course alum and retired fighter pilot is a story published just a few days ago on the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service detailing a new USMC program to train Marines in the use of HF radio.

U.S. Marine Corps Col. Jordan Walzer, commanding officer of II MIG, created the High Frequency Auxiliary Initiative after recognizing the need for utilizing more options in a combat environment. He wanted the Marines to familiarize themselves with older technology to ensure their lethality in any situation.

“Embracing technology is great but overreliance leaves us vulnerable,” Walzer said. “In a peer-to-peer conflict, our space-based capabilities will be attacked. The next war will look less like ‘Saving Private Ryan’ and a lot more like ‘Ghost Fleet’.”

I couldn’t agree more- the over-reliance on space based communications platforms may be convenient but they’re highly vulnerable to attack. HF, or skywave, provides a broad number of options when implemented correctly over a region. Its a capability that takes skill built over time, but the learning curve can be high.

The old skills are coming back as the high-tech solutions reveal vulnerabilities. Luckily there’s someone covering these very same skills to the armed and prepared citizen.

By NC ScoutPublished On: February 11, 2020Categories: Comms, NC Scout, News and Links4 Comments

About the Author: NC Scout

NC Scout is the nom de guerre of a former Infantry Scout and Sergeant in one of the Army’s best Reconnaissance Units. He has combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He teaches a series of courses focusing on small unit skills rarely if ever taught anywhere else in the prepping and survival field, including his RTO Course which focuses on small unit communications. In his free time he is an avid hunter, bushcrafter, writer, long range shooter, prepper, amateur radio operator and Libertarian activist. He can be contacted at [email protected] or via his blog at brushbeater.wordpress.com .

4 Comments

Bryce Sharper February 12, 2020 at 20:11

The ChiComs have a bunch of kinetic means of knocking down LEOs, don’t they? They’ve shot some down quite recently. All of the 5G NTN stuff the military expects to rely on could be unusable if the Chinese choose to shoot it down. Then there are RF countermeasures that could be deployed. I’m not sure how they’d aim a vacuum tube up at one of our satellites to send RF countermeasures, but presumably they’d aim it the same way they aim a kinetic weapon.
- NC Scout February 12, 2020 at 21:56
  
  Yup.
JH McNeill March 31, 2020 at 10:49

The Army is doing the same. Some guys at Ft. Gordon have started holding Tech classes for the Signaleer trainees (and old farts as well).
- NC Scout March 31, 2020 at 11:14
  
  Yes. I know the guy running it.