This is the eighteenth installment of ‘Max Talk Monday’ which shares select episodes from a series of instructional videos. Max Velocity Tactical (MVT) has established a reputation on the leading edge of tactical live fire and force on force training. MVT is dedicated to developing and training tactical excellence at the individual and team level.
This Max Talk is a discussion about the concept of equipping yourself for tactical operations. What type of kit to wear and how, why we wear certain equipment and the rationale behind it. This is a general discussion of gear concepts, and will be followed up by further talks on items such as helmet use, and even how to set up a Brit Belt Kit for sustained patrolling operations.
Detailed explanations can be found in the MVT Tactical Manual: Small Unit Tactics.
Max is a tactical trainer and author, a lifelong professional soldier with extensive military experience. He served with British Special Operations Forces, both enlisted and as a commissioned officer; a graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Max served on numerous operational deployments, and also served as a recruit instructor. Max spent five years serving as a paramilitary contractor in both Iraq and Afghanistan; the latter two years working for the British Government in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
Website: Max Velocity Tactical
YouTube: Max Velocity Tactical
Excellence in Tactical Training.
Another great video from Walter Mitty
Well I think its always good to look at the credibility of commenters in these formats. The net is so filled with little boys playing troll.
So here’s some examples of Owen’s quality commentary in regards to Max’s contributions to SSD!
Owen says:
March 5, 2019 at 02:11
This guys is a idiot
Owen says:
March 19, 2019 at 07:20
Why do you insisit on posting this stuff… its insulting
Owen says:
March 20, 2019 at 09:27
Are you even english?
Owen says:
March 20, 2019 at 09:26
Yeah cheers…
I regulary conduct live fire excercises with my baseball cap on…
Owen says:
March 26, 2019 at 16:59
Another rubbish video
Owen says:
April 1, 2019 at 19:37
Absolutely webbo!
Owen says:
April 3, 2019 at 20:45
I hate you
Owen says:
April 22, 2019 at 17:03
Another great video from Walter Mitty
—————————————————
Words speak for themselves don’t you think?
Another great comment from Owen the Troll
Around here we call them Travelers
Good video. No B.S. or kindergarten fantasy like so many other gear vids. Max is right, it’s not a simple answer but a matter of nuance and calculated risk of what the mission requires in terms of gear. Realistically you’d also need resupply lines or caches for extended missions. Can’t carry everything per the “2 is one, 1 is none” rule because the reduction of mobility itself can get you killed. That includes opting to wear 20lbs of steel plates vs 10 lbs of composite polymers.
On the money with the talk of caches and resupply too. That is how (most of) our enemies fight. I expected the complaints like Max always gets and he hit the nail on the head: your setup shouldn’t be based on the tactical fashion shows online. If you want to think ‘tactical’ means doing 3 gun drills while wearing IR flags, there are many youtube videos out there for you. If you want to talk ambush and raid, watch Max.
Is that the kit you wore when you were in your fantasy SOF land ?
Nice comment, really added value to the conversation.
How about you look into this guys credentials before you show such disrespect? He probably wore old Eagle and Paraclete stuff while he was in “fantasy” SOF land. Oh, and since when are only super high speed guys allowed to own or understand the use of tactical equipment? I didn’t realize we lived behind the Iron Curtain.
I saw these comments about the SOF thing and just made a post on my own forum in response, which I will copy here. Not intending to get into any internet fights with anyone, and normally I would refrain from commenting, but this is how I see it:
As part of my bio, including that posted on SSD, I write that I was formerly British SOF. This came under some scrutiny when I did my Iraq video post and more recently today with the Gear Video, with a couple of recurring characters in comments. This centered around my statement that Brit Paras & Commandos are SOF units.
Well, the simple answer is that these guys are right, those units are not SOF units. Why? Because, the terminology between the US and British military is different. There is no designation ‘SOF’ in the British military. Thus, it does not exist. There are only Special Forces and Elite units.
What I have done is take US terminology and apply it to the British Army.
Here is a little more on the Paras:
“The Parachute Regiment, colloquially known as the Paras, is an elite airborne infantry regiment of the British Army. The regiment is one of the most elite units in the world. The first battalion is permanently under the command of the Director Special Forces in the Special Forces Support Group. The other battalions are the parachute infantry component of the British Army’s rapid response formation, 16 Air Assault Brigade.”
“The Parachute Regiment consists of three regular army battalions, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. The 1st is based at St Athan, Wales, and is permanently attached to the Special Forces Support Group (SFSG). They receive further training on additional weapons, communications equipment and specialist assault skills. All men within the Parachute Regiment can expect to serve with the SFSG on rotation. This ensures that the advanced military skills taught to the SFSG are maintained in the other two battalions.”
I served in 1 and 2 Para. Further to this, the Parachute Regiment is a specifically selected unit (Pre-Parachute Selection, or P Company) with an elite standard of professional skills. It is not the direct equivalent of a US airborne unit such as the 82nd, although joint training is often done and I have participated in such with both 82nd and Ranger Battalion elements.
In the US, due to the existence of US Special Forces (i.e. Green Berets) an additional designation was created to cover other formations. This is Special Operations Forces or SOF. Thus, the Rangers are SOF. The Parachute Regiment is more roughly equivalent to the Rangers – and that is not a role dependent statement related to whether they are specifically serving in 1 Para (SFSG) or not at the time. The designation to SFSG is simply an organizational rotation and confers no special status across Para Reg soldiers. The role in SFSG is however more closely equivalent to the ‘Black Hawk Down’ famous role of the Rangers – but in the same way that the Rangers also operate on their own outside of that well known role, so do the Paras.
In British military parlance you are in an ELITE unit if serving with either the British Paras or Royal Marine Commandos. You are actually serving in a SPECIAL FORCES unit if at that time you are serving with SFSG, and are under Director Special Forces. There is no ‘SOF’ in the British military.
In learning to speak in American, I have used SOF as a fair equivalent designation and stick by that as it makes sense. It would not seem right if I said I was in a former Special Forces / Elite unit. Although there are other less well known special forces units in the British Army, the designation is more widely associated with the SAS, in which I have never claimed to have served. Of course the SAS is the equivalent and father of Delta, and despite being called ‘Special Forces’ is not the equivalent of the Green Berets.
It’s simply a matter of choosing equivalent language.
Again in the spirit of knowing our commenters!
Barry says:
April 2, 2019 at 07:56
Talking of Walter Mittys, I wasn’t aware British Paratroopers and Commandos were SOF.
Barry says:
April 22, 2019 at 19:38
Is that the kit you wore when you were in your fantasy SOF land ?
———————————————————————————
High quality commentary.
I am curious though?
Consider todays comment by our friend Owen:
Owen says:
April 22, 2019 at 17:03
Another great video from Walter Mitty
———————————————————
…and back twenty days ago….
Barry says:
April 2, 2019 at 07:56
Talking of Walter Mittys, I wasn’t aware British Paratroopers and Commandos were SOF.
___________________________________________________________________
Owen?
Barry?
Alter egos or a tag team?
I’ll let the readers decide!
From the sounds of them, I’m guessing that Owen and Barry are a couple of basement-dwelling paintballers who would be best served by getting jobs and moving out of their parents’ basements. Grow up!
Maybe Owen and Barry tried to show up to one of his classes and failed his basic PT requirement. They could be 300 lb paintballers, who knows.
I can’t figure any other reason to constantly troll a stranger unless they had some negative personal interaction, or are a business competitor.
Max, I honestly don’t care how special you are. The way you build your marketing basing on what you’ve done in your life is up to your conscience. You’ll live with that.
What I care about is the fact that what you do is the only sensible source of information (and maybe a good place for dialog) about tactics. The basics are the same for everyone no matter how special you are. For me it’s a nice divertion from how much Arcteryx is on this guy or how LaRue that rifle is. Keep up the good work, there are people who like it.
Cheers
Probally count them on one hand…