The primary means of communication within Bills organization was a mixture of dead drops, ‘runners’ and caches. It would make the tempo of operations slower, but keeping it low tech would limit surveillance and tracking by Regime assets.
Both Bill and Jack had served in Afghanistan and they well remembered how the electronic warfare assets would listen in to ICOM chatter on enemy networks in real time as attacks were taking place. The Resistance did possess VHF ‘walkie-talkie’ type radios and there was a place for them, but mainly the focus would be on being ‘old school’ and low tech.
Bill also had a satellite system that he could use while the internet was locked down to transmit messages to the internet that remained outside of Regime control.
Supply would largely be conducted by a ‘quartermaster’ system using cut-outs, dead drops and caches. Caches would be identified with a marker system to allow the location to be passed on and found by subsequent users.
In simple terms, directions would be given to go to a certain location and identify the primary marker. This could be something such as an identifiable tree or fence corner, for example. From the primary marker the searcher would look for the described secondary and tertiary markers, leading to the location of the cache, hidden or buried in waterproof containers.
For other situations, a policy of hiding in plain sight could be adopted. For example, discreet farmers markets had grown up since the collapse, bartering in goods. It was a simple thing for a covert Resistance team to show up at a market and ‘barter’ for supplies, that would then be driven away in plain sight.
One of Jack’s concerns was the co-location of a training camp in the same place as where the families were to be in hiding at Camp Zulu. They developed the concept further in discussion together. It was agreed that Zulu remain as a well hidden ‘family only’ camp.
They would establish another training camp separated from Zulu. Bill had some ideas based on an abandoned farm he had come across while conducting his initial reconnaissance. It was in the same forested area as Zulu, up on the high ground, and it had a farm house, some outbuildings and a large barn type building that would be good for a training location. It was about five miles away from Zulu, the only route between the two being a small trail.
Although many of those that would be trained at this new camp would be the fighters whose families were at Zulu, this plan to separate the locations worked better because it kept the activity away from Zulu. This would also create a firewall between any new recruits, potential spies however well vetted, and the families.
They agreed that Jack would take over the establishment and running of this training camp once he had settled his family at Zulu. They agreed to call the camp, ‘Victor Foxtrot’, which stood for Valley Forge, a name which they considered appropriate.
Bill had recruited a group of volunteer fighters that was about three platoons strong at this point and which he hoped to continue to recruit to get it up to strong Company strength. The concept was to hide this force out at the training camp in the wooded hills and train over the winter, beginning operations in the spring once training was complete.
Bill and Jack both realized that they were fighting an irregular Resistance campaign and the Regime had the upper hand in terms of surveillance assets and firepower, and they would have to organize and operate accordingly.
The broad concept was to train up a force based on a basic cell structure that could come together to coalesce into larger formations in order to allow the Company to concentrate force as appropriate. A system of dispersal and cell level small team IED operations, infiltration, and also concentration of force into larger groupings when necessary
The Company would begin to conduct operations as soon as they were ready, but in a most careful way. Strategically, they would aim to harass, disrupt and dislocate Regime operations with the initial aim of preventing the pacification of the sector.
If they could establish that, they would increase the pressure on the Regime safe zones to demonstrate the weakness of the Regimes legitimacy as the provider of ‘safety and security’. This would be accompanied by an information operations campaign in order to attempt to wake up the people and generate support for the Patriot cause.
The focus of the Company training would be on small unit insurgency operations, attacking the Regime where it was weak. Force on force pitched battles were to be avoided. The Company would be trained to operate as small teams but with the ability to mass up to Company level in order to concentrate overwhelming force against key targets as necessary.
The big focus was on counter-surveillance, avoiding detection.
This would mean surprise attacks from ambush positions in order to temporarily overwhelm damage and destroy the enemy, before exfiltration to fight again another day. This would mean that both team members and leaders in the unit would have to develop an aggressive and independent way of thinking that would allow them to conduct operations as a small group, or come together and mass as a larger team.
Bill told Jack that the group he had so far was a somewhat eclectic bunch, a mixed bag of loyal Patriots, some of whom were better prepared than others. Many were veterans, others were not. They had all volunteered and were willing to put the required effort in. He had a core platoon sized group, of just less than thirty fighters, that he had been working with for some time, and they would be the baseline for the new unit.
Jacks role was to be as a lead trainer. Jim was also going with them along with the latest bunch of recruits and family members who were with them at the farm.
Jim Fisher had been a Special Forces NCO, an ‘18C’ special operations engineer, an expert at explosives and demolitions. Jim had deserted before joining up with Bill. He would be Jack’s second in command of training, effectively his ‘First Sergeant’, and would also be responsible for running the training for the IED specialists.
Jim came across as very competent and professional, an imposing figure with a relaxed manner, backed by just the suspicion of a potential for violence.
Bill also told Jack about Major John Cassidy, who was the company commander. He was currently up at Camp Zulu overseeing the final build and preparations. He was an active duty engineer officer who had deserted and still insisted on using his rank. He liked to stand on ceremony, Bill told him, but he was a good man. Jack would be working with him getting the Company ready, and supporting him with continuing training, in particular of any new recruits coming through.
Because of the cut-out system and the lack of communications, Bill would be sending Jack up with a letter of introduction for Major Cassidy, explaining the plans and arrangements.
Chapter Five
They left the next morning as part of a convoy taking personnel and supplies up to Camp Zulu. They had about sixty miles to travel as the crow flies, along country roads, and this meant that they needed to break the journey. It would not do to be in a hurry and run into trouble.
There was a safe farm on the plateau just over the Shenandoah ridge and that was where they were aiming for, before resting overnight and making the final journey across the valley and into the forests to the west.
Jack was pleased by the way the move was run. The convoy itself was six vehicles including their Suburban, mainly SUVs, pickups and a minibus. Running interference ahead of the convoy were two other vehicles. One was an old beat up Chevy pickup and the other an old Ford sedan.