Post by Ceorlmann on Oct 11, 2012 11:25:05 GMT -7
Knowing how to use what and who you have on hand to make the best of the situation would be the most valuable force multiplier IMHO.
Objects that can be used as force multipliers (I'll go ahead and use your examples, missj) like NVGs and body armor are only as good as the person who knows how to use them, when to use them, and where to use them.
NIJ-standard IIA body armor on top of or under casual clothing won't stop a 7.62X39 bullet (I'm using cwi's post about the 100-manned bunker with AK47s for that example).
If the armor is hidden underneath the clothing and you end up in a pistol to pistol fight (i.e. the bad guy may not initially know you're wearing armor), it can stop the bad guy's bullets if he's using something something along the lines of low-velocity 9mm, low-velocity .40 S&W, or anything smaller in pistol caliber.
Night Vision Goggles can work in relatively dark places where your eyes can't see everything all that easily, and using a flashlight is out of the question. However: NVGs cannot see through fog, they can very easily pick up and show light reflecting from windows (I learned this the hard way using my NV monoscope at my workplace), and they are ineffective if there is absolutely no source of light present (including any IR light that some NVGs may come with for illumination purposes). One could go and buy something that has FLIR (Forward Looking InfraRed) capability or thermal imaging in general, but such devices tend to be far beyond our financial reach.
Point is: if you can sneak up on someone armed with the latest tacticool weapon, throw a heavy rock at them and kill that person, then your ability to make the best with what you have can prevail against people who we'd think of as being better equipped. Remember: David killed Goliath with a rock flung from a sling, and to my knowledge Goliath was in full armor with weapons typical to a Philistine soldier at the time.
Objects that can be used as force multipliers (I'll go ahead and use your examples, missj) like NVGs and body armor are only as good as the person who knows how to use them, when to use them, and where to use them.
NIJ-standard IIA body armor on top of or under casual clothing won't stop a 7.62X39 bullet (I'm using cwi's post about the 100-manned bunker with AK47s for that example).
If the armor is hidden underneath the clothing and you end up in a pistol to pistol fight (i.e. the bad guy may not initially know you're wearing armor), it can stop the bad guy's bullets if he's using something something along the lines of low-velocity 9mm, low-velocity .40 S&W, or anything smaller in pistol caliber.
Night Vision Goggles can work in relatively dark places where your eyes can't see everything all that easily, and using a flashlight is out of the question. However: NVGs cannot see through fog, they can very easily pick up and show light reflecting from windows (I learned this the hard way using my NV monoscope at my workplace), and they are ineffective if there is absolutely no source of light present (including any IR light that some NVGs may come with for illumination purposes). One could go and buy something that has FLIR (Forward Looking InfraRed) capability or thermal imaging in general, but such devices tend to be far beyond our financial reach.
Point is: if you can sneak up on someone armed with the latest tacticool weapon, throw a heavy rock at them and kill that person, then your ability to make the best with what you have can prevail against people who we'd think of as being better equipped. Remember: David killed Goliath with a rock flung from a sling, and to my knowledge Goliath was in full armor with weapons typical to a Philistine soldier at the time.
David killed Goliath because he was better equipped. Yes, David was better equipped. Think about it. Goliath was built and armed for close combat. David knew this. He killed Goliath at range...in his exposed weakspot, between the eyes. A rock flung from a sling can kill just as well as a bullet from a gun or a slash from a sword. It all depends upon where/what you hit.
