In 1757, in the middle of the French and Indian War, Maj. Robert Rogers composed a list of 28 rules intended to serve as operational guidelines for his legendary and groundbreaking light infantry force, the original special operations unit known as “Rogers’ Rangers.”
These “Rules of Ranging” were a hybrid combination of Native American combat techniques and his own blend of guerrilla warfare, revolutionary in their own time and still a foundational element in special operations units such as the U.S. Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment.
Rule 16: ‘Upon discovering a superior enemy in the morning, you should wait until dark to attack, thus hiding your lack of numbers and using the night to aid your retreat.’
Or ‘Be patient and take your time before you take your shot.’Rule 17: ‘Before leaving a camp, send out small parties to see if you have been observed during the night.’
Or ‘Never forget, you are being watched by someone who doesn’t wish you the best.’I like to believe the best of individuals, until I see clear evidence that a specific person has embraced the worst impulses of humanity. However, I’m not so naive as to then assume that all of humanity only wants the very best for me.
When I was still a young infantryman and our military was fighting wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq, we were constantly told that “complacency kills.” Even though both of these warzones were very different from each other, these two words held true in both. In fact, they were just as true when my father was serving his tour in Vietnam and my grandfather was fighting in the Pacific theater during World War II.
Rule 18: ‘When stopping for water, place proper guards around the spot making sure the pathway you used is covered to avoid surprise from a following party.’
Or ‘There are no timeouts in the real world.’“Somewhere a True Believer is training to kill you. He is training with minimal food or water, in austere conditions, training day and night. The only thing clean on him is his weapon and he made his web gear. He doesn’t worry about what workout to do—his ruck weighs what it weighs, his runs end when the enemy stops chasing him. This True Believer is not concerned about ‘how hard it is;’ he knows either he wins or dies. He doesn’t go home at 17:00, he is home. He knows only The Cause. Still want to quit?”
It doesn’t matter to them what it will cost them or how long it will take, so pure is their belief that can beat you. They don’t care about your “out of office” messages or your work–life balance. All that exists to them is the task at hand; they’re their mission statement incarnate.
The good news is that you don’t have to be an army of one. If you build your task organization correctly, your team can be an unrelenting force that doesn’t require every individual to be always on mission. This is how you beat your fanatical opposition; you let them burn themselves out.
