Build a Terrain Model.
If you can see your route, it's easier to stay on track.
Issue 137 / 19 Dec 24
Big things are in store for the Walking Point Tribe in 2025. I’m excited to share that I’ve recently switched from Substack to Kit as the newsletter provider.
This change promises a better chance of reaching your inbox and a more streamlined experience for you.
Based on the success of my book Tough Rugged Bastards, I have started working on my next book, tentatively titled: Walking Point- Proven Special Operations Tactics to Achieve Your Life's Missions.
In it, I will go into greater detail on the topics I discuss in these newsletters and provide not only the frameworks I use with the special operators I work with, but also the stories behind the frameworks I have developed over my career.
The 2025 newsletters will serve as a rough draft as I consider the topics I want to cover, and the stories I want to tell, and find a way to tie them all together.
I love your comments and questions. They help shape future newsletters and the topics I discuss. I truly appreciate your participation.
I’m committed to keeping this newsletter accessible to as many people as possible, and I’m pleased to announce that the free option will continue.
As a free subscriber, you will receive the weekly newsletter every Thursday morning.
I would truly appreciate it if you value Walking Point and could support it as a paid subscriber. Paid subscribers will have early access to certain posts, free downloads, and discounts on future offerings. You will also be mentioned in my book’s acknowledgments section.
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In over thirty-five years of serving in special operations and training those who still do, I’ve learned what separates... Read more |
To thank you for being a paid or a free subscriber, I am offering a free five-day email series to help you prepare to make 2025 your best year yet. Sign up here:
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Each email will provide daily prompts to help you develop a navigation plan to achieve your 2025 goals.
Please feel free to forward it to anyone who could use some help achieving their 2025 resolutions.
In the military when planning for a mission, it is common to create a terrain model. This model is usually constructed outside, from available materials.
First, a large surface is leveled, and a grid is constructed using parachute cord. The grid is large enough to allow the map of the area to be recreated in three dimensions.
Dirt is used to depict hills and mountain ranges; often, blue yarn represents water, and black represents roadways.
When the model is complete, it is used during the brief, allowing everyone present to picture the route, when and where everyone will be during actions on the objective, and to prepare for contingencies.
The terrain model is invaluable because it allows every patrol member to visualize the entire route from the start to the objective. They can understand where checkpoints are along the way and identify potential trouble areas or places for likely ambush or enemy contact.
You would do well to build your own 2025 terrain model by first identifying your objective and plotting it on the map then finding your current location. Once these two points are known, you can lay out your route and identify the checkpoint along the way. Take some time to study the route. Look for danger areas, low points, and challenging climbs.
If you can visualize the entire route from insert through mission completion, your chances of success increase exponentially.
Until next week,
Keep Walking Point
John
