Gearing Up for the 4th Annual ITS Muster: Skills You Need to Know
Gearing Up for the 4th Annual ITS Muster: Skills You Need to Know
We’re busy here at ITS HQ prepping for Muster 4 and time is running out to get your payment sent in before the price increase! If you’re on the fence about attending, head to the Muster Registration page for more information.
Bringing our community together, the Muster will be your chance to spend a few days with the crew from ITS Tactical, get hands-on and learn together. We have a limited number of seats available for the Muster and you’ll need to be a paid ITS Member to attend. Crew Leader is the only membership level that has open enrollment right now and as a reminder, the only way to become a Life Member is to attend a Muster. For details on becoming a Crew Leader, click here.
While the Muster won’t be a physically demanding event, you may encounter some hiking and climbing so your level of fitness should allow for this. You’re going to get dirty, you’re going to be tired, but you’ll leave with more knowledge than you came with, great memories and friendships forged.
Below are some articles that can help you plan for some of the training provided at Muster. While we’re not going to give away all the details, you may want to refresh your knowledge of the following topics.
Knot Tying
Knot Tying is an important everyday skill-set to have, but at Muster, it’s crucial! These articles provide resources on tying some common knots and methods to better your knot tying!
- 5 Knots You Need to Know How to Tie at All Times
- Build a DIY Knot Tying Station to Practice Your Knots
- Knot Tying Resources in Praise of the Humble Knot
- Easily Create your own Rope Ladder with a Ladder Lashing
Communications
Muster requires teams to keep up on their comms during the entire event,whether it’s reporting on the squad’s status or sending crucial information regarding an exercise. Get a jump start on your comms knowledge with these articles.
- The Ultimate Guide to Learning about Radio Communication and Why You Should
- The Best Kept Secret in Radio Communication
- What to Look for in a Handheld Transceiver
- Adapting a Military Comms Plan to Civilian Life for Brevity, Clarity and a Little Fun
Tracking
During Muster, observation and situational awareness come together in the form of Tracking. Learning how to read signs left by individuals or groups can help you determine where they’re coming from or where they’re headed. These articles give some insight into tracking and what tools and skills trackers use.
- Tips from a Military Combat Tracker to Jumpstart your Tracking Knowledge
- Sign Cutting and Tracking Methods Employed by the US Border Patrol
- The Military Combat Trackers Guide to Countertracking and Evading Pursuers
- What Does a Military Combat Tracker’s EDC Consist Of?
Ghillie Suits
Ghillie Suits are well known in the sniper community and provide snipers with concealment. We’ve got some great training planned around them for Muster this year so be sure to check out these articles to get prepared.
Dead Drops
When you’re not able to pass information directly to your recipient, using a dead drop can be extremely useful. While we can’t go into specifics on why you’ll need information on Dead Drops, we’ll just suggest having a look at these articles.
- Pass Information Like a Spy with Dead Drops
- Hide your Spare Key Like a Spy with this DIY Dead Drop Key Hider
- DIY Dead Drop Devices to Hide and Pass Messages
Red Teaming
Red Teaming is something that we’ve discussed many times before on ITS but this is the first time that we’ll be providing an instruction block on it at Muster. Review these articles to understand more about the techniques and tools used in Red Teaming.
- Plan, Execute and Vanish: Everyday Red Teaming
- Red Teaming and the Adversarial Mindset: Have a Plan, Backup Plan and Escape Plan
- Plan for Success: Using the CARVER Matrix and Red Teaming Your Plan
- Using Red Teams Techniques and a Little Common Sense to Defeat Advanced Security Systems
Discussion