» Gray man camouflage is presence without profile. You’re there, but never distinct enough to draw a second look. It’s the tradecraft of being the hardest target because you never look like one.
» Asymmetric problem-solving is attacking challenges from unexpected, unconventional angles instead of meeting them head-on. Instead of fighting strength with strength, you exploit weaknesses, blind spots, and assumptions the enemy or situation isn’t prepared for.
» Neutralizing your body language is consciously eliminating gestures, expressions, and posture cues that could betray your intentions, emotions, or vulnerabilities. By maintaining a calm, controlled, and unreadable physical presence, you deny observers valuable information they would normally use to predict or manipulate your actions.
» Masking your nonverbal tells is consciously controlling your body language; such as posture, facial expressions, and micro-movements, to prevent others from reading your true emotions, intentions, or weaknesses. A skilled operative doesn’t just hide emotions—they project only what they want observed, weaponizing silence, stillness, and controlled gestures to dominate the interaction without ever revealing internal thoughts.
» How to “win” at Russian Roulette requires cheating, breaking the rules or not playing at all. Luck is for gamblers. Survival is for those who manipulate the odds in their favor.
» CIA officer gaining compliance from random strangers in Eastuern Europe during a crises. True command isn’t about forcing people to follow, it’s about making them want to.
» A covert operative escaping from a burning building by controlling his fear and using his training. Fear is a chemical and training is code. One wears off and The other rewrites you.
» SOF bushcraft is about blending into the wilderness until it shelters you, feeds you, and hides you from the enemy. It’s the quiet art of making the land do what the mission demands.
» Special Forces operator exploring a cave network in Cappadocia, Turkey. Being off-grid is less about vanishing and more about controlling who sees what, when, and how.
» Subtle conversation tactics of extracting information with a covert operative and US Marshal by using a false sense of control at an Airport.
» Escape and evasion SERE Kit in a Rolex Submariner. Escape is strategy in motion; evasion is outthinking those who think they know your next move.
» Reading group dynamics in the battlefield with Ukraine soldiers. The best readers of people are those who can hear the emotions that words try to disguise.
» Guide to engaging a lone airplane hijacker. A hijacker’s control is an illusion; disrupt it with focus and force, and the illusion collapses.
» Rapid ‘disguise changing’ tactics in public in New York City. Tradecraft in the city isn’t about hiding; it’s about being seen exactly how you want to be remembered – or not at all.
» Covert operative in an abandoned mountain city in China employing environmental awareness, of which, isn’t a task – it’s a mindset that turns observation into action.
» NOC on a skycraper rooftop in Dubai practicing Mind Fear Response conditioning. Fear’s greatest trick is making you believe you can’t, your greatest strength is proving it wrong.
» Behavioral baseline establishment method used on an asset in Washington DC. In tradecraft, the baseline is your anchor, deviations are the waves that reveal the hidden currents.
» CIA personal identity management with passports, IDs and a SIG Sauer pistol. Your identity is a mosaic; every piece matters, and even the smallest shard can be used to complete the wrong picture.
» Covert operative engaging a tank in Eastern Europe. In the chaos of combat, awareness is the calm that turns confusion into opportunity.
» Reputation as a psychological weapon on a yacht in Dubai. A well-crafted reputation does the heavy lifting for you, influencing decisions before you even step into the room.
» Improvised psychological operations (PSYOPS) tactics at The Kremlin, Moscow, Russia. The art of strategic social engineering and manipulation lies in making someone think your idea was theirs all along.
» The urban jungle of Dhaka, Bangladesh. A concrete wilderness is a symphony of chaos; each horn, shout, and footstep adds to its relentless rhythm. Only those who can find the harmony in its disorder can truly master it.
» A former KFG operative walking the streets of Moscow, Russia. The Moscow Rules remind you to always have a way out – and a backup for the way out of that.