How to Maintain the Freedom to Maneuver: MF2M

The Organic Prepper was kind enough to feature this article that I wrote. The original copy is on her website if you would like to view it from there. MF2M is quoted below.

by Kit Arthur

Founder and CEO of Tackleberry Solutions

History has shown us that when the economy starts to crash, or you’re country is fighting a losing war or tyranny is running rampant that you’ve got less than 48 hours to relocate to a safer location before you’re trapped. This is especially applicable if you live in or near a city of any noticeable size.

Being mobile and MF2M is a huge advantage to you because you’re not leaving behind all of your belongings for the enemy to pillage when you have to bug out.

Now, if you’re questioning whether or not this is something that you should really be worrying about, look at Venezuela. Before everything fell apart for them, they were one of the most prosperous countries in the world.

You MUST maintain your freedom to maneuver.

Maintaining the freedom to maneuver or MF2M; this is the fourth rule of reconnaissance. And it is a time-honored military tactic that means, “don’t allow your enemy to box you in.”

Hello, my name is Kit Arthur and I am the founder and CEO of Tackleberry Solutions. We teach wartime tactics to citizens for home and civil defense. I can tell you that after 13 years in Army Recon with two tours to Iraq as well as several to parts of the old Soviet Union, having one foot out the door and another on a banana peel is very important. 

Today I want to teach you the importance of Maintaining the Freedom to Maneuver (MF2M). You always want to have the ability to run for it, should the threat overwhelm your location. This will prevent you from totally being wiped out.

So how does this relate to prepping? Most everyone is at some level of prepping in today’s society. The issue is that most are forgetting the rule, “Maintain the freedom to maneuver” or MF2M. This can be a costly mistake and a lesson learned too late.

So how is this completed? By focusing on three areas: Logistics, Destination Pre-planning, and Communication. If you live in a suburb, city, or are just curious, then pay attention. What I’m about to teach you can prevent you from making a very costly mistake.

What are the four things you need to survive?

First, let’s cover something you should have already known in regards to survival and SERE in general, there are 4 things that a person needs to survive: Food, Fire, Water, and Shelter.  So when you plan out your destinations, ensure that you have enough of that to last until you can make it there.

(Check out our free QUICKSTART Guide on how you can keep these essentials on your person when you hit the road.)

Furthermore, ensure that when you get to that destination that it can produce those necessary items for you as well as others. As a result, you need to choose wisely where you plan to head if SHTF happens and you have to move.

For example, a small family farm would have most if not all of these things. This is where having friends that are farmers come in handy. Also, pre-placed caches at these locations are important. It reduces the weight of what you have to carry with you. Furthermore, if you get hit in transit and lose everything, you have something to fall back on. Now let’s move on to the meat and potatoes.

Logistics

When I talk about logistics, I’m referring to the management and foresight needed to ensure that everything works as it should for a given situation and that all required knowledge and equipment is properly acquired ahead of time. This includes everything from the four essentials of survival to how you are going to get there so that you can MF2M.

Are you going to pack everything on your back? If so, then I highly recommend a good MOLLE II rucksack. Years of ruck marching and conducting long-range recon missions on foot have taught me the importance of an external frame for a pack.

If you’re planning on driving, do you have enough fuel to get there and back? Can you renew that (i.e. bio-diesel)? See, just because you plan on going to a location, doesn’t mean that you will be able to.

Furthermore, your bug-out location may have also been overrun and no longer present, turning people away. Perhaps they’re contaminated with a mass sickness. This is where the rule of 3 comes in. Have 3 different locations that you can go to for safety.

If one location is compromised (or you just can’t get to it) you can always fall back to another. Make sure that you have three different routes to each destination as well. These need to not only be to the locations from your current location (starting point), but to each location from the other locations (i.e. three routes of travel to and from your start point and destinations A, B, and C for a total of nine routes.)

Afterwards, you’ll need three routes to and from destinations (A to B, B to C, and A to C). This way, you can have a plan in place no matter where you are or what’s going on because you’ve MF2M. In addition, if you stop moving, you become a target of opportunity.

Moreover, if you follow through with this, then you can easily divert to the next route of travel and avoid danger if you hit a roadblock or washed out bridge (i.e. MF2M.)

MF2M  Destinations

First, you need to find and network ahead of time with locations that will have the 4 essentials as well as good security. Remember that you left your starting point for a reason. So there is no sense in jumping out of the pot and into the fire. As a result, your destination needs to be spot on with their security. This means that barrier fencing, roaming guards, dogs, fighting positions, etc would be ideal. The people that you are joining need to be serious about protecting their community.

Also, it would be wise for you to make sure that they are within a half a tank of fuel from your start point. This way, if you get there and find that you are not able to stay, you have the fuel to move again to destination B or C (MF2M.)

Finally, you need to pick a location that has a plan of action. This needs to be more than “I’m just going to sit right here and ride this out.” They need to be actively working to unite their community, trying to solve long-term logistical problems, and preparing themselves and others to be mobile at a moment’s notice. Thus, if it gets too hot, they too can be mobile, just like you. Do I need to say it again, “MF2M?”

Communications

Communications, as you will see, is a life-saving and necessary component of prepping that everyone should have. You not only need to cover local communications with VHF radios but you need a source of long-range comms too.

If your destinations are within 15-30 miles, a VHF radio will work just fine for this. But if your destination is further than that, you will need HF radios to reach that far out. The idea is that you can make a commo linkup with your end destination before you even start to leave your location.

This will help you decide which destination you are going to head towards, thus saving you time and precious fuel. Also, once you are within 5 miles or so, you can start trying to make contact again. Once more, this can save your butt, keep you from walking into an ambush, or keep you from being shot at by your buddies.

Finally, during an SHTF situation, an HF rig can be a great source of information. Most preppers, like myself, are ham operators and have their system totally off the grid and independent.

As a result, we can stay on the air and send/gather intel. Again, this can save your life. If you find out that a point in between your starting point and your destination is a hot zone (dangerous), you’re going to want to MF2M and avoid it. That is why you need the three different routes to each destination. 

So how do you maintain the freedom to maneuver like a boss?

By owning a large Camper, RV, or mobile Tiny House, etc. And have plans/ability to move when the time comes, because it’s coming fast. Maintain the Freedom to Maneuver or risk losing everything (even your life.)

In conclusion, I want you to understand that although it sounds like a lot of work, maintaining the freedom to maneuver really isn’t that bad, and it is such an important aspect of your preps that it is worth the extra effort. If your family were to ever get targeted, you could repel the assault and know exactly where to go afterwards (don’t wait around for another attack.)

Finally, if you found value in this article, please share it with everyone that you can. Who knows, it may save someone’s life someday.

God bless, and stay free.

What are your thoughts on this topic?

Is this a topic you’ve given some thought to? How will you maintain the freedom to maneuver? Share your opinions and suggestions in the comments.