Sep 24, 2026 · 3h 6m
SERE specialist connects survival training to drone warfare
#342 Garand Thumb - SERE Specialist on Surviving the Most Dangerous Places on Earth
The conversation links hard-won survival skills with the vulnerabilities exposed by modern war, infrastructure failure, and social collapse.
- 1Mike Jones traces survival training from Arctic, desert, jungle, and ocean environments to the psychological demands of captivity.
- 2Drone warfare in Ukraine has made surveillance, concealment, electronic warfare, and fieldcraft central to battlefield survival.
- 3Preparedness begins with water, practical skills, secure property, trusted community, and the will to endure scarcity.
Don't miss
Jones describes how he would secure water, livestock, supplies, and property thirty days after a coordinated attack caused nationwide infrastructure failure.
The brief
Mike Jones, known as Garand Thumb, recounts leaving medical studies for Air Force SERE and TACP roles, then explains what survival training demands across extreme environments.
Arctic cold, desert dehydration, jungle movement, open-ocean isolation, and resistance training turn survival from a gear question into a test of judgment, discipline, and the will to live.
The discussion shifts from fieldcraft to Ukraine, where cheap drones, constant surveillance, electronic warfare, and rapid targeting have changed how troops move and hide.
Jones argues that preparedness is less about stockpiling gadgets than securing water, learning practical skills, choosing defensible property, and building a community people can trust.
The starkest scenario imagines nationwide infrastructure failure: Jones would prioritize water, livestock, supplies, and perimeter security while anticipating desperate migration toward rural areas.
Featuring
Mike JohnsonMentioned
Ukraine
Armed Forces
Book of MormonBooks & mentions
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