I like the idea of being able to talk about issues that only we understand. I know that there is stuff I can say to LEOs and military that civilians that have never been there will not be able to understand. Stuff that would be very politically incorrect. You know the type.

Also talking about tactics and philosophies that shouldn't be common knowledge. I see both sides but the easy way to let people know about it would be by PM. You know if someone had a specific issue, then they could be brought in on the discussion. Interesting idea.

I also like the idea of a private forum. Obviously there's material we couldn't discuss even on a private forum, but as far as the finer points of tactics and training...yeah, it could be good.

Anyone with a Mil or LEO tag would be automatically in, anyone else would have to be vouched for or have some sort of need-to-know.

Hey Phrost, thanks for considering the idea. I now there is a lot of stuff to chew on and reverse engineer but there seems to be quite a bit of positive feedback so far.


Do we need to look at the moderation policies of The Armoury? Would doing so meet the needs here, or is the primary concern a more private forum?
As far as the concept of the sub forum goes no I don't think stricter moderation would matter.

The idea is for the forum to be Military and Law Enforcement only and not accessible by the public even as a read only forum.

A place where we can (within opsec) discuss what's going in Afghanistan, Iraq and on the mean streets back home at a soldier/beat cop? level without trolls and more importantly the media having a crack at it.



If that's the case, how will we get the word out about it to encourage participation there
There is probably a couple dozen eligible people currently on bullshido, that may be a good base.
Have the forum link in public view but unable to be accessed unless they are a member of the user group. As new members join bullshido and self identify as LEO/Military whoever is moderating the sub forum could send them a PM, let them know about it and offer them an invite.

If it's not getting enough traffic in a week or month it could easily (I assume) be shut down.

I've seen it done at other forums and the concept seems to work pretty well. Usually there is an issue with people thinking the public forum (in this case the armoury) would become a ghost town but in the other cases it didn't happen.


Seems like a good idea to me. Presumably reservists who don't necessarily meet the requirements for a military tag would be eligible right? Pretty please?
Good question.
As far as I'd be concerned about the forum (if asked, obviously not a mod) reservists are dying along side their full time counterparts overseas so if they can verify their in the service why not?

(within opsec)

Oh the Horrors of being an OG OPSEC coordinator.

Lt. Col Artard :Why cant I say X on a clear frequency Airmen Trek, its not classified...

Me: *Facepalm*

Why not go one better? Once the military/LEO-only subforum has been established, all other subforums can specifically exclude military/LEOs.

EDIT:...unless, of course, those wishing to join the other subforums PM proof to the mods, which will allow them to participate and net them a nice "civilian" tag. We get far too much "civilians-suck" stuff as it is, from people who don't have a clue what that kind of life is like...

hmmm............ i would prefer that it be open to the public to read, but restricted to people with military and LEO tags to post.

Why not go one better? Once the military/LEO-only subforum has been established, all other subforums can specifically exclude military/LEOs.

EDIT:...unless, of course, those wishing to join the other subforums PM proof to the mods, which will allow them to participate and net them a nice "civilian" tag. We get far too much "civilians-suck" stuff as it is, from people who don't have a clue what that kind of life is like...

LEO/Military (ex-LEO/Military) members have experience as civilians, non LEO/Military people don't have experience in both areas of life. So really we would have access to both areas. :zicon_ram

As far as the concept of the sub forum goes no I don't think stricter moderation would matter.

The idea is for the forum to be Military and Law Enforcement only and not accessible by the public even as a read only forum.

A place where we can (within opsec) discuss what's going in Afghanistan, Iraq and on the mean streets back home at a soldier/beat cop? level without trolls and more importantly the media having a crack at it.

I get where you're coming from, but I'd like very much to be able to read the forum. How am I supposed to stop being an ignorant shitass civilian if I'm not allowed to get some perspective?

After reading this thread, I've imagined a hybrid approach. By default, the forum is read-only to anyone not verified as Military or Law Enforcement, and those who are verified as such can post. However, the person who creates a new thread can click a checkbox which makes the thread invisible to the public. Think of it like proactive redaction. That checkbox would still be available to the thread starter or a mod in case the thread evolves into something which needs to be redacted.

Phrost or a mod will have to comment as to whether the granularity of access controls would allow for such a dynamic, but I think it's a solid compromise.

I would be sad to see this "exclusive" thing happen.
As much as I understand that there are things you can't talk about on a public forum, for several reasons. I like the army LEO forum. I know that I sometimes don't agree with stuff posted in here but I know this is the weapon army leo forum so I STFU and read. I like stuff posted here, I learned a lot about types of rounds/calibers/rifels/handguns that I never would have bothered with if it wasn't for this forum. Also I like the stories people post, such as Dave or Gazeere.
I know you guys want your own playground, fair enough, but the question is if a few PM's (you can send to several people) wouldn't do and keep us "normals" here.
Just saying.

I think this is a good idea. It could have a public and a private area, similar to the BBC. The Armory is already the public shop. Why not set up a private club too?

I like the idea. I do prefer to allow a civilian perspective on the vast majority of the topics we discuss, as I think the rest of society should have a greater awareness of these things, but there are some subjects are a little more "privileged."

Might attract more military/LEO types to the forum as well.

Bad: Forum will be filled with jingoistic glurge

Good: Maybe they'll get it out of their systems there

LEO/Military (ex-LEO/Military) members have experience as civilians, non LEO/Military people don't have experience in both areas of life. So really we would have access to both areas. :zicon_ram

PROOF of "civilian experience" is required. PM this to the mods or you don't get to climb up into the "civvies-only tree-fort". Exclusivity demands maintenance of standards, dontcha know...

Actually, come to think of it, why limit this "exclusion" business to one or two professions? I've been professionally involved in use-of-force on combative individuals for longer than some uniformed pers. have even been alive--and without the benefits of the tools they can carry on the job. Why not a "bouncers-only subforum"?

No need to stop there. No discussions of any MA whatsoever by those who cannot prove that they practise the MA in question--separate, totally-exclusive subforums for each and every MA. Also, let us not forget those involved in dealing with the repercussions of force used. An exclusive subforum open only to lawyers. Another one for paramedics. One for reconstructive surgeons. And so on...

This could be the start of something which, I'm sure, exists NOWHERE else on the Web...so no snarky troll-comments about "redundant", "reinventing the wheel" or any other such noise...'kay?

I'm sold on it, but we need 3 things:

1. Solid commitment to keep it from being a ghost forum (I hate those with a passion). This involves members actively recruiting people they know on and offline to post there.

2. A crystal clear and simple set of access requirements.

3. An OPSEC for Dummies guide.

So you lock this forum or you create a new sub forum? :psyduck:

so, you wouldn't give me an invite GS? i'm hurt, truly.

i bet kein haar would hook me up.