Defensive Operations by Joe Dolio is the third volume in the Tactical Wisdom series. I haven't read the previous two volumes, but after reading Defensive Operations I'll probably acquire those as well. As you probably surmised, this book goes into detail regarding how to defend your home, farm, AO, and vehicle from an enemy.
Dolio starts each chapter with a quote from scripture, and then explains what is meant by the quote and how it relates to defense. His explanations are interesting, and they actually encouraged me to look them up and further understand the context of the quote. Sun Tzu doesn't have a monopoly on defensive tactics, as Dolio demonstrates.
Much of the material in the book is derived from U.S. military manuals. Most, if not all, the illustrations in the book come from military (U.S. Army or USMC) publications. Though the material originates from these military manuals, Dolio puts his own spin on the information, which makes it more "readable". I find that the typical military manual is a great sedative, while Dolio's book actually kept my interest.
Dolio advocates for multiple concentric rings of security. Working outwards, you begin with interior defense, then perimeter defense, and finally area defense. Planning is critical for defense to be successful, and Dolio goes into detail about how prepare and coordinate defensive operations, including road blocks and traffic control points and entry control points. The chapter on vehicles and convoy operations (Secure Vehicle Movement) alone was worth the price of the book. For someone without military experience, the book can be extremely helpful. There's also a chapter about having a backup location, and how to safely and effectively withdraw. Dolio includes a chapter on urban operations as well, which has some excellent advice. Dolio does include references to Sun Tzu and Jeff Cooper with his color code alert system.
The book and the material does have a few negatives. The book is mostly written from a military focus, so manpower is a minor issue for a large organization. It would be helpful to have a better understanding of how a smaller group, say less than 20 persons, can defend an area. Dolio does have a chapter entitled Warrior Study which goes into detail of how an individual can be prepare themselves for defensive actions, and the advice given is solid. Perhaps small force operations is covered in another volume. One major negative, the book lacks an index.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this non-fiction book, and I definitely learned some new things that will hopefully help keep my group safe. This one is a keeper, and I'll have to pick up the other books in the series. I give this one 4 stars out of 5.
