AAR at primaryandsecondary.com (Defensive Carbine II 19 October 2019)

Originally posted at primaryandsecondary.com

“Why should your training be any less special”? I remember those words as clearly as they were spoken to me the first time, I met Mike Green of the training company Green Ops. When Mike and I were put into contact a few years by a mutual friend in the training community. I would say it was one of the most significant encounters of my lifetime.

Mike Green is passionate and genuinely invested in training people in basic firearms fundamentals, in multiple settings ranging from home and self-defense, enhancing your shooting and tactical skills if you carry for your profession or career, and with competitive pistol shooting.
And Mike has assembled a solid and determined crew of trainers to help him deliver some of the best training around. Recently I attended the Green Ops Carbine II course in Culpeper, Virginia, and the course was challenging and fast-paced, and the training received and demonstrated was exactly what Green Ops has come to be known for.

There was a total of four instructors present for this course, and with a total of nineteen students, the ratio of student to instructor was close to 5 to 1. The instructors included Chris Alvarez, Jo’shua Shaw, Luke Brooks, and Josh Burmeister. And the background for all the instructors was diverse and impressive. Retired US Army Special Forces, Government Intelligence Officer, professional USPSA and IDPA competitor, and former US Navy SERE expert and OGA contractor.
The diverse background of all the instructors greatly enhanced the training we received in my opinion because as we all learn differently, these instructors were able to see things that maybe they had experienced or had seen methods they were trained on, which makes it easier for them to lock in and provide feedback that would steer the student to being successful during the training. The course began with instructor introductions, safety brief, identification of medically qualified personnel, and a walk down of the range, range limits, and in the event of an emergency, link up spots for EMS.

Defensive Carbine II is designed for those already familiar with their carbine and those who have had some sort of professional or organizational training, and we began with a 50-yard zero verification. Before we began students were asked what their zero was set at, and except for two out of state LEO’s who were department mandated to maintain a 100 yard zero, the rest of the class was set to a 50/200 zero.

And going back to the diverse background of the cadre, when we began to confirm zero, they were able to assist those two gentlemen with verification. We also had one student who was shooting with iron sights, and with the right coaching, he needed little to no adjustment to verify his 50/200 zero.
Green Ops courses as they progress challenge the shooter not only with the various strings of fire but also with the time between the various shooting setups. After the zero, we hit the 10-yard line for some carbine dot torture. This course included single shots on target, multiple shots on target, and included support side shooting and reloads.

Chris was the main instructor for the course and when it came to the time hacks, he spared no one. Chris called out the splits and made sure that everyone knew the time for qualification. Chris made sure the tempo of the courses of fire were fluid, but also maintained the standard. Green Ops cadre rotated between the various drills to show and instruct students how to properly conduct the drills, giving the students various perspectives to draw from.
From there we worked controlled pairs from the 7, 10, 25, and 50 these were conducted in the standing, kneeling, and prone. But this string wasn't just standing, then next kneel, and next prone. These movements were incorporated into the drill, and as such you were shooting from the standing and then had to take a kneeling position, then prone in a set time limit. Challenging for sure, but the pace that was set is designed to push the shooter into focusing and thinking quickly and rapidly.

Speed reloads and malfunction drills followed next, and these were conducted from the 10 and 25-meter marks. The Green Ops cadre provided solid examples of what they required of students from the drills, and questions were addressed and answered quickly to ensure the tempo remained fluid.
After a short lunch and magazine reload break, we got back to the range with multiple target engagement drills. These drills were conducted from the 7 and 10-yard line and had students engaging multiple targets with various round counts in a quick timed format. Pivot drills were conducted following multiple engagement drills, which had students rotating to the left and right, shooting controlled pairs at various distances.
Shooting from barricade was also included in the course, and these shots were taken from the 100-yard line. I found this portion extremely knowledgeable as the Green Ops cadre were able to walk all the students through proper hand placement from the standing and kneeling positions, as well as transitions to the opposite side of the barricade.

After speaking to some of the other students, quite a few of us had agreed that the last drill we fired was probably our favorite. We lined up in groups of 2, and the drill was set up for a reload. One round in the magazine, fire, perform a magazine change on the move, and fire 1 to 2 rounds from the 10-yard line. It naturally became somewhat of competition as students were eager to move to the target faster to complete the drill.

I’ve been through numerous training courses before, and I have always been able to improve and take away far more than I imagined. With Green Ops you will be challenged, mentally and physically, and if you apply yourself you will come away from and Green Ops course more confident and a better shooter. Green Ops also offers courses of instruction in a combatives and weapons control techniques class, defensive pistol, and a competition skills class, with future classes also dedicated to radio communications and medical training.

Upon completion of every Green Ops course, the student is sent an AAR e-mail that not only covers what the course taught, but also included a plethora of information such as practice drills, using a timer and dry fire, competing, and so on. Links are included that will direct you to competitive shooting websites and competitions, gear selection, and discount codes for a few retailers. I cannot speak enough to the competency, passion, dedication, and knowledge of the Green Ops cadre and staff. If you are looking to continue training and to enhance your skills and proficiency, Green Ops should be on your list.