Review: Squad Tactics 2025 – Bailey

“This class… is a bread and butter staple of MVT that must be retaken as much as possible.”

“Max Velocity Tactical is the best training in the country a civilian can get.”

I’ve been taking classes at MVT for 4 years now. This is my second time taking squad tactics with my first squad tactics being about three years ago. This squad tactics was a challenging and exciting experience, with changes that improved on the class and showed the experience of what it’s like to be out on the field. This class in its iteration, as well as before, is a bread and butter staple of Max Velocity Tactical that must be retaken as much as possible. What I always appreciate with MVT is the willingness to listen to student suggestions and make changes. Their emphasis on safety at all times, and ever-vigilant presence, let’s me know I’m in good hands whenever I’m taking a class at MVT, both live-fire and airsim.

Background of the class, this is an airsim class so you engage in force-on-force combat with BBs. You learn about the assault cycle and utilize it to attack multiple positions, using different teams in their ever-changing roles within a squad with a squad leader directing the teams. This class is really a leadership retreat in my opinion.

Yes, it’s a tactical class, but the really big lessons underneath the tactical lessons, both learnt and taught, are lessons in leadership. There is a quote I’ve read something like, “A good leader is a good follower.” Now that might be very conformist, sure, but in a possible environment of life-or-death and inches and seconds matter and make the difference, the need to be able to give an order as well as take and follow an order is essential and may must be hasty. And I’m sure you reading this can agree that a well-coordinated team with experience that communicates and can follow orders, execute, is going to do better than any pickup team that may hold hesitation.

You can get a lot out of this class just participating as a rifleman for all the missions, but there are opportunities to volunteer as squad leader and plan the mission and direct the teams to accomplish the objective or to participate as a junior team leader, where your focus lies with your designated team and how they accomplish their specific task. These opportunities should not be passed as they provide a deep and plain wisdom in leading men that you don’t get to experience much in our modern world or in a way corporate America cannot ever completely show, maybe even more so as a young man myself. This class is a leadership retreat, how cool would it be if you had a paid office trip to a squad tactics class at MVT? HR would never!

The changes to the class. The biggest thing was the increase in missions that we were able to do. That was because we stayed in the field and did not return to the cabin for lunch like we did the prior class. The prior class we did in total 5 missions across 4 days and this class we ran 11 missions across the same time.

The first day, after instruction in the morning, we ate, then proceeded with the first mission which was lead by the instructor, Max. This would be the lightest day as the following three days we would meet, rehearse then spend the rest of the day in the field conducting 2-4 missions. This made you rethink kit and what and how you carried it, you’re going to be on your feet a lot, and you must have what you need on your person. More reps means more training. More bang for your buck I think.

I would estimate that depending on class ability and mission length you could run about 8-14 missions for this class. Now, I would argue we had 11.5 missions as we had an ambush sprung on us the last day that was a short engagement.

One small criticism I had with the class, I would like to see more “flavor text” across the missions. It makes it more engaging and enhances the experience when we, the class, as a squad of consenting, volunteer defense force, or whatever, are trying to thwart the enemy from their evil plans to terrorize as I’m dropping into trenches on my bum and diving into bunkers completely out of breath, makes it feel a bit more purposeful.

And at the end the instructor can evaluate the totality of missions and the overarching successes and failures and determine if the NT-14 and their ability to operate is eliminated, diminished, or we just got absolutely punched in the face. I would like to think of the class as like a milsim LARP, but it’s legit tactical training and not playing airsoft, retard, with the instructors as the “Dungeon Masters.” Max runs the first mission by example then he is watching the students run the mission, seeing where improvements must be made, playing one of the referees and Scott is running the curtains and set pieces and managing the OPFOR like the gears in the background, the two in symphonic fashion as they run the class. It doesn’t have to be a storybook or very deep, but be flexible and relatively concurrent. A very big thanks to OPFOR, it cannot be possible without you!

Another big change for me was the trench. This was something completely out of my element, other than maybe some overspill understanding from CQB, and I was intimidated by it’s dirt walls as I have not taken the trench class or let alone ever been in one. We ran 3 trench missions over the course of the class. For me personally, the trench got worse each mission we got into it.

The first time getting into the trench, was almost very successful. Blood-pumping, scared-for-my-life exhilaration. My team was the clearance team. My buddy and I have not taken the trench class but our other buddy pair did so we had to change up our order so we mixed experienced with inexperienced of trenches. I was the point guy with my rifle and I had a teenager behind me with a revolver over my shoulder. I’ll tell you what, it felt like going through a scary house or corn maze as a child with the actors jumping out to scare you and you don’t know from where. I trusted the guy behind me and we plowed through the trench. We dived from grenades, threw frags, killed the enemy, cleared positions as a teenager screamed “STOP” and “GO” in my ear. To say it was thrilling fun is an understatement. All the way until we get to the end of the trench, where we had a team as a stop group and I ran around the corner, killing a teammate in fratricide. I was so wrapped in the rush and aggression that I tunnel visioned and ignored the challenge word. It was shameful. But that is the purpose of training, and I try to learn from it.

The second time, I pushed the first stretch of trench and was thinking more with my feet than my eyes and hands like I’ve learned in CQB and my face paid for it. The third time, bodies piled at our entry point with me turning off my brain by that time in the class, before I hopped in the dog pile too. So lessons in many regards: exhaustion, control, aggression. Not just from the trenches but all the missions give you something hard to deal with as a class and individually for you and you have to see it through.

Bringing back up the ambush. This was awesome, I didn’t expect it and when it happened I was thinking, “Let’s Go!” Someone in the AAR liked the ambush a lot and was waiting all class for one. Bringing it back to the idea of our dungeon masters or “Zeus” running the game, having the patrol be railroaded or be forced to take a particular path so that we get ambushed is a good idea. Max can tell the squad leader for a particular mission, when they want to attempt the ambush, where the patrol must navigate, but the rest of the class doesn’t know about the forced route. It may or may not even be sprung! Some deception would be fun.

Another mission we were moving on line towards contact looking for a landing zone. We caught the OPFOR while they were on patrol, we engaged, they got on line, we had a shootout as they withdrew to their positions and we conducted an attack. Instances where we have the initiative over the OPFOR or them over us are valuable training lessons and keeps it interesting.

My ultimate goal for this class was to run a successful mission as squad leader. My previous time as squad leader at my last squad tactics was a failure on my end. I bit off more than I could chew, but it gave me the experience I needed to look back upon to lead my mission this time around. The brief I gave before my mission was “pants” according to Max, I’m inexperienced with mission briefs and honestly calling it that was more insulting than calling it “ass” or even “complete and total dog-shit.”

Throughout the class we ran the teams with two up and one rear to flank. I wanted to run 1 up front and two to the rear. You’d think the team up front would be the one to be pounded and lose guys but it was the two rear teams who took casualties. I led the teams, maintained a grip of the situation, directed them, adjusted, executed as best I could, the teams cleared the positions.

When we were debriefed after my mission, Max made the point to say that maybe because of my terrible mission brief or maybe how I conducted or carried myself to the class that there was a lack in trust from the teams towards me to lead. This was something I was completely oblivious to. I knew my brief wasn’t great but I was blind to how maybe the other guys perceived the plan as I was focused on running my plan into being a successfully ran mission. To improve on before, and I did, I was very happy for it. But it showed me something beyond the mission or the class that Ive lacked when it has come to training and finding people to train with. Being perceptive to other people, how they might think or feel and their desires. My squad wasn’t reassured in my plan and assumed my ability to lead. And it wasn’t until I had it told to me at the very end that I recognized it and has led to lots of reflection and introspection about myself since leaving this class.

There is a lot of foul language, and you are going to be criticized a lot, none of it is personal. The instructors are awesome. If you can’t handle being called a retard sometimes, then don’t handle a firearm. Most people think they know what they need to know until they realize otherwise… or maybe never. The training here at Max Velocity Tactical is the best training in the country a civilian can get. If you didn’t know by now or haven’t taken a class from MVT yet, then I think you are the retard. I can’t be argued with this. Clearly I’m smarter, this is the internet! But seriously, MVT is a source of humility and strength for me and I treat the experience, the instructors and the unforgiving hills with reverence and respect. I see this is what America has always had but we lacked in living in and teaching it. A Militant Civilian culture. A trained, tempered, martial society is undoubtably a strong one. It’s a grueling personal journey but one which results in a direct deeper connection not only to those who you train with, but for me personally too, my American ancestors, and above all to God that results in confidence, trust and something to continually honor even when I fall.

If you haven’t taken a class at MVT, I urge you to make it happen. Please, for yourself and your family. A weak man, is an immoral man. Try it. You may have some bandaids ripped off your training scars and your prior understanding may come into question but you come away with better understanding and new eyes. You may receive scars from training, if they are in earnest effort then persevere but always remember why. Once you taken a class, keep training! Don’t stop! These are fading skills. And if you don’t get the point by now, this is WAY more than the tactical training. Way more. I will be taking more classes. I’ll catch you in the hills. Adios amigos.