Burns Chronicles No 3 – Operation Mutual Defense (OMD)

Burns Chronicles No 3
Operation Mutual Defense (OMD)

OMD Logo LH

Gary Hunt
Outpost of Freedom
February 6, 2016

An understanding of just what Operation Mutual Defense (OMD) is, as the MSM has often referred to OMD in their articles, but have failed to explain its nature, is now in order. It is best compared with the Committees of Correspondence, first established in the 1760s, to communicate between colonial communities, and to request assistance, when warranted. As the events began unfolding in Harney County, a few months before, the Advisory Board consisted of five members, with positions available for another two seats. The Advisory Board structure was intended to ensure that, unlike many patriot appearing organizations, the leadership is not vested in one person. Instead, a matter before the Board would be discussed, with various ideas, suggestions, concerns, and other considerations, and then the majority would determine the viability of a proposed operation.

Any proposal for a call to action was first reviewed and a “brief” prepared, based upon available information and contact with the individual(s) who were under consideration for a call to action to afford them protection of Life, Liberty, or Property, if threatened, unjustly, by a government agency.

If the Board determined that a situation warranted a call to action, then word would be sent to supporters/volunteers. There are no members of OMD, except the Advisory Board and a second tier of volunteers who assist in the various “functional disciplines“.

Operation Mutual Defense evolved from its predecessor, Operation Mutual Aid, which set out the initial call up for the Bundy Ranch Affair, back in April 2014. That evolution resulted in the structure of the Board, as described above.

If an action is initiated by the Advisory Board, a callout would be made via the Operation Mutual Defense webpage, the Operation Mutual Defense Facebook page, and through the OMD Mail List where supporters/volunteers would receive notification of any call to, action, or other pertinent information regarding OMD activities.

Since there are no “members” of Operation Mutual Defense, there is no “command structure”, hence any participation is strictly voluntary. OMD is only the messenger, though the process described provides an understanding of the circumstances surrounding any event, and expectation as to what to expect when volunteers arrive, a point of contact, and an “Organizational Plan for Militia Response” that explains how command will be developed, sets up protocols for operations, and other information regarding details as to expected responsibilities of those participating.

Unlike any other organization, where an individual, or a small group, dictates control over participants, OMD provides a structure not unlike those used by Militia in both the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, a “shared command” (historically referred to as “Council of War”), assurance that bad decisions would be minimized, as all decisions are made by elected “officers”.

11 Comments

  1. Amerium says:

    Awesome get Washington working like this. Let the wise rise

  2. Dennis Stewart says:

    Need to learn from this, so we need to get the info out to the other units what went right, or wrong.

  3. […] Hunt’s Articles: Burns Chronicles No. 1: Introduction Burns Chronicles No. 2: Ambush Burns Chronicles No. 3: Operation Mutual Defense (OMD) Burns Chronicles No. 4: Stand Up; Stand Down Burns Chronicles No. 5: The Burns Community Burns […]

  4. […] III. Operation Mutual Defense (OMD) [2/6/16] […]

  5. […] Burns Chronicles No 3 – Operation Mutual Defense (OMD) […]

  6. […] the surprise takeover of the refuge. Payne is an Army veteran from Montana who was a leader with Operation Mutual Defense (OMD), formerly known as Operation Mutual Aid (OMA) before that organization split into two. The […]

  7. […] the surprise takeover of the refuge. Payne is an Army veteran from Montana who was a leader withOperation Mutual Defense (OMD), formerly known as Operation Mutual Aid (OMA) before that organization split into two. The […]

  8. […] October 11, 2015, the initial Operation Mutual Defense (OMD) Advisory Board (AB) held their first meeting. Each meeting had an agenda and the AB members agreed […]

  9. […] October 11, 2015, the initial Operation Mutual Defense (OMD) Advisory Board (AB) held their first meeting. Each meeting had an agenda and the AB members agreed […]

  10. […] October 11, 2015, the initial Operation Mutual Defense (OMD) Advisory Board (AB) held their first meeting. Each meeting had an agenda and the AB members agreed […]

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