[Apache6]

The first thing to do is to assess the situation. The mission, threat and the available resources are important.

The US military uses the mission variables of mission, enemy, terrain and weather, troops and fire support available-time available (METT-T). Civil considerations must be considered.

In T2K civil considerations may be how many men and women can I take off the farming mission, and still be able to feed 'us' through the winter?

What is the militia required to defeat or deter? Can I fight that threat openly, or do I need a clandestine resistance effort? In T2K, a town's militia might fight a bandit group but operate as a resistance group when the Soviet 3d Shock Army starts to move in.

What leadership and training capabilities do you have?
How much time do you have?
What is the terrain, and how can it be exploited for defense?

Having everyone organized into multiple layers of defense makes sense. The best candidates may be organized into mobile elements that patrol and are responsible for local counterattacks. Less capable elements may only be able to man static defenses. Everyone may have a role in the militia, but they spend the majority of their time in the fields or factories and only muster when required (their should be an alert system, perhaps using bells and siren signals.

My quick example for a town with a population of 1000 adults (men and women) would be to organize a 'ranger company' with 90 personnel (Organized into 3 * 24 pax personnel platoons (3 * 7 men squad, Plt Cdr, Plt Sgt and Medic), a 11 pax weapons squad (armed with 2 MMG and 2 RPGs) and a 7 man HQ, including the cmdr, his XO, a 2 man scout-sniper team and 3 messengers (who are usually horse mounted). They are more or less a dedicated militia force and equipped with most of the best small arms. This force is designed to patrol outside our 'border' and establish and maintain friendly contact with adjoining towns and farms.

Our two 120mm mortars are also manned full time by 10 women providing responsive fire support from dedicated professionals. (This is a notional example meant to show that the 'best weapons' need to be manned by better trained individuals.)

The other 900 adults are organized into defense companies of around 100 personnel (organized into 4 platoons of 24 each, with a four man HQ (Cmdr, XO and 2 Medics). Each of the defense companies rotate through 24 duty tours every 9th day. While on duty they man the towns static defenses (two entry control points, an observation tower, and a bastion designed to put fires along the most likely enemy avenues of approach) and conduct internal patrols. Most of the towns available crew served weapons are associated with these strongpoints. During their 24 hour duty tour each platoon will rotate through 8 hours of security, 8 hours conduct training and/or work on improving the towns defenses, and 8 hours of sleep, during which they serve as the rapid response force.

The full defense plan can count on 9 companies, each assigned prepared defensive positions (including trenches and bunkers) to occupy during periods of high threat. The militia can be ordered to man the perimeter either by passing word through a well rehearsed warden system, or by the ringing of the churches bells. When the town is at high alert the ranger company becomes the reserve, with the "mortar battery' providing fire support.