I have heard a load of people talk about the importance of NVGs and thermal sights. They certainly do help a lot, but think of white light, NVGs, and thermals in the same way as the rock, paper, scissors game. Each has it’s uses and each can help but also be hurt by the other. In this article, I am going to talk a bit about white lights and why they should not be omitted from your loadout just because you have night vision or thermal capability.
MAX-OUT YOUR LUMENS
If you are going to use white light, I recommend you use a light that gives the highest level of lumens. You should also consider carrying a smaller light with low lumens for map reading and covert lighting as well. But when it comes to a light that will help you engage an enemy; you will benefit greatly from a high lumen light that gives more than 800 lumens. I prefer to have a light that gives a wide hot spot or none like the Surefire Combat Light with the Max Vision lens.
ADMINISTRATIVE USES
Out in the field, you will most likely need to navigate off of a compass and map, but perhaps will have the aid of a GPS. If all you have is a map, the low lumen light I mentioned will help you read your map covertly. The way you create red light out of white light is either by using red tape, or by putting your thumb tightly against the lens. If you use a high lumen light with red tape, be aware that the heat from the light alone will literally melt the tape in less than a second and you will definitely not enjoy putting your thumb over the lens. You could use a light that has multiple settings, but these usually are larger than necessary. One option I have found is using a compact pistol light that you use for your sidearm. I like the Olight PL MINI 2, which is quickly detached and reattached if needed for administrative tasks like map reading.
TACTICAL APPLICATIONS
In a world where your enemy could easily be employing night vision and thermal, white light can still have substantial uses. If facing an enemy with night vision, you can easily use high intensity white light to destroy the enemy’s night vision optics and sight. A modern example of this tactic is the use of illumination rounds from indirect fire. Unlike indirect fire, your initiation of white light can be silent and give you a better shock effect than a flashbang if used properly. Even the strobe in this setting could be useful to stall and shock your enemy long enough to give you the upper hand. There are even remote lights that can be manually activated for the initiation of an ambush or to spoil an enemy patrol attempting to penetrate your lying up position. Since we civvies are not privileged to have claymores, the best we can do is use all the lumens to stun our enemy.
When it comes to fighting in a house, the use of white light is best used sporadically and quickly. Any use of white light in a structure will give away your position quickly, so it is wise to not move while using a light unless penetrating or initiating deep entry into a room. This is a worse case scenario, but a white light in a structure can be more of a beacon than a help. However, in the defense, light can be a great decoy and be used to challenge an attacker’s vision and give you at least a chance at distracting them long enough to get the upper hand.
CLOSING REMARKS
Using white light in a tactical environment today is pretty well frowned upon, but it can definitely give you the upper hand if used well in conjunction with night vision and thermal imaging technology. I am not the end all for these types of techniques, but I do have some tricks up my sleeve that I picked up over the years. My recommendation is to get training and exposure to some scenarios involving the use of white light and night vision/thermal devices.
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