'This Is Not a Protest': Former Special Ops Soldier Says Insurgent Tactics Being Used in Minnesota
Eric Schwalm, who identified himself as a former U.S. Army Special Forces soldier, says the tactics being employed in Minneapolis by leftists agigators are reminiscent of insurgency tactics he witnessed in Afghanistan.
His comments came in response to the reported infiltration of a Signal group chat being used by leftists to track and thwart Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Minneapolis, Fox News reported.
Fox News correspondent Alexis McAdams, who is on the ground in Minneapolis, posted Sunday on social media, “I’ve covered a lot of protests. Never seen anything quite like this. Organized is an understatement.”
“These people have spotters… all over the city,” she told Fox News host Sean Hannity earlier this month. “So they see who pulls in and out of the federal building, whether they’re ICE agents or not. They want to track you down, they want to put you in a database, and then it’s shared, according to DHS sources, through Signal chats.”
Re-upping this. I’ve covered a lot of protests. Never seen anything quite like this. Organized is an understatement. https://t.co/JZOeBfshiO
— Alexis McAdams (@AlexisMcAdamsTV) January 25, 2026
Schwalm posted Sunday on X, “As a former Special Forces Warrant Officer with multiple rotations running counterinsurgency ops — both hunting insurgents and trying to separate them from sympathetic populations — I’ve seen organized resistance up close. From Anbar to Helmand, the pattern is familiar: spotters, cutouts, dead drops (or modern equivalents), disciplined comms, role specialization, and a willingness to absorb casualties while bleeding the stronger force slowly.”
“What’s unfolding in Minneapolis right now isn’t ‘protest.’ It’s low-level insurgency infrastructure, built by people who’ve clearly studied the playbook,” Schwalm contended.
“Signal groups at 1,000-member cap per zone. Dedicated roles: mobile chasers, plate checkers logging vehicle data into shared databases, 24/7 dispatch nodes vectoring assets, SALUTE-style reporting (Size, Activity, Location, Unit, Time, Equipment) on suspected federal vehicles,” the Army veteran noted.
“What’s unfolding in Minneapolis right now isn’t “protest.” It’s low-level insurgency infrastructure, built by people who’ve clearly studied the playbook.” https://t.co/nDXncN7eQS
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) January 26, 2026
He went on to argue that there is nothing “spontaneous” about what’s happening in Minneapolis.
“When your own citizens build and operate this level of parallel intelligence and rapid-response network against federal officers — complete with doxxing, vehicle pursuits, and harassment that’s already turned lethal — you’re no longer dealing with civil disobedience. You’re facing a distributed resistance that’s learned the lessons of successful insurgencies: stay below the kinetic threshold most of the time, force over-reaction when possible, maintain popular support through narrative, and never present a single center of gravity,” Schwalm wrote.
He concluded, “I spent years training partner forces to dismantle exactly this kind of apparatus. Now pieces of it are standing up in American cities, enabled by elements of local government and civil society. That should keep every thinking American awake at night.”
Former CIA officer Rick de la Torre agreed with Schwalm’s assessment, posting on X, “I have 20 years of experience in the intelligence community, and yes, what we’re seeing in Minnesota is closer to insurgency than a protest. A protest doesn’t feature thousands of people on comms, tracking law enforcement to sabotage operations…”
Vice President J.D. Vance, himself a Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq, wrote Saturday on X, “This level of engineered chaos is unique to Minneapolis. It is the direct consequence of far left agitators, working with local authorities.”
This level of engineered chaos is unique to Minneapolis. It is the direct consequence of far left agitators, working with local authorities.
— JD Vance (@JDVance) January 25, 2026
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz posted Saturday following the death of 37-year-old agitator Alex Pretti, who had a gun on his person when he got into a skirmish with Border Patrol officers, “I just spoke with the White House after another horrific shooting by federal agents this morning. Minnesota has had it. This is sickening. The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now.”
I just spoke with the White House after another horrific shooting by federal agents this morning. Minnesota has had it. This is sickening.
The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now.
— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) January 24, 2026
That is the whole point of the leftists’ insurgency: Force the “invaders” to leave.
Walz told reporters on Sunday, “If it was the intention of Donald Trump to make an example of Minnesota, then I’m damn proud of the example that the world is seeing.”
I just spoke with the White House after another horrific shooting by federal agents this morning. Minnesota has had it. This is sickening.
The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now.
— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) January 24, 2026
“Damn proud?” His and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s hot rhetoric and defiant stand may have helped get at least two people killed.
Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday that he had a “very good call” with Walz about working together to remove criminal illegal aliens from Minnesota.
Hopefully, cooler heads will prevail and the insurgency can end.
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