Meiji Masters Podcast: Episode 1 - Des Powell, SAS veteran
Friday 25 November 2022
On Monday 14 November, Des Powell gave an inspirational, interactive talk at Meiji's Temple Fortune Dojo. If the name doesn't ring a bell, Des is an SAS veteran, an integral player and second-in-command in the covert Bravo Three Zero action behind enemy lines in the Gulf War of the early 1990s. In short, he's the real thing.
His book, 'SAS Bravo Three Zero', co-authored with writer Damien Lewis, reads like a Boys' Own adventure annual, full of derring-do and tough guys. This is appealing to the boy in all of us, as it always has been. Old soldiers recounting their active days, often with lurid embellishments, to wide-eyed children round the flickering fire, is an old and enduring image. Des, however, isn't an old buffer, and his exploits needed no embellishment. As far as he was permitted to go in telling you what he knew, it was in your face. And there were a lot of wide eyes.
In his army days as a paratrooper, before his 20 years in the SAS, he was a sergeant major, and it still shows, in his demeanour and in his body language. He talked fast, direct and to the point, in a clipped, Yorkshire accent, rather as though we were all on parade. Despite the apparent throwing himself at the mercy of the crowd, with 'ask me anything, put me on the spot', the underlying impression was like a direct challenge, a call to action. 'Now let's get to it. What do you want me to report?' A true soldier who's been there and managed to get back.
In truth, however, he was somewhat limited. You can hardly talk about operations in any detail. They are covert and doubtless protected by various protocols including the Official Secrets Act. But it was nevertheless a fascinating insight into a world which the majority of us will never experience. Not even if we become soldiers. Not even if we're Desperate Dan Black Belts. So, it may surprise some that getting accepted into the SAS only takes 6 months' training (albeit after a minimum of 5 years in the Army). But this is a double-edged sword. Look at it this way. It only takes 6 months to find out what you're really made of. For many, considerably less. Des made it clear that the training is more gruelling than operations. Over 90% fail. But that is more to do with character than fitness. After all, you can assume that all candidates start from a position of fitness, given their Army background. So, what does the SAS observe about you over 6 months, what are they assessing? Well, that's a mutual question, because you can be sure every candidate is asking themselves the same question, every long day in that period.
To find a plausible answer, perhaps we need to look at the past as well as the present. Those who have already watched 'SAS- Rogue Heroes' will be left in no doubt that ruthlessness is central, not just the men themselves but also those who deploy them. There is a scene where Churchill, himself a soldier, gives the men the green light to throw the rule book away and do whatever needs to be done. In other words, the end will justify the means. It's important to note that until the 20th Century, there were understood rules of engagement in warfare. These began to be eroded in WW1 with the use of poison gas as a military weapon. Churchill went further when briefing the SAS. There were simply no rules of engagement. It's interesting to note that this instruction wasn't just to the SAS. Another fascinating book to read is 'The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Conduct' by Giles Morton. Churchill again, this time briefing a team of 6 maverick men as an assassination squad. They included William Fairbairn, a portly pensioner with an unusual passion: he was the world's leading expert in silent killing.
Key to understanding the SAS (or the SBS, the maritime version of the SAS), is in the first 'S' - short for 'Special'. Simplistically, the SAS is a special regiment called in to take over or supplement the military or the Police in handling a dire situation, in a war zone or a domestic one (e.g., terrorism). Their special skills are required. You know where this goes. Des will give you the stock answer when pressed: “We get the job done”. Presumably this is a job others can't, or don't want to do. Does SAS training connect in any way with martial arts? Well Des, in his own words, was a fitness and martial arts fanatic. That last word is apposite. The dictionary definition of 'fanatic' is: 'a person whose enthusiasm or zeal for something is extreme or beyond normal limits, convinced they are serving a righteous cause and that all means are justified'. Wouldn't you say that's a fairly accurate description of the SAS doctrine?
Des told us in no uncertain terms that the soldiers in single-digit percentages who make it into this elite group have to want it more than anything else in the world. There is no other way, it's in the mind much more than the body. You need that burning desire which keeps you awake at night. And if you make it through, you're changed by it forever. You have crossed the Rubicon. This is religious zeal, single-mindedness, absolute focus and conviction. You are now part of something eponymously special. The camaraderie is absolute. Des believes you should only mix with like-minded people. These are your fellow disciples. You're safe with them, in an unsafe and threatening world. Together you are strong. It's an evangelical mindset.
Des was asked about conquering fear during training. This is always a tricky one, because adages like 'the only thing to fear is fear itself' are all very well from the comfort of an armchair, but perhaps not a lot of use when you come face-to-face with your own paralysing fear. 'It goes back to that burning desire. Remind yourself how much you want it. Embrace it. Remember, you chose it. No-one forced you. You'd better get on with it. When life gets mean, you've got to get meaner.'
Des perhaps unknowingly subscribes to a Socratic principle, which is interesting and profound, i.e., that we are born with our wisdom and our attributes intact, and that the right education and training is all that's needed to bring them to the fore. You can probably apply all the preceding tenets to martial arts. But that raises a question: are you in it for the sport of it, or for something else? Kickboxing, for example, is essentially a sport. So is Jiu Jitsu. The fact that they might give you an advantage on the street is secondary. Krav Maga, on the other hand, isn't really a sport, it's an unarmed combat discipline. Krav's philosophy is also to get the job done, in the shortest possible time, with maximum effect.
At the end of the day, it's up to every individual to decide whether to cross the Rubicon. Des's favourite aphorism sums it all up: "You haven't lived until you've almost died".