This has been done for years. I came across SF troops in the bottom swamps of NE Mississippi (1984) that were to evade locals and they were to survive in swampy lowland areas. I was on horseback and used to the area and rode right up on them with them in camouflage. The area was so far out of the way they didn’t expect me.
Did you watch the video by any chance...I don’t ever recall them doing stuff like this.
Training is supposed to simulate fighting conditions. I realize that there are many physical locations in the US that can be used as realistic training for overseas locations. But, training to “blend in” with the US population has no value for overseas operations. “Blending in” means understanding and adopting cultural norms, language & local accents, regional dress, and interests and infiltrating the population.
What good is it to go into a Texas town and blend in when you need to train for operations in Afghanistan? Is speaking with a Texas twang, knowing all the HS football teams in the region, and where to buy the best cowboy boots important? Or perhaps who are the local tea party leaders, what sort of people are at the gun range, and the gun shows, how aggressive are the local police at civil forfeiture, and what kind of sermons do the local pastors give?
I don’t know what happened in MS in 1984, I just hope we won’t see the military operating in MS as it did in 1867.