Pod Insights The Why Files: Operation Podcast CONPLAN 8888: The Secret Plan to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse About this episode Discover the United States Strategic Command's CONPLAN 8888, the military's actual plan for confronting a zombie apocalypse. This discussion uncovers how this unique document, though labeled a training exercise, connects to genuine military strategies for pandemics and WMDs. We examine the various zombie classifications—from pathogenic to evil magic—and the chilling scenarios the Pentagon considers. Learn about the operational phases, from environmental shaping to civil authority restoration, and why certain critical details remain hidden in classified annexes. This compelling account also touches on the psychological impact of zombie media and essential survival tips for any major societal disruption.
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Transcript Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.
0:00 Speaker 00 Network freedom and flexibility. That's what you want in a healthcare plan. With a Humana Medicare Advantage PPO plan, you can see any doctor in the country who accepts Medicare, including specialists. No referrals. No kidding. Learn more at gethumana.com. See any doctor who accepts Medicare and is willing to bill Humana. Humana PPOs may not be available in all areas. Benefits and costs share may vary. Humana is a Medicare Advantage PPO organization with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in any Humana plan depends on contract renewal.
0:45 AJ Gentile? Staff Sergeant Ryan Martinez was the B-Doc desk sergeant on duty at OFIT AFB, a few miles south of Omaha, Nebraska. He sipped cold coffee, updated the blotter, and checked in with patrols. Reports confirmed the monitors. RC-135s sitting dark in the flight line, guards walking posts, and perimeter fences quiet. At Zero-400, this was routine. Martinez was fighting a yawn when the klaxon fired up.
1:12 AJ Gentile? Then an announcement. Alarm red. Perimeter breach. Martinez checked the cameras. A wave of shadows was stumbling across the field toward thousands of ONBase personnel and their families. Then he saw them. The shadows were people. Or at least, they used to be. The loudspeaker barked commands to halt. The horde kept coming. Flares went up. Warning shots were fired. The horde kept coming. Then came the command Martinez never expected to hear. Weapons free. Gunfire erupted. Thousands of rounds creating a wall of sound and smoke and steel. Bodies fell. The entire base held its breath.
1:52 AJ Gentile? A few seconds later, the bodies rose again. And the horde kept coming. Martinez tore through a cabinet searching for the protocols no one took seriously, remembering the training no one thought necessary. Every soldier at OFIT was prepared for this exact scenario, outlined in a military document most Americans had never heard of. CON Plan 8888, the Pentagon's guide for surviving a zombie apocalypse. And tonight, the plan goes operational.
2:32 AJ Gentile? The plan that Staff Sergeant Martinez pulled from that cabinet is real. I have a copy of it. You can download it and read it for yourself. In 2009, United States Strategic Command released CONPLAN 8888-11: Counter-Zombie Dominance Operations. Thirty-one pages of detailed military strategy for surviving a zombie apocalypse. Complete with operational phases, threat assessments, and rules of engagement.
2:55 Speaker 02 Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. This is a real thing? Army vs. Zombies?
3:00 AJ Gentile? Yep.
3:01 Speaker 02 Okay, I'm terrified right now. Hold me.
3:04 AJ Gentile? No. The document opens with standard Pentagon formatting: Official letterhead, proper classification stamps. Everything looks mundane until you get to the document's purpose statement.
3:14 Speaker 03 US STRATCOM, CONPLAN 8888. Purpose: To undertake military operations to preserve non-zombie humans from the threats posed by a zombie horde. Because zombies pose a threat to all non-zombie human life, hereafter referred to as "humans", US STRATCOM will be prepared to preserve the sanctity of human life.
3:35 AJ Gentile? The document was declassified in 2011 thanks to a FOIA request. Now that's a quick turnaround from classified to public. A section of CONPLAN 8888 reveals why.
3:45 Speaker 03 US STRATCOM, CONPLAN 8888. Security Instructions: This document is unclassified to ensure maximum utility during times of crisis. Classified capabilities used to counter zombies will be addressed in appropriate orders, and crisis plan will be adapted to current operational conditions.
4:03 AJ Gentile? CONPLAN 8888 assumes a complete breakdown of society. It lays out five distinct operational phases from monitoring through the restoration of civil authority. Phase Zero is "Shape the Environment." STRATCOM watches for non-state actors with chemical and biological WMDs. They monitor disease vectors, outbreaks, and epidemics. Phase One is "Deter." This prevents enemies from creating zombies. And nuclear-armed countries get notified that counter-zombie tactics aren't a preparation for war. Phase Two is "Seize." ease the initiative. Stratcom provides security assistance to local authorities. Quarantine zones get created and enforced. Civilian areas stay protected until they're overrun.
4:45 AJ Gentile? Then Con Plan 8888 enters Phase 3: Dominate, Respond, and Counter. During Phase 3, the US military locks down and retreats to fortified positions for at least 40 days.
4:57 Speaker 03 US Stratcom, Con Plan 8888, Phase 3. Upon receipt of a US Stratcom order, all forces will begin preparations to conduct combat operations against zombie threats. US Stratcom will shelter all personnel in place for at least 40 days.
5:14 AJ Gentile? After that, Phases 4 and 5 focus on stabilizing and restoring government. Reconnaissance teams deploy to assess the zombie threat.
5:22 Speaker 03 US Stratcom, Con Plan 8888, Phase 4 and 5. No earlier than 40 days after the initiation of Phase 3 operations, US Stratcom forces will initiate local reconnaissance ops to determine the severity of the remaining zombie threat, assess the physical and epidemiological security of the local environment, and survey the status of basic services: water, power, sewage infrastructure, and communications.
5:50 AJ Gentile? If the threat is neutralized, rebuilding begins. But as long as zombies exist, the military stays locked down. Con Plan 8888 outlines these phases step by step. But notice what's missing during the military lockdown: civilian protection. The document says that during the first critical weeks, local law enforcement handles zombie attacks until martial law is declared. After that, no civilian assistance, no rescue missions, no exceptions. The plan assumes most government officials die within 24 hours. Cities become uninhabitable. Infrastructure collapses completely. Con Plan 8888 ensures military command and control continues. Now that's great if you're inside a fortified facility.
6:33 AJ Gentile? But for anyone outside a military fence, Con Plan 8888 makes it clear: You're on your own.
6:43 Speaker 00 Network freedom and flexibility. That's what you want in a healthcare plan. With a Humana Medicare Advantage PPO plan, you can see any doctor in the country who accepts Medicare, including specialists. No referrals. No kidding. Learn more at gethumana.com. See any doctor who accepts Medicare and is willing to bill Humana. Humana PPOs may not be available in all areas. Benefits and costs share may vary. Humana is a Medicare Advantage PPO organization with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in any Humana plan depends on contract renewal.
7:15 AJ Gentile? To survive the collapse of society, you need to understand the threat. The military knows where zombie apocalypses could start and what we'll face beyond the safety of fortified installations.
7:24 Speaker 03 U.S. Stratcom. Con Plan 8888. Section 4, subsection 5. Conditions for implementation, part A. Zombies have the potential to seriously undermine national security and our way of life. While the U.S. currently enjoys several asymmetric advantages in against zombie infections originating in the Eurasian landmass, these advantages can easily be negated by air and sea traffic that could transport the source of a zombie infection to North and South America.
7:53 AJ Gentile? But Con Plan 8888 is clear. Zombie threats come from anywhere and affect anyone. The Pentagon organized zombies into distinct categories. According to Con Plan 8888, the most likely threat comes from pathogenic zombies, created when viruses or bacteria infect humans. And the Pentagon isn't guessing. Existing diseases could mutate and trigger real outbreaks. Take rabies. The virus attacks the central nervous system, creating aggression and violence. Infected animals foam at the mouth and attack anything that moves. That foam carries the rabies virus. One bite from a rabid animal means almost certain death. Movies like 28 Days Later and World War Z show virus-based zombies. Animals also become zombies through prion diseases.
8:38 AJ Gentile? A prion is a misfolded protein that destroys brains and nervous systems. Chronic wasting disease makes deer and elk lose their natural fear. They stumble around like zombies. Easy prey for predators. Outlines actually target infected deer. But eating these animals is risky. Eat a prion diseased brain and you become infected. Mad cow disease is a prion disease. Humans who eat infected beef develop Croedsveld-Jakob disease. The symptoms are rapid mental deterioration, loss of coordination, and aggressive behavior. Sounds a lot like zombies. Kuru affects cannibalistic tribes in Papua New Guinea. They eat the brains of dead relatives as a funeral ritual.
9:20 Speaker 02 Stop, stop, stop. Why do they, uh, how do, what, why?
9:25 AJ Gentile? Eating the brain helps the spirit reach the afterlife.
9:28 Speaker 02 So, uh, how was grandma's funeral? Yeah, a little chewy.
9:34 Speaker 02 I don't feel so good.
9:35 AJ Gentile? Yeah, technically, it's against the law now. But rumors are that some tribes still do this privately.
9:40 Speaker 02 Keep my wife's brain out your [bleep] mouth.
9:43 AJ Gentile? What?
9:43 Speaker 02 Keep my wife's brain out your [bleep] mouth.
9:49 AJ Gentile? And that's how it continues. Eating an infected brain spreads kuru. Victims experience severe mood changes. They become violent and unpredictable.
9:57 Speaker 02 Like ex-wives.
9:59 AJ Gentile? Like zombies.
9:59 Speaker 02 Ah, that makes sense.
10:01 AJ Gentile? The Zombie Land movies feature prion zombies. And beyond bacteria, viruses, and prions, parasites can create zombies. These are called symbiont-induced zombies. What makes these parasites so dangerous is you don't know you're carrying one.
10:27 AJ Gentile? Conplan 8888 says pathogenic zombies are most common. And that makes sense. Diseases affect every animal on Earth. And sometimes those diseases jump to humans through zoonosis. AIDS, SARS, H1N1, Ebola, plague, anthrax, Lyme disease, malaria. Dozens of deadly diseases jump from animals to humans. And most diseases kill their host, but not all. Conplan 8888 calls these SIZs, symbiont-induced zombies. Instead of killing you, the parasite uses you. At least for a while. In Costa Rica's rainforests, the jewel wasp attacks cockroaches. The wasp injects venom directly into the roach's brain. The roach becomes docile and compliant.
11:09 Speaker 02 Ah, you said this was the Cosby wasp?
11:11 AJ Gentile? The jewel wasp.
11:12 Speaker 02 Nah, I don't remember Jewel doing anything this inappropriate.
11:16 AJ Gentile? The jewel wasp grabs the roach by its antenna and leads it to a burrow, like walking a dog. The roach doesn't flee, it follows. Then the wasp lays an egg inside the roach and leaves. The roach stays put, waiting peacefully. When the larvae hatches, it eats the cockroach alive from the inside out. That's mind control. Conplan 8888 calls it "zombification." And if you've played the Dead Rising games, those zombies are created by these parasitic wasps. Then there's Ophiocordyceps. This fungus turns ants into zombie ants. Infected ants abandon their colonies and climb high branches. They bite down on leaves with a death grip. The fungus then consumes the ant's body and bursts from its head, raining spores on the colony below.
12:00 AJ Gentile? The ant's final act: spreads infection and creates more zombies. The Last of Us games and HBO series feature the cordyceps fungus jumping to humans. African sleeping sickness affects thousands of people every year. It's transmitted by tsetse flies. Victims become confused, disoriented, and violent. Like me. Like zombies. Right. Those parasites kill the host eventually. But some keep the host alive forever. The Acanthocephalin worm starts by infecting insects that birds like to eat, because the worm's final destination is in a bird's gut. The parasite hijacks an insect's survival instincts. It abandons cover and wanders into open areas where birds hunt. Some climb to the tops of plants and stay exposed.
12:44 AJ Gentile? Birds eat the zombified insects. The worm infects the bird. More worms spread through the bird's feces, and the bird never knows the worm is there. In fact, there's a dangerous parasite that's already living in almost half of the human population. And if you don't have it, there's a good chance that somebody living in your house does.
13:13 AJ Gentile? Toxoplasma gondii is a single-celled parasite that lives in contaminated water and undercooked meat. Between 30 and 50% of humans carry it. Most don't know they're infected. The reason it's so common: cats.
13:26 Speaker 02 I knew it! Those filthy hell beasts are bioweapons!
13:29 AJ Gentile? Okay, settle down. About half of all cats have toxoplasma antibodies from past infection. And this bug is tough. It survives months in cat feces, years in soil and water. It can withstand refrigeration and even freezing. Chlorine won't kill it. Neither will soap or detergent. Sulfuric acid kills it, but it takes almost two years. It's easily spread by hassled insects like cockroaches and flies, and rodents. And there's an argument that Toxoplasma gondii evolved to help cats. Infected rats and mice lose their fear of cats. They become slower, less alert. They're actually attracted to cat urine. Toxoplasma programs rodents to get eaten. It's the perfect parasite:
14:12 AJ Gentile? indestructible, persistent, widespread, undetectable. The military knows that in a real outbreak, every cat becomes a disease vector. You couldn't trust any of them.
14:22 Speaker 02 If you trust a house cat, you deserve to get eaten.
14:26 AJ Gentile? That's why Conplan 8888 takes biological threats seriously. Once a pathogen enters the pet population, containment becomes impossible.
14:34 Speaker 02 You could eliminate all the cats.
14:36 AJ Gentile? Stop that.
14:37 Speaker 02 I'm just saying, if you want to make an omelet, you're gonna break some kittens.
14:42 AJ Gentile? But here's what keeps researchers awake at night: Most people don't know they're carrying toxoplasma. Studies show infected humans take more risks. They drive aggressively. Some researchers link it to personality changes, decision-making problems, even mental health issues. This is why Conplan 8888 exists. This is why the Pentagon plans. Because zombies aren't coming, they're already here.
15:25 AJ Gentile? Dr. Annie Liu was a molecular gerontologist and the latest darling of Silicon Valley. She discovered a telomere-extending virus, the Holy Grail of life extension. She called it Project Lazarus. The ultra-wealthy from all over the world poured billions into Lazarus. If there's one thing billionaires really hate doing, it's dying.
15:50 AJ Gentile? But Dr. Liu hit an impasse. The Lazarus virus worked perfectly in a Petri dish, but once it was injected into a live rat, the rat died within hours.
16:02 Speaker 05 Could it be the delivery vector? Maybe a cytokine cascade? Why do the telomeres lengthen, then trigger apoptosis? Immune storm in every test subject, hours to death. What am I missing?
16:55 AJ Gentile? Dr. Liu checked the time. It was after 3 a.m., her third all-nighter in a row.
17:05 AJ Gentile? She needed to get some sleep. Better to deal with this with fresh eyes.
17:14 Speaker 05 Hello?
17:17 Speaker 05 I'm fine. It was just a hard day at the lab.
17:21 AJ Gentile? But Dr. Liu didn't realize how hard a day it was.
17:26 AJ Gentile? She never noticed the three-micron tear in her hazmat suit. A human hair is about 60 microns wide, but not the Lazarus virus. Those are 0.02 microns wide. Plenty of room for a virus to enter. In fact, that's enough room for hundreds of them to enter.
17:45 Speaker 05 Of course I'm coming. I wouldn't miss my little sister's wedding for anything.
17:51 AJ Gentile? Dr. Liu took every precaution. N95 masks block particles 0.03 microns wide. But that's not enough to stop Lazarus.
18:03 AJ Gentile? Even if Dr. Liu knew about the tear, she wouldn't have been that concerned. Lazarus wasn't an airborne virus. Lazarus only worked if it was injected directly into the bloodstream.
18:41 AJ Gentile? But now Lazarus was airborne.
19:03 AJ Gentile? The next zombie classification in Conplan 8888: RZ, Radiation Zombies. Organisms become zombies after absorbing extreme electromagnetic radiation. Nuclear accidents, dirty bombs, cosmic radiation. The Pentagon says any of these can create zombies.
19:20 AJ Gentile? Solar flares bombard Earth with charged particles. A coronal mass ejection could expose entire populations to dangerous radiation. The 1859 Carrington event knocked out telegraph systems all over the world. A similar event today could deliver radiation doses that alter brain chemistry on a massive scale. After Chernobyl, emergency responders who entered the reactor core experienced rapid cellular breakdown. Some survivors reported hallucinations and aggressive behavior before dying. But radiation doesn't always kill. We covered how Chernobyl's dogs and wolves adapted to high radiation. An entirely new wolf species emerged, highly resistant to cancer. If radiation can create a new type of wolf, it can create a new type of human.
20:05 AJ Gentile? And in the wrong hands, that human becomes the perfect soldier. Conplan 8888 calls these "weaponized zombies." WZs are specifically created for military use. The Pentagon calls us a threat because the technology exists. And they should know, they created it.
20:22 Speaker 02 Wuhan.
20:23 AJ Gentile? No, you're gonna get us canceled.
20:24 Speaker 02 Oh, I meant Wuhan. Solo really showed Greedo who's boss, eh?
20:30 AJ Gentile? Nice save. Chemical weapons affect brain function and behavior. During the Cold War, both superpowers developed psychochemical agents to incapacitate enemy forces. BZ, tested by the US Army, caused hallucinations and confusion. Similar compounds could create zombie symptoms. CRISPR gene editing alters organisms at the genetic level. Synthetic biology creates entirely new biological systems. A hostile nation could engineer a pathogen that creates controllable zombies.
21:00 Speaker 02 Controllable zombies? We already got those. They're called capable news viewers.
21:07 AJ Gentile? Conplan 8888 shows the military preparing for zombies that can come from anywhere, even outer space.
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21:53 AJ Gentile? Space zombies come from outer space, or result from alien contamination of Earth's environment.
22:00 Speaker 03 US STRATCOM, CONPLAN 8888. SECTION FOUR, SUBSECTION SIX. ZOMBI THREAT SUMMARY, PART FOUR. SPACE ZOMBIES. SZs are zombie life forms originating from space or created by toxic contamination of the Earth environment via some form of extraterrestrial toxin or radiation.
22:21 AJ Gentile? NASA and the military already have protocols to prevent contamination from space missions. When Apollo astronauts returned from the moon, they spent 21 days in quarantine. The concern was that lunar microorganisms might be dangerous to life on Earth.
22:35 Speaker 02 You mean when the astronauts returned from the soundstage in Burbank, they had to make sure they didn't pick up a bug from the San Fernando Valley?
22:42 AJ Gentile? Let's not do this now.
22:43 Speaker 02 The Valley Flu, they call it. Symptoms included tracks into shopping malls, degraded parking skills, and a insatiable appetite for Baja Fresh.
22:52 AJ Gentile? They make good burritos.
22:54 Speaker 02 Done, tootin' they do.
22:57 AJ Gentile? But NASA protocols won't help if toxins land outside the jurisdiction of the United States. Because SZs come from space, they can affect any place on Earth.
23:07 Speaker 03 US STRATCOM, CONPLAN 8888. SECTION FOUR, SUBSECTION FIVE. CONDITIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION, PART A. CONTINUED. Asteroids and nuclear space radiation that can convert people into zombies can affect any landmass or population on Earth. Given the rapidity at which zombie outbreaks spread, decisive, overwhelming, and possibly unilateral military force may be required to negate the zombie threat.
23:34 AJ Gentile? Real scientific research shows organisms survive where life should be impossible. These extremophiles include tardigrades that withstand the vacuum of space. If similar organisms exist elsewhere in the solar system, they might be incompatible with human biology. Large asteroids or comets could carry alien microorganisms or radioactive materials. The Toguska event in 1908 flattened over 1,000 square miles of Siberian forest. If a similar impact happened over a populated area, alien contamination would spread before anyone could respond.
24:09 AJ Gentile? Con Plan 8888 states nuclear weapons would be the most effective counter to space zombies. The logic: if contamination can't be contained, incineration at nuclear temperatures becomes the only option. But there's one zombie type that concerns the military more than any other. It can't be killed with conventional weapons. It can't be killed with nuclear weapons. The only way to fight this zombie is with God.
25:14 AJ Gentile? "Evil magic zombies." The document actually uses those words. The Pentagon has an official position on supernatural threats.
25:23 Speaker 03 U.S. Strat Comm. Con Plan 8888. Section 4, Subsection 6, Zombie Threat Summary, Part 3, Evil Magic Zombies. Of the classes of zombies, one type is caused by occult phenomena that cannot be reliably monitored, predicted, or proven to exist. Zombies caused by occult phenomena are EMZs. The only way to ensure a zombie is dead is to burn the zombie corpse. EMZs are the only class of zombie that may not be vulnerable to this measure. Despite being the hardest threats to eliminate directly by attacking the zombie life form, EMZs can usually be eliminated if the source of evil magic is destroyed.
26:07 Speaker 03 There is evidence to suggest the Chaplain Corps may prove integral to countering these threats.
26:13 AJ Gentile? The military takes this seriously enough to assign the Chaplain Corps as primary defense. Now, think about that. The Pentagon believes defeating these zombies might require divine intervention.
26:23 Speaker 02 Oh, Jon Snow intervention.
26:26 AJ Gentile? Right.
26:26 Speaker 02 Thousands of years ago, there came a night that lasted a generation. Kings froze to death in their castles, same as the shepherds in their huts. Women smothered their babies rather than see them starve, and wept and felt the tears freeze on their cheeks. So is it for the long night, and the white walkers. Oh, man.
26:44 AJ Gentile? I know what it is. But yes, white walkers and whites in Game of Thrones are evil magic zombies. Fighting the supernatural isn't new to the military. During World War II, both sides employed occult research divisions. The Nazis had the Adenova. The Allies had their own paranormal units. Churchill consulted astrologers. The US Army investigated psychic warfare during the Cold War.
27:09 AJ Gentile? Now, it may seem that the military has everything figured out. They've identified each type of zombie threat. They understand how to fight them. But not so fast. Buried on page 16 is a single unsettling section.
27:22 Speaker 03 US Stratcom, Conplan 8888. Section 4, subsection 13.3. Shortfalls and limiting factors. Adequate zombie defenses require sandbags, sand, carved wire, anti-personnel mines, riot-control chemical agents, and petroleum to create flame barriers. These supplies may not be present in sufficient volume to defend against zombie incursion and could severely tax available logistical support infrastructure. US Stratcom forces do not currently hold enough contingency stores—food, water—to support 30 days of barricaded counter-zombie operations, and US Stratcom has no ground combat forces capable of repelling a zombie assault.
28:08 AJ Gentile? Several zombie types identified, specific tactical recommendations, containment protocols, resource requirements, but not enough soldiers in the army to actually win. So, the military created a new army, an army of millions of soldiers, all trained to survive the zombie apocalypse. And for years, these soldiers have been learning how to organize, how to fight, and how to rebuild civilization. This army has been built in secret, but also in plain sight, because the soldiers of this army are us.
28:48 AJ Gentile? The military knows how to fight zombies. They have a plan, but they don't have the soldiers. So they created them: us. The military developed a psychological operation that trained millions of civilians without them knowing it. The Walking Dead premiered on October 31, 2010, the same year Con Plan 8888 finished development. World War Z started filming in 2011 and was released in 2013. The Last of Us game launched in 2013. All during the exact time this military document was finalized and declassified. Think about what these shows taught you: survival tactics, supply management, team dynamics, trust no one, secure your perimeter, always have an escape plan.
29:30 AJ Gentile? Millions of Americans absorbed zombie apocalypse protocols through entertainment. The training was subtle, but effective. I've watched every Walking Dead episode. Okay, I watched up until season 5. I played the Last of Us games. I played the first one.
29:47 AJ Gentile? The Walking Dead, The Last of Us, World War Z, we've all consumed the same content, and we learned the same lessons. The military didn't need bootcamps, they had Netflix. But the psy-op might distract from the real secret. Con Plan 8888 contains multiple references that classified annexes never released publicly. The document repeatedly mentions "annex C" detailing space control capabilities. Page after page references classified sections stripped from the public version. "Annex S" covers "special technical operations." "Annex D" handles classified logistics. Throughout the document, footnotes point to information marked "secret" or "higher." The zombie scenarios were unclassified. The real military capabilities stayed hidden.
30:33 AJ Gentile? The most telling detail is buried in the technical sections. Con Plan 8888 works alongside other military plans. Con Plan 8035 for space operations. Con Plan 8531 for flu pandemics. And Con Plan 8099 for combating WMDs. These are active military plans, not training exercises.
30:55 AJ Gentile? Because the zombie plan is unclassified, it implies the threat isn't real. But the classified military capabilities are real. There's clearly some kind of threat. So the big question is, how do you survive it?
31:15 AJ Gentile? When the outbreak starts, you have about 48 hours before everything falls apart.
31:19 Speaker 02 Darkness falls across the land. The midnight hour is close at hand. Creatures crawl in search of blood, to terrorize y'alls neighborhood.
31:30 AJ Gentile? You got that out of your system?
31:32 Speaker 02 Almost.
31:33 AJ Gentile? Great. The people who survive aren't lucky. They're prepared. Your location determines your survival. If you're in a city, get out. Fast. Cities become death traps. All those people packed together, that's a zombie buffet. And in a dense population center, the infection will spread faster than it can be contained. Hospitals fill with infected who don't know what's happening to them. They stumble into emergency rooms and spread the virus to medical staff. And don't call 911. Police stations get overrun by panicked citizens looking for weapons. The smart cops go home to protect their families. The rest become casualties. You need to be somewhere remote. A cabin, a homestead, or a farm. If you don't own one, better know someone who does.
32:16 AJ Gentile? Those places have what matters: food, water, and people who know how to defend them.
32:22 AJ Gentile? Guns are loud. They attract attention you don't want. A bow and arrow works better. So does a knife, a bat, or a crowbar. Quiet weapons keep you alive longer. Skip the supermarkets. They're already squirreling with desperate people. You need supplies ready before disaster strikes. Prep a bug-out bag. Forget the bottled water. Carry warmer purification. Tablets or a LifeStraw water filter. Iodine pills for radiation exposure. You'll need food. MREs last 30 years, but food is heavy. Better if you learn how to hunt, clean, and cook your own meals. Pack Parrot Record, rated for 500 pounds. It can be used for everything: securing shelter, making tourniquets, starting fires, and it works as fishing line.
33:03 AJ Gentile? Pack a solar radio, solar flashlight, real Band-Aids, and N95 masks. Take signaling mirrors and whistles, toothbrush, toothpaste, toiletries. When you're stuck in the wild, you'll be happy you remembered those. In my kit, I keep thermal blankets, a small propane stove, and glow sticks. I've got a fire starter, a multi-tool, three different kinds of knives. Bring a needle and thread, good for repairing clothes and sewing up wounds. And if you don't have the stomach to stitch a cut, crazy glue will do in a pinch. And don't forget duct tape. It fixes everything and reinforces barricades. I even keep mini bug-out bags in all my vehicles. You can pick one up for about $40, and I'll link below to the gear I use. Once you're out of the chaos, find a place where you can rest.
33:47 AJ Gentile? Watch your lines of sight, learn to set a perimeter, trip wires and snares, anything to alert you to danger, and find other people. Pull resources, exchange knowledge and skills, mill your strengths, and find people to shore up your weaknesses. Some people are fighters, some are farmers, some are planners, some are builders. There's safety in numbers. But when connecting with strangers, trust your gut. Whether it's Con Plan 8888, or some generic survival guide, they'll tell you the same thing: When the end of the world comes, the most dangerous thing you'll face isn't zombies, it's other people.
34:34 AJ Gentile? We followed Con Plan 8888 from a zombie outbreak at offed Air Force Base through classified space operations and potential psychological warfare. The military created detailed protocols for fighting the undead. So, let's actually reel.
34:49 AJ Gentile? Well, Con Plan 8888 is exactly what the Pentagon says it is: a training exercise. Junior officers created it to learn planning procedures. Using an impossible scenario avoids diplomatic problems. So rather than create a plan to defeat Russians or Chinese, the enemies are evil magic zombies. Everyone understands its practice. The zombie PSYOP theory also doesn't hold up. The timing of Con Plan 8888 being released at the same time as zombie movies and TV shows wasn't coordination, it was coincidence. Hollywood always follows the money. Remember we had 10 or 15 years of superhero movies, released one after the other? Now, not so much?
35:26 Speaker 02 Yeah, thanks a lot, Disney!
35:29 AJ Gentile? We had zombies before Con Plan 8888. White Zombie came out in 1932. George Romero created modern zombies with Night of the Living Dead in 1968. Dawn of the Dead in 1978 set the template for everything that followed. The Walking Dead comic started in 2003. Studios see profit and then flood the market. But dismissing this as just a joke would be a mistake. Con Plan 8888 connects to real military plans. Con Plan 8035, Con Plan 8531, Con Plan 8099. These aren't exercises, they're operational.
36:07 AJ Gentile? The plan's real value is seeing the military acknowledge how fast society could collapse. It admits there are scenarios where the military can't win. A plan to defeat zombies is hard for the public to take seriously, but maybe that's the point. Maybe Con Plan 8888 is a clever distraction. The story isn't in the document they show us, it's in the documents they hide. Con Plan 8888 repeatedly references classified annexes that were stripped from the public version, but we know they exist, we just don't know what they are. We know they reference space-based operations, but we don't know what threats they address or what capabilities they describe, and they're not gonna tell us. And that's why I believe Con Plan 8888 is that important document.
36:50 AJ Gentile? In some ways, it paints the American people as distracted and selfish, and there's some truth to that. But things change in a crisis. To save our families and our communities... People will step up. Not everyone, but enough to matter. Whether intentional or not, Conplan 8888 teaches valuable lessons about preparation and resource management. Those are good skills to learn, and start learning them now. When society collapses, nobody's coming to save us. We are the first responders. So, train like one, prepare like one. The difference between a life lost and a life saved could be you. So, get to know your neighbors, learn how to communicate, how to plan, how to survive. If you don't learn these skills now, it could come back to bite you.
37:44 AJ Gentile? Thank you so much for hanging out today. My name is AJ, here's Hackelvish.
37:47 Speaker 02 And now you fight to stay alive, your body starts to shiver. For no mere mortal can resist the evil of the-
37:55 AJ Gentile? Careful, copyright.
37:56 Speaker 02 Ah, good point.
37:57 AJ Gentile? This has been the Y-Files. Get fun or learn anything, do him a favor, subscribe, comment, like, share. I remember when that stuff used to help the channel. Like most topics we cover on the channel, today's is recommended by you. So, if there's a story you'd like to see or learn more about, go to theyfiles.com/tips. Or, just email us. Remember, the Y-Files is also a podcast. We're on the top charts for YouTube, for Apple, and for Spotify. And I appreciate that. Twice a week, I post deep dives into the stories we cover on the channel. But you'll also see episodes that wouldn't be allowed on the channel. And I label those "redacted." Anyway, the podcast is called The Y-Files: Operation Podcast. And it's available everywhere. And if you're listening on an audio platform, if there's a like button, or a share, or a subscri-, or any of that stuff, it really does help the podcast, so I would appreciate that.
38:42 AJ Gentile? If you need more Y-Files in your life, check out our Discord. There are thousands of people on there. Are we coming up on 100,000? Pretty close. So, 24/7, there's someone on there talking about the same weird stuff we do here. You know zombies and our 24/7 Discord. Kinda go hand in hand. It's a great community, it's a lot of fun, it's really supportive, and it's free to join. Now, speaking of 24/7, make sure you check out our 24/7 stream on the Yfiles backstage. Over there we run episodes back to back with some fun content in between. And the live chat is more entertaining than the videos. It's a great community over there. If you want to know what's going on with the Yfiles at any given time, you can check our production calendar. It's theyfiles.com/cal. And there we post our episode schedule, upcoming podcasts, live streams, all that stuff.
39:26 AJ Gentile? Special thanks to our patrons who make this channel possible. Every episode of the Yfiles is dedicated to our Patreon members. I could not do this without you. And if you'd like to support the channel, join this great community and keep us going, consider becoming a member on Patreon. For as little as 3 bucks a month, you get access to perks like seeing videos early with no commercials, exclusive merch, and 2 private live streams every week, all just for you. And the whole Yfiles team is on the stream. You get to meet me, the wife, Victoria, all the mods, Gino. And you can turn your webcam on, jump up on stage, ask a question, talk about a topic, tell a joke, whatever you want. It's a way to get to know us as people. Think it's the best perk there is. Another great way to support the channel is grab something from the Yfiles store.
40:05 Speaker 02 Grab a Hagglish t-shirt, or one of these visible coffee mugs that you can stick your zombified, corpse-y fist into. Or grab a hoodie, or something like this on it, or get one of these squeezy animal stuffed Hagglish plushie doll toys.
40:19 AJ Gentile? But, if you're gonna buy merch, make sure you become a member on YouTube. YouTube members get 10% off everything in the Yfiles store, everything, forever.
40:26 Speaker 02 Yeah, keep that secret close to your gills, eh?
40:28 AJ Gentile? Those are the plugs. You hear my voice cracking? I can't even tell you how long I've been sitting in this chair. 2 hours. Lot of takes. Look, I'm doing the best I can. Until next time, be safe. Be kind. Know that you are appreciated. Cause you are.
41:01 Speaker 08 I played Polybius in Area 51. A secret code inside the Bible said I was. I love my UFOs and paranormal fun as well as music. So I'm singing like I should. Within another piece of theory, it comes to truth, my friends. And it never ends, no it never ends.
41:38 Speaker 08 I feared the crackhead and got stuck inside Mel's home with MKUltra. I'm being only too aware. Did Stanley Kubrick fake the moon landing alone? On a film set, were the shadows people there? The Rockwell aliens just fought the smiling man, I'm told. And his name was Cold. And I can't believe I'm dancing with the fish. Head to fish on Thursday nights with AJ too. And one more zombie all through the night.
42:19 Speaker 08 All I ever wanted was to get to the truth. So one more zombie all through the night.
42:44 Speaker 08 The Mothman sightings and the solar storms still come. To a god that the secret city underground. Mysterious number stations, planet circle two. Project Stargate and what the dark watchers found. In a simulation, don't you worry though. The black night satellite told me so. I can't believe I'm dancing with the fish.
43:16 Speaker 08 Head to fish on Thursday nights with AJ2. And one more loving beat all through the night.
43:25 Speaker 08 All I ever wanted was to just hear the truth. So one more loving beat all through the night. Head to fish on Thursday nights with AJ2. And one more loving beat all through the night. All I ever wanted was to just hear the truth. So one more loving beat all through the night.
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Previous Majestic 12 | Secret Documents Expose UFO Cover-Up Vol. 1 Next 612: The Dark Alliance: CIA and DARPA's Hidden War on Citizens (COMPILATION) Page updated November 1, 2026 · transcript and summary are machine-generated