Military Tips, Tactics, and Techniques for Survival, Evasion, and Recovery

 

SERE has evolved from being primarily focused on "outdoor survival training" to being increasingly focused upon "evasion, resistance, and escape". Military survival training differs from typical civilian programs in several key areas:

1. The anticipated military survival situation almost always begins with exiting a vehicle—an aircraft or ship. Thus, the scenario begins with exit strategies, practices, and means (ejecting, parachuting, underwater escape, etc.).

2. Military survival training has greater focus on specialized military survival equipment, survival kits, signaling, rescue techniques, and recovery methods.

3. Military personnel are almost always better prepared for survival situations because of obvious inherent risk in their activities (and their training and equipment). Conversely, military personnel are subject to a much wider variety of likely scenarios as any given mission may expose them to a wide variety of risks, environments, and injuries.

4. In almost all military survival situations someone knows you're missing and will be looking for you with advanced equipment and pre-established protocols.

5. Military survival often involves exposure to an enemy. The basic survival skills taught in SERE programs include common outdoor/wilderness survival skills such as fire-craft, shelter-craft, first aid, water procurement and treatment, food procurement (traps, snares, and wild edibles), improvised equipment, self-defense (natural hazards), and navigation (map and compass, etc.). More advanced survival training focuses on mental elements such as will to survive, attitude, and "survival thinking" (situational awareness, assessment, prioritization).
Military survival schools also teach unique skills such as parachute landings, basic and specialized signaling, vectoring a helicopter, use of rescue devices (forest-tree penetrators, harnesses, etc.), rough terrain travel, and interaction with indigenous peoples.

Certain skills have been identified that enhance every soldier's chance for survival (whether they are on the battlefield or not):

1. Use weapons properly and effectively
2. Move safely and efficiently through various terrains
3. Navigate from one point to another given point on the ground
4. Communicate as needed
5. Perform first aid (evaluate, stabilize, and transport)
6. Identify and react properly to hazards
7. Select and utilize offensive and defensive positions
8. Maintain personal health and readiness
9. Evade, resist, and escape (aka "kidnapping and hostage survival")
10. Know and utilize emergency procedures, survival equipment, and recovery systems

The current ‘best reference’ for Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape (SERE) is the U.S. Air Force Handbook 10-644 (27 March 2017). There is however additional guidance provided in other military references that can be extremely valuable for individuals in a survival environment. (For example, AF Handbook 10-644 does not contain detailed information on counter-tracking and evading dogs, but this information is available in other military manuals.)
 
The following pages contain extracts from those additional military references.
 
•    Naval Special Warfare SEAL Tactics. NWP 3-05.2 (June 2007)
•    Seabee Combat Handbook, Volume 1 NAVEDTRA 14234 (April 1993)
•    Survival, Evasion and Recovery. MCRP 3-02H (29 June 1999)
•    Ranger Handbook. TC 3-21.76 (April 2017)
•    Ranger Handbook. SH 21-76 (February 2011)
•    Survival. FM 3-05.70 (FM 21-76) (May 2002)
•    Long-Range Surveillance Unit Operations. FM 7-93 (3 October 1995)
•    A Self-Help Guide to Antiterrorism. CJCS Guide 5260 (10 June 2013)
•    Scouting and Patrolling. MCTP 3-01A (24 July 2020)
•    Advanced Situational Awareness. TC 3-22.69 (April 2021)
•    Special Forces Tracking and Counter-tracking. TC 31-34-4. (September 2009)
•    Special Forces Sniper Training and Employment FM 3-05-222 (April 2003)
•    Combat Observation and Decision-making in Irregular and Ambiguous Conflicts (CODIAC) Handbook (2010)
•    Ground Reconnaissance Operations. MCRP 2-10A.6 (4 April 2018)
•    Search and Rescue Survival Training. AFR 64-4 Vol I (15 July 1985)
•    Soldier's Handbook for Individual Operations and Survival in Cold-Weather Areas. TC 21-3. (March 1986)
•    Army Personnel Recovery. FM 3-50.1 (August 2005)
•    Basic Cryptanalysis. FM 34-40-2. (13 December 1990)
•    Survival, Evasion and Recovery. GTA 80-01-003. (June 2011)
•    Capture Avoidance / Personnel Recovery Plan. Asymmetric Warfare Group (January 2007)
•    Special Forces Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape Communications Techniques. GTA 31-70-001 (January 2015)
•    Joint Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for Combat Search and Rescue. Joint Pub 3-50.21 (23 March 1998)
•    Travel Awareness Handbook. Asymmetric Warfare Group (2018)
•    U.S. Coast Guard - Personal Survival and Emergency Drill Course
•    Journal of Special Operations Medicine Volume 10, Edition 1 / Winter 2010
•    Civil Air Patrol - Operational Mission Inflight Guide (July 2021)
•    Personnel Recovery. JP 3-50 (20 December 2011)


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