Surviving Hostile Environments

If you find yourself or a group in a hostile environment you will have to use your knowledge, training, and planning to avoid getting into conflicting situations. Typically this means avoiding being spotted or captured at all costs. Before you are in safe hands it is likely that you will have to be extremely mobile and utilize the resources that you have or are given in your particular situation. Any preparation and training you do now can greatly improve your chances of success.

Decision-Making

If you or a group is placed in a hostile environment you will first have to make a decision of whether your best option is to move or wait it out. This decision can have its own variables including available food and drink, defensive supplies, injuries, the chance of relief and the risk of mobilizing or maintaining position. If the goal is to maintain safety than the decisions maybe made in effort to meet that goal. If the decisions are made based on completing some other objective then they will have to be weighed in order of importance. Any decision that is made must be communicated to the group so that everyone involved is on the same page and can make individual decisions based on the good of the group.

Executing your Survival

If the decision is made to flee the hostile area then the decision of where to go will have to be decided and communicated. The group will have to decide the best location to migrate to and it should be based on a location that is easy to locate and occupy for a predetermined amount of time. Once the team has decided on a destination they should go over some factors that help with their safety. This includes the equipment necessary to mobilize, first aid if necessary, hiding locations in the event they can’t make the run, alternative routes, rally points, and rendezvous areas. The goal is to always maintain the security of the group which can be achieved by splitting the team up into smaller teams based on equipment and experience.

Execution of your Mobilization

Mobilizing your team to the friendly area is the most dangerous part of your run and presents you with the most vulnerability. If possible, move at night to benefit from the cover of darkness. You should avoid the following areas even if they are not the quickest: roads and trails, inhabited areas, waterways and bridges, man-made structures, all civilian and military personnel, and obstacles and barriers. The mobilization process should be very slow and deliberate as to ensure the best security of your team. Try to detect enemies before they detect you and frequently stop and listen and observe your surroundings. Practicing these precautions will give you the best chance of surviving a hostile situation.