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Realities of full time retreat security copyright 2005 Robert Henry
Most survivalists have never fully realized the implications of mounting a full time security guard at their retreat.
I've advocated for years the need for grouping together with other survivalists for mutual defense. Even a family will have problems in the long term trying to mount a 24/7 guard duty.
In the past, we've covered some of the basic physical preps- hardening your retreat, layout of OP's and defensive positions, etc. Now we will talk about the "soft" side of things- the group and personal dynamics of having full time security.
First off a duty schedule needs to be made up. Some of the factors to consider are:
* How many defensive positions must be operated.
* How many TRAINED personnel are available to man them.
* How many support people are needed for them.
* Each individual guard's physical abilities or lack thereof.
How many defensive positions must be operated?
If you remember back a while, I've advocated having an "inner perimeter" for your retreat that is as tight as possible. If you have 200 acres and have the idea that you are going to keep it totally under guard with 6 people, it just ain't gonna happen. However, if you shrink your main (notice the word main) defensive considerations to 5 or 10 acres surrounding your dwellings and support structure, this is a closer possibility.
Ideally, one position could "cover" the entire inner perimeter of your retreat. More likely than not, 2 or more positions will be necessary. The more positions the better as long as they can be adequately manned. As much as possible we want multiple positions to be mutually supportive of each other when it comes to defensive fire. If possible those positions should be within sight of each other. During daylight hours, each guard will visibly check on the other guard numerous times every 20-30 minutes of their watch. At night, they will check in with each other via field phones.
I'm not a big fan of undue RF (radio frequency) emissions around your retreat area, no matter the band. Military surplus field phones, such as the TA-1's and 312's provide a secure non tactical communications source. Each position should contain at least one phone connecting it with other positions. Ideally, each dwelling or shelter area of your retreat should have a field phone also. Guards should also carry short range radios with them in their gear also, but these should be used (where possible) strictly for if/when trouble starts. The key reason here is mobility.
How many TRAINED personnel are available to man them?
Don't kid yourself here. You need people properly trained and equipped to handle any situation that may present itself. 90 year old "Pappy" from WWII and 10 year old "Lil Joe" have their place in helping with the defense of the retreat, it just might not be front line type help.
We are talking about people that can stand, watch and most importantly PAY ATTENTION and follow simple instructions for 4, 6 or even 8 hours at a time.
Are they physically able to stand that long? Yes, they can sit where possible. Can they be trusted to not fall asleep at 2 a.m or to call in and ask for someone to relieve them if they cannot?
Can they reliably hit targets that will present themselves at the maximum engagement distance for that particular position? Do they see well at night? Do they see well during the day for that matter? Do they smoke? You can't have people smoking on guard duty and most serious smokers can't go 30 minutes without a hit.
Are they jumpy or overly nervous? Will they start shooting blindly into the bush when they see a shadow in the middle of the night? Have they been trained in how to properly use their eyes at night? Do they have experience and confidence in it? Do their know your groups SOP's for defense? Can they exercise noise and light discipline?
After you train your people in the skills necessary for regular guard duty, it's important to do some simulations. What is the SOP for someone just walking up to your gate? Do the guards just start blasting? These are the things that have to be hammered out ahead of time to avoid any problems.
The bugs tend to be worked out after about 4 or 5 times of practice. A simple checklist that is gone over before going on guard duty with things like: "Load your weapon before leaving the house. Check your batteries in your radio. Is your weapon clean?" go a long way in reminding everyone of what needs to be done. Regular inspections of gear and weapons sounds ridiculous, but is necessary to maintain a high level of preparations.
How many support people are needed for them?
Who will be cooking, growing food, tending animals, preserving food, repairing items, keeping the dwellings, doing laundry, etc. while you mount a full time guard? In a small group, the folks that are mounting the regular guard may also have to do all these tasks. Essentially this might work out to having 2 jobs at 40 hours or more per week. Stress and breakdowns (physical as well as mental) are a real possibility.
Each individual's physical abilities or lack thereof
I eluded to some of this earlier in this article. Some folks may not have eyesight capabilities necessary for pulling a night guard duty. People in poor physical shape may lack the stamina to stand for long periods of time without sitting down. All of these things have to be factored in and where possible, worked around.
So, let's work through some examples of figuring all this out.
Joe's group consists of 42 people including dependents. 8 of these 42 are "regular" group members. They train regularly and are equipped properly. Initially, these 8 would be the only ones considered for guard duty. As time went on, some of the people who were not normal group attendees could be trained for and used on guard duty. This would free up the original 8 to some degree, allowing further patrolling outside the retreat, remote observation posts near key travel routes, ambush detail, etc. Outside of this, consider that of the original 8, several of these people are bound to be "specialists" in some area where their skills will be needed regularly at the retreat. Consistently sending someone out to relieve them at their position is counter productive.
So, Joe's got 8 people (for the time being) for a full time guard. Joe also has 2 positions he wants covered 24/7. This reduces the number 8 down to 4. With 24 hours in a day, it's obvious that those 8 people will each have at least one 6 hour guard duty shift every day.
From there we look at physical abilities. Fred and Wilma both can't see two feet in front of them at night. They are out for any of the night shifts as they would become a liability. Betty and Barney on the other hand, love the night, see well in full darkness and work the "graveyard" shift currently at their work. It's an easy guess that Betty and Barney will be covering six hours of the night duty.
If you have to use any older children (i.e, 10-13), "young adults" (14-16) or anyone not specifically trained for guard duty, I'd highly advise using them principally during the day and/or doubling them up where possible. It takes quite a bit of night training to develop the confidence of standing a lone watch by yourself and being effective doing it.
Any distance marksmen should have day shifts where long engagement distances are possible. If only one person in your group can effectively engage targets at 500 yards and he is put on night duty it severely limits you getting the most productive use out of his skills.
Where possible, limiting of guard duty shift time periods to six hours or less should help to maintain energy levels and alertness. Four hours obviously would be much better, but a higher number of guards are needed for shorter shift periods. Consider also breaking duty times up to a few hours during the day and a few hours at night in same groups that must maintain several positions.
Seismic detection units are force multipliers for your guards. However, these should not take the place of guards, nor should any other types of electronic surveillance or dogs. That being said, you need to stack the deck in your favor every way possible.
Some odds and ends that you might find helpful
Make your permanent guard positions as comfortable as possible. This means at a minimum rainproof. Portable space heaters may be o.k. for use in extreme increment weather (very few people you will go up against will have thermal imaging). A toilet or a "pee tube" in the OP can be highly beneficial. A simple "pee tube" can be constructed out of 2" PVC pipe. At the "input" area put a coupling with a threaded adapter and clean out plug. Tie a short piece of 550 cord to the clean out plug so it doesn't get lost, especially at night. You can put the tube up to correct height so that the guard can still maintain watch while urinating. The tube should run slightly downhill a good distance away from the OP, terminating either directly into a gravel pit at least a foot underground. Alternatively, you could drill dozens of holes in the bottom of the pipe along the last 3-4 feet before the pipe terminates. Once a week use a weak bleach/water solution to flush the tube. It works.
A thermos of warm fluids- tea, coffee, soup broth, is helpful during long watches in increment weather. I would advise that guards do NOT eat at the OP. Have someone relieve them for 30 minutes and give them a chance to eat a decent meal if their watch falls during one. A 30 minute break once every 4 to 6 hours of guard duty is very helpful to give people a chance to refocus.
Supplies necessary to put the OP into action should be packed in a waterproof container and stowed ready for use. This includes items like: 10 or so extra mags for rifles (keep loaded at 20 versus 30 rounds to avoid spring problems), extra batteries for flashlights, NVG's and radios, whistle's, boat air horns, flares, first aid kit, extra battle dressings, C.A.T. tourniquet, binoculars, field phones, kevlar helmet, camo netting for the OP, hand warmers for increment weather, etc.
Field phone wire should be pre-deployed ahead of time to each position and marked as to where it goes. To put the OP into action, the waterproof container of supplies (see above) marked with that OP location is carried down to the location, the field phones hooked up and comm checked, and the guard is ready for duty.
All for now. Hope this helps. RH
Most survivalists have never fully realized the implications of mounting a full time security guard at their retreat.
I've advocated for years the need for grouping together with other survivalists for mutual defense. Even a family will have problems in the long term trying to mount a 24/7 guard duty.
In the past, we've covered some of the basic physical preps- hardening your retreat, layout of OP's and defensive positions, etc. Now we will talk about the "soft" side of things- the group and personal dynamics of having full time security.
First off a duty schedule needs to be made up. Some of the factors to consider are:
* How many defensive positions must be operated.
* How many TRAINED personnel are available to man them.
* How many support people are needed for them.
* Each individual guard's physical abilities or lack thereof.
How many defensive positions must be operated?
If you remember back a while, I've advocated having an "inner perimeter" for your retreat that is as tight as possible. If you have 200 acres and have the idea that you are going to keep it totally under guard with 6 people, it just ain't gonna happen. However, if you shrink your main (notice the word main) defensive considerations to 5 or 10 acres surrounding your dwellings and support structure, this is a closer possibility.
Ideally, one position could "cover" the entire inner perimeter of your retreat. More likely than not, 2 or more positions will be necessary. The more positions the better as long as they can be adequately manned. As much as possible we want multiple positions to be mutually supportive of each other when it comes to defensive fire. If possible those positions should be within sight of each other. During daylight hours, each guard will visibly check on the other guard numerous times every 20-30 minutes of their watch. At night, they will check in with each other via field phones.
I'm not a big fan of undue RF (radio frequency) emissions around your retreat area, no matter the band. Military surplus field phones, such as the TA-1's and 312's provide a secure non tactical communications source. Each position should contain at least one phone connecting it with other positions. Ideally, each dwelling or shelter area of your retreat should have a field phone also. Guards should also carry short range radios with them in their gear also, but these should be used (where possible) strictly for if/when trouble starts. The key reason here is mobility.
How many TRAINED personnel are available to man them?
Don't kid yourself here. You need people properly trained and equipped to handle any situation that may present itself. 90 year old "Pappy" from WWII and 10 year old "Lil Joe" have their place in helping with the defense of the retreat, it just might not be front line type help.
We are talking about people that can stand, watch and most importantly PAY ATTENTION and follow simple instructions for 4, 6 or even 8 hours at a time.
Are they physically able to stand that long? Yes, they can sit where possible. Can they be trusted to not fall asleep at 2 a.m or to call in and ask for someone to relieve them if they cannot?
Can they reliably hit targets that will present themselves at the maximum engagement distance for that particular position? Do they see well at night? Do they see well during the day for that matter? Do they smoke? You can't have people smoking on guard duty and most serious smokers can't go 30 minutes without a hit.
Are they jumpy or overly nervous? Will they start shooting blindly into the bush when they see a shadow in the middle of the night? Have they been trained in how to properly use their eyes at night? Do they have experience and confidence in it? Do their know your groups SOP's for defense? Can they exercise noise and light discipline?
After you train your people in the skills necessary for regular guard duty, it's important to do some simulations. What is the SOP for someone just walking up to your gate? Do the guards just start blasting? These are the things that have to be hammered out ahead of time to avoid any problems.
The bugs tend to be worked out after about 4 or 5 times of practice. A simple checklist that is gone over before going on guard duty with things like: "Load your weapon before leaving the house. Check your batteries in your radio. Is your weapon clean?" go a long way in reminding everyone of what needs to be done. Regular inspections of gear and weapons sounds ridiculous, but is necessary to maintain a high level of preparations.
How many support people are needed for them?
Who will be cooking, growing food, tending animals, preserving food, repairing items, keeping the dwellings, doing laundry, etc. while you mount a full time guard? In a small group, the folks that are mounting the regular guard may also have to do all these tasks. Essentially this might work out to having 2 jobs at 40 hours or more per week. Stress and breakdowns (physical as well as mental) are a real possibility.
Each individual's physical abilities or lack thereof
I eluded to some of this earlier in this article. Some folks may not have eyesight capabilities necessary for pulling a night guard duty. People in poor physical shape may lack the stamina to stand for long periods of time without sitting down. All of these things have to be factored in and where possible, worked around.
So, let's work through some examples of figuring all this out.
Joe's group consists of 42 people including dependents. 8 of these 42 are "regular" group members. They train regularly and are equipped properly. Initially, these 8 would be the only ones considered for guard duty. As time went on, some of the people who were not normal group attendees could be trained for and used on guard duty. This would free up the original 8 to some degree, allowing further patrolling outside the retreat, remote observation posts near key travel routes, ambush detail, etc. Outside of this, consider that of the original 8, several of these people are bound to be "specialists" in some area where their skills will be needed regularly at the retreat. Consistently sending someone out to relieve them at their position is counter productive.
So, Joe's got 8 people (for the time being) for a full time guard. Joe also has 2 positions he wants covered 24/7. This reduces the number 8 down to 4. With 24 hours in a day, it's obvious that those 8 people will each have at least one 6 hour guard duty shift every day.
From there we look at physical abilities. Fred and Wilma both can't see two feet in front of them at night. They are out for any of the night shifts as they would become a liability. Betty and Barney on the other hand, love the night, see well in full darkness and work the "graveyard" shift currently at their work. It's an easy guess that Betty and Barney will be covering six hours of the night duty.
If you have to use any older children (i.e, 10-13), "young adults" (14-16) or anyone not specifically trained for guard duty, I'd highly advise using them principally during the day and/or doubling them up where possible. It takes quite a bit of night training to develop the confidence of standing a lone watch by yourself and being effective doing it.
Any distance marksmen should have day shifts where long engagement distances are possible. If only one person in your group can effectively engage targets at 500 yards and he is put on night duty it severely limits you getting the most productive use out of his skills.
Where possible, limiting of guard duty shift time periods to six hours or less should help to maintain energy levels and alertness. Four hours obviously would be much better, but a higher number of guards are needed for shorter shift periods. Consider also breaking duty times up to a few hours during the day and a few hours at night in same groups that must maintain several positions.
Seismic detection units are force multipliers for your guards. However, these should not take the place of guards, nor should any other types of electronic surveillance or dogs. That being said, you need to stack the deck in your favor every way possible.
Some odds and ends that you might find helpful
Make your permanent guard positions as comfortable as possible. This means at a minimum rainproof. Portable space heaters may be o.k. for use in extreme increment weather (very few people you will go up against will have thermal imaging). A toilet or a "pee tube" in the OP can be highly beneficial. A simple "pee tube" can be constructed out of 2" PVC pipe. At the "input" area put a coupling with a threaded adapter and clean out plug. Tie a short piece of 550 cord to the clean out plug so it doesn't get lost, especially at night. You can put the tube up to correct height so that the guard can still maintain watch while urinating. The tube should run slightly downhill a good distance away from the OP, terminating either directly into a gravel pit at least a foot underground. Alternatively, you could drill dozens of holes in the bottom of the pipe along the last 3-4 feet before the pipe terminates. Once a week use a weak bleach/water solution to flush the tube. It works.
A thermos of warm fluids- tea, coffee, soup broth, is helpful during long watches in increment weather. I would advise that guards do NOT eat at the OP. Have someone relieve them for 30 minutes and give them a chance to eat a decent meal if their watch falls during one. A 30 minute break once every 4 to 6 hours of guard duty is very helpful to give people a chance to refocus.
Supplies necessary to put the OP into action should be packed in a waterproof container and stowed ready for use. This includes items like: 10 or so extra mags for rifles (keep loaded at 20 versus 30 rounds to avoid spring problems), extra batteries for flashlights, NVG's and radios, whistle's, boat air horns, flares, first aid kit, extra battle dressings, C.A.T. tourniquet, binoculars, field phones, kevlar helmet, camo netting for the OP, hand warmers for increment weather, etc.
Field phone wire should be pre-deployed ahead of time to each position and marked as to where it goes. To put the OP into action, the waterproof container of supplies (see above) marked with that OP location is carried down to the location, the field phones hooked up and comm checked, and the guard is ready for duty.
All for now. Hope this helps. RH
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