Long Range Recon Patrols and Operations Centers for Survival Groups

Survival groups who may bug out to their survival retreats must give some serious consideration to the security of these retreats for themselves and those who reside there. During times of crisis there will be many tribes and hordes out and wandering the land in search of food, weapons and women. It would do us well as survivalists to take some clues from the Vietnam War.

Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols were accomplished by special 4 to 6 men units which went on dangerous operations behind enemy lines. The first LRRP to be activated was the British group of Long Range Desert Forces. In the late 60s the American Army Special Forces trained personnel for the specific purpose of tracking down enemy detachments involved in guerrilla warfare, artillery spotting, forward air control, intelligence gathering and bomb damage assessment. During the early years of the Vietnam War the long range recon patrols were manned by a few infantry battalion Platoons.

In 1969 all LRRPs began to fall under the command of the 75th Ranger unit. This was unique because after the Korean War the army had disbanded the Ranger units but maintained their Ranger School. These graduates of the school were placed in various army units under the idea that they would improve overall performance of the force in general.

Similar to the Army Ranger units as survivalists it becomes extremely important that we establish something similar so that our group can effectively plan our group related course of action. Ever wonder what sort of training we should possibly establish for this kind of venture? Well when the hordes start to head our way to help themselves to our food, weapons and our families we begin to start thinking very quickly. Long Range Recon Patrols should be in continual contact with your group's small operations center.

In the home base we should setup various lookout posts which are also in communications with our operations center. By the sounds of this you can easily see that communications will actively play a major roll in our defense. Your home base operations center will more then likely be sitting comfortably at the end of a long, lonely road. Perhaps your home or your compound will be neatly hidden in your little wooded area where you can conduct your operations center activities from.

You goal should be to prevent people from coming down that long road far enough in advance before they see the driveway let alone the home. To achieve this you may need to place a lot of trees across your roadway between the driveway and your compound. Although this is merely a last minute attempt to keep your whereabouts from being known.

Most bridges which may lead to your immediate area should be either blown or protected with a guard post. If somehow people manage to get to the end of your hidden street perhaps violence can be prevented but only time will tell.

Your women and children certainly can not be expected to perform LRRP however nothing in the rule book says that they can not man the operations center. Your operations center would actually become a very important aspect of your survival. In addition to providing an active communications central it would ensure that all necessary tasks are accomplished when they are suppose to be. From your operation center will come various reports ranging from food supplies to inventories of your ammo storage, an assortment of wake-up calls and transmission of shortwave radio signals at specific times.

Lookouts should be posted on the roads to your road as well as around the compound itself. This mission could easily be accomplished from inside the compound in some cases. Possibly for completing your communications setup you would want to consider the wind up telephones such as was used in the military. These phones could be connected from the operations center to various outposts around the compound. These telephones would provide a bit more security then normal cells or walkie-talkies. Make certain that you bury any phone wires well under ground.

Use proper code words and make sure that you change them every 12 hours. Your LRRP's should employ FRS radios in emergencies. There would really be no need to reply and take a chance on giving away your location however the information would be safely received and actions accomplished accordingly. Your Special Operations teams will also develop their own hand communications and keep in mind that they should practice them well beforehand. These communications should become natural for every member of the group.

Members of your group may wish to become familiar with man traps and read several of the available books concerning the man traps as used in Vietnam. These types of defenses should never be used unless our infrastructure has deteriorated to the point of no return and circumstances deem it absolutely necessary for your safety and survival. Planning still remains the key to properly setting up your survival retreat and establishing your Long Range Recon Patrols.