My ROTC unit is going camping soon on a lake next to a wooded area. Anyone have any ideas for survival or tactical training?
Edit please show mercy
Edit please show mercy
M1 mall ninja
Man, you are really leaning into this one. I can't even imagine what kind of responses you are going to get, considering how sarcastic all the regular scabs have been on here lately. But they may show you a little respect, as a username like Mall Ninja demands as much.
Survival:
Modern fire making
Primitive fire making
Fire lays for cooking, heat, light, signaling
Expedient shelters
Modern water purification
Expedient water purification
Making and setting traps
How to construct and use a latrine
Selecting equipment and gear
Tactical:
Silent signaling
Radio procedures
Reporting procedures
Setting up ambushes
Responding to ambushes
Small unit movement
Building/digging fighting positions
Expedient camouflage
Boot and foot care
Observation/surveillance techniques
Compass use/map use/Orienteering
Just a few off the top of my head. There are lots more options.
Just my opinion.
Modern fire making
Primitive fire making
Fire lays for cooking, heat, light, signaling
Expedient shelters
Modern water purification
Expedient water purification
Making and setting traps
How to construct and use a latrine
Selecting equipment and gear
Tactical:
Silent signaling
Radio procedures
Reporting procedures
Setting up ambushes
Responding to ambushes
Small unit movement
Building/digging fighting positions
Expedient camouflage
Boot and foot care
Observation/surveillance techniques
Compass use/map use/Orienteering
Just a few off the top of my head. There are lots more options.
Just my opinion.
Find out the program, then talk to the supervision and let their attitudes guide you; It will do no good to get singled out as a troublemaker/weirdo/survivalist... don't bring a big knife or a collection.
At a guess it will be a Cub Scout outing/hike with prepared lunches/food...
...consider yourself lucky if there are tents (expect cots and sleeping bags) and MRE's (for "realism").
I'm curious; please let us know the program as envisioned by supervision...
Are you an instructor or one of the Officer Candidates?
Enjoy!
At a guess it will be a Cub Scout outing/hike with prepared lunches/food...
...consider yourself lucky if there are tents (expect cots and sleeping bags) and MRE's (for "realism").
I'm curious; please let us know the program as envisioned by supervision...
Are you an instructor or one of the Officer Candidates?
Enjoy!
I guess you could some it up with bushcraft and woodland warfare tactics. You can take each of those categories as far as you want. Like with bushcraft, how many individual skills do you want to practice? Cordage making, fire making, shelter making, trap making, hunting, fishing, etc. And the tactical stuff, are you actually going to be doing simulated war games with an Op-For? I mean you could run all kinds of scenarios depending on what you were looking to learn, train, and specialize in.
I was under the impression that ROTC programs were established programs for college aged people interested in military careers. Seems like they would normally have a curriculum in place already.
If you're an instructor, shouldn't you already know what too teach?
Please understand I'm English and things are a little different here not looking to ridicule or cause offense but I would have thought some things were a given
Please understand I'm English and things are a little different here not looking to ridicule or cause offense but I would have thought some things were a given
Make a list of skills you want to acquire, try a few till you have them under control and move on, with the next outing.
Don't try to "master" them all in one exposure, just results in frustration.
Every 3-4 outing go over and re-establish past skill.
Keep on and enjoy, let the skills seep in.
Don't try to "master" them all in one exposure, just results in frustration.
Every 3-4 outing go over and re-establish past skill.
Keep on and enjoy, let the skills seep in.
OP, this being an ROTC event I have a feeling you're most likely going to wake up early in a large, damp canvas tent and go for a long hike before the sun comes up.
The MRE's may have more goodies than what some coordinator was planning
Considering they are the future officers of the military, I would stick to FM oriented tasks. Mil op's are based more on tactical and resupply than rubbing two sticks together. A big of a divergence in the mentality IMHO.
However, if your looking for something that runs along the lines of bushcrafting, SERE tasks might be a good approach to a variety of tasks.
http://www.eseeknives.com/SERE.Manual.pdf
However, if your looking for something that runs along the lines of bushcrafting, SERE tasks might be a good approach to a variety of tasks.
http://www.eseeknives.com/SERE.Manual.pdf
Survival training, eh?
Sit them in isolated spots in the woods, and set up GPS waypoints for each of them. Get them soaking wet and then smoke them in the dirt. Take all their gear (save trousers and blouse) and tell them to have a great night!
Use the waypoints to walk between them and monitor them for hypothermia, removing those who are threatened by it to safety.
Of course, this probably won't pass any kind of reasonable risk assessment, and subsequently won't get a "go" from the commander, but if you can pull it off somehow, I think it'd probably be the best survival training they ever receive. :thumb:
Sit them in isolated spots in the woods, and set up GPS waypoints for each of them. Get them soaking wet and then smoke them in the dirt. Take all their gear (save trousers and blouse) and tell them to have a great night!
Use the waypoints to walk between them and monitor them for hypothermia, removing those who are threatened by it to safety.
Of course, this probably won't pass any kind of reasonable risk assessment, and subsequently won't get a "go" from the commander, but if you can pull it off somehow, I think it'd probably be the best survival training they ever receive. :thumb:
Having been commissioned in ROTC and heavily involved with giving under-classmen classes, it really depends on the audience; are these 1-2 year or 3-4 year students?
If it’s the former, camping sounds appropriate as some just take the classes to get an easy A. I don’t know the skill sets or what equipment they may have. You can do anything from a rope-bridge to making rafts with their ponchos.
Fire-starting, land-navigation, camouflage techniques, improvised shelter construction or even an E&E hide. Simple hiking can be done with movement techniques and if they’re more experienced, you could include some recon operations in the immediate area.
For the underclassmen/women, you want to avoid too much suck; the importance is getting their interest piqued.
All else fails (and they’re of age), drinking and war stories around the campfire are always a blast!
ROCK6
If it’s the former, camping sounds appropriate as some just take the classes to get an easy A. I don’t know the skill sets or what equipment they may have. You can do anything from a rope-bridge to making rafts with their ponchos.
Fire-starting, land-navigation, camouflage techniques, improvised shelter construction or even an E&E hide. Simple hiking can be done with movement techniques and if they’re more experienced, you could include some recon operations in the immediate area.
For the underclassmen/women, you want to avoid too much suck; the importance is getting their interest piqued.
All else fails (and they’re of age), drinking and war stories around the campfire are always a blast!
ROCK6
Night familiarization training. It's applicable to both Tactics and Survival.
Half of your entire life it will be dark outside. Teach folks to get comfortable in the dark. Most aren't.
Just the simple ability to walk through the dark without a light...or be quiet and still while in the dark. Basic concepts like the time it takes to generate human night vision (visual purple) and recover it after it gets wiped out by exposure to visible light.
Without using lights, take them out for a meandering short walk (100-200 yards) into the dark woods, then halt, and have them quietly sit down in the blackness. Tell them to get comfortable and then to sit absolutely still for 20 minutes. No shifting. No coughing. No scratching. No talking. No rustling of gear. Just sit motionless like an owl. Wait till everyone is settled in place and quiet.
At that point, tell them to: "Listen to the sounds of the night".
After 1 or 2 minutes, tell them to "Smell the air".
After a 1 or 2 more minutes, tell them: "Use your natural night vision to see what's around you".
After a few more minutes, tell them to cup their open hands behind their earlobes (like a big radar dish) and better capture faint sounds coming from different directions. Tell them to close their eyes and just listen.
You should be the only person saying a word. And you should keep your spoken patter short and sweet. They are there to listen to what the environment can tell them. The less you talk, the better.
At a previously agreed upon time (about 8-10 minutes in to the listening halt) you have a previously hidden assistant/s periodically make certain noises or conduct actions at a distance (50, 100, or even 200 yards away). Across a period of about 10 minutes. Stepping on dried twigs or branches. Shuffling through noisy leaves. Clicking on a BIC lighter. Cycling the action of a firearm. Coughing. Shining a flashlight. Talking loudly/softly. Chopping or digging with a hatchet or shovel. Opening & shutting a vehicle door or engine hood. Turning on a vehicle radio. Turning on a vehicle engine. Your students should zero in on these noises. No more than one distinct event at a time... and separated by a few minutes. Just 4 or 5 things. Then have them stop.
Next (still talking through it), have your students listen for nearby ambient noises. Wind in the trees. Nearby (or distant) highway traffic. Aircraft flying overhead. Night animal sounds. Running water from a stream. Noises from another camp or habitat. Distant thunder or lightning. Whatever you've got that particular night.
Just things for them to catch if they are paying attention. About 20-25 total minutes into this exercise, have everyone stand up and relax, then debrief them. "What did you hear, see, smell, or feel?". "What kind of critter do you think that was?". "Did anyone hear that big tree branch fall?". "Did you see the flashlight?". "Did you hear the stream... or smell the distant skunk?". "Which way was the wind blowing?". "Did you hear the pump shotgun cycled?" It's an eye opener, because many folks have never once taken the time in their lives to just stop, relax, and listen while out in the pitch black.
The process will make them much more comfortable about being out in both the wild and the dark.
After doing that, just have everyone walk single file through the dark for a little while (10 minutes or so). Get used to moving (slowly) in the dark (without any use of lights). Back to the campfire after a just an hour or so of total training.
Here's some relevant previous posts (mine) that you may find useful for teaching very basic night training concepts...
http://www.survivalistboards.com/showpost.php?p=6463563&postcount=21
http://www.survivalistboards.com/showpost.php?p=6456061&postcount=7
Once upon a time, in a faraway university, I was a Freshman ROTC Cadet, doing weekend FTX adventures with a platoon sized formation of Cadet "Rangers". Folks are there to learn, but also to have a good time and some fun. Don't be an Animal House style "Cadet Doug Niedermeyer". Teach something useful, push them a bit (by making them work), but keep your class to the point and not too long. Folks get bored when half-assed training extends on and on and on... to no good purpose.
For instance, you should be able to cover most of the night training walk and the points I mention in the linked threads (if you choose to cover those topics) in about 1-1.5 hours. No more. After that, let everyone enjoy the camp out, unless you have some kind of night tactical Cowboys & Indians planned.
Let me also suggest that you prepare and rehearse your class days ahead of time. Practice delivering it with somebody else (your Active Duty Advisor or another Cadet Instructor) before you do this in front of a main body of cadets. If you appear to not know what you are talking about or seem disorganized, a bunch of college aged students are going to quickly tune you out... especially if the event is co-ed. They'll have better things to do. Trust me.
If you have an Active Duty Advisor assigned, ask that NCO for help and advice with your presentation. Or one of your Senior class members... or your program's assigned Military Science Department Officers. They'll know what you need.
Like Rock6 mentioned... keep it fun.
Hope this helps...
Half of your entire life it will be dark outside. Teach folks to get comfortable in the dark. Most aren't.
Just the simple ability to walk through the dark without a light...or be quiet and still while in the dark. Basic concepts like the time it takes to generate human night vision (visual purple) and recover it after it gets wiped out by exposure to visible light.
Without using lights, take them out for a meandering short walk (100-200 yards) into the dark woods, then halt, and have them quietly sit down in the blackness. Tell them to get comfortable and then to sit absolutely still for 20 minutes. No shifting. No coughing. No scratching. No talking. No rustling of gear. Just sit motionless like an owl. Wait till everyone is settled in place and quiet.
At that point, tell them to: "Listen to the sounds of the night".
After 1 or 2 minutes, tell them to "Smell the air".
After a 1 or 2 more minutes, tell them: "Use your natural night vision to see what's around you".
After a few more minutes, tell them to cup their open hands behind their earlobes (like a big radar dish) and better capture faint sounds coming from different directions. Tell them to close their eyes and just listen.
You should be the only person saying a word. And you should keep your spoken patter short and sweet. They are there to listen to what the environment can tell them. The less you talk, the better.
At a previously agreed upon time (about 8-10 minutes in to the listening halt) you have a previously hidden assistant/s periodically make certain noises or conduct actions at a distance (50, 100, or even 200 yards away). Across a period of about 10 minutes. Stepping on dried twigs or branches. Shuffling through noisy leaves. Clicking on a BIC lighter. Cycling the action of a firearm. Coughing. Shining a flashlight. Talking loudly/softly. Chopping or digging with a hatchet or shovel. Opening & shutting a vehicle door or engine hood. Turning on a vehicle radio. Turning on a vehicle engine. Your students should zero in on these noises. No more than one distinct event at a time... and separated by a few minutes. Just 4 or 5 things. Then have them stop.
Next (still talking through it), have your students listen for nearby ambient noises. Wind in the trees. Nearby (or distant) highway traffic. Aircraft flying overhead. Night animal sounds. Running water from a stream. Noises from another camp or habitat. Distant thunder or lightning. Whatever you've got that particular night.
Just things for them to catch if they are paying attention. About 20-25 total minutes into this exercise, have everyone stand up and relax, then debrief them. "What did you hear, see, smell, or feel?". "What kind of critter do you think that was?". "Did anyone hear that big tree branch fall?". "Did you see the flashlight?". "Did you hear the stream... or smell the distant skunk?". "Which way was the wind blowing?". "Did you hear the pump shotgun cycled?" It's an eye opener, because many folks have never once taken the time in their lives to just stop, relax, and listen while out in the pitch black.
The process will make them much more comfortable about being out in both the wild and the dark.
After doing that, just have everyone walk single file through the dark for a little while (10 minutes or so). Get used to moving (slowly) in the dark (without any use of lights). Back to the campfire after a just an hour or so of total training.
Here's some relevant previous posts (mine) that you may find useful for teaching very basic night training concepts...
http://www.survivalistboards.com/showpost.php?p=6463563&postcount=21
http://www.survivalistboards.com/showpost.php?p=6456061&postcount=7
Once upon a time, in a faraway university, I was a Freshman ROTC Cadet, doing weekend FTX adventures with a platoon sized formation of Cadet "Rangers". Folks are there to learn, but also to have a good time and some fun. Don't be an Animal House style "Cadet Doug Niedermeyer". Teach something useful, push them a bit (by making them work), but keep your class to the point and not too long. Folks get bored when half-assed training extends on and on and on... to no good purpose.
For instance, you should be able to cover most of the night training walk and the points I mention in the linked threads (if you choose to cover those topics) in about 1-1.5 hours. No more. After that, let everyone enjoy the camp out, unless you have some kind of night tactical Cowboys & Indians planned.
Let me also suggest that you prepare and rehearse your class days ahead of time. Practice delivering it with somebody else (your Active Duty Advisor or another Cadet Instructor) before you do this in front of a main body of cadets. If you appear to not know what you are talking about or seem disorganized, a bunch of college aged students are going to quickly tune you out... especially if the event is co-ed. They'll have better things to do. Trust me.
If you have an Active Duty Advisor assigned, ask that NCO for help and advice with your presentation. Or one of your Senior class members... or your program's assigned Military Science Department Officers. They'll know what you need.
Like Rock6 mentioned... keep it fun.
Hope this helps...
When I was in the Boy Scouts (in prehistoric times) I went to a leadership camp. One night, they blindfolded us, led us out in to the woods, gave us a map, compass, and a flashlight. We were told to count to 250, take off the blindfold, and find our way back to camp.
We also played capture the flag. Variations on hide and seek work well to teach camo, noise discipline, and if done at night, light discipline. People in general don't realize how much noise they make, and putting a few outside the group looking in while trying to be quiet and unseen will really wake them up on how incredibly noisy most people are and the importance of being low key.
All fun stuff.
Personally, I would refrain from getting into "survival" junk like bow drill fires. For beginners, it sends the wrong message. Start with the basics like orienteering, first aid, safety, and the importance of boiling/filtering water and proper food prep and hygiene. Get them comfortable and capable of being in the woods before you get into all that "survival" nonsense. Being prepared is light years ahead of learning primitive skills, especially for those with little to no experience.
Az
We also played capture the flag. Variations on hide and seek work well to teach camo, noise discipline, and if done at night, light discipline. People in general don't realize how much noise they make, and putting a few outside the group looking in while trying to be quiet and unseen will really wake them up on how incredibly noisy most people are and the importance of being low key.
All fun stuff.
Personally, I would refrain from getting into "survival" junk like bow drill fires. For beginners, it sends the wrong message. Start with the basics like orienteering, first aid, safety, and the importance of boiling/filtering water and proper food prep and hygiene. Get them comfortable and capable of being in the woods before you get into all that "survival" nonsense. Being prepared is light years ahead of learning primitive skills, especially for those with little to no experience.
Az
It depends. Is this college level ROTC or high schoolers? Also what branch. Army or Marines might be more interested in the field but maybe the Navy or AF not so much. How much experience they (and you) have makes the final decision. If not experienced in the field just the basics. Make a shelter (from tarps and paracord), start a fire, cook food and boil water. Basics. Learn to crawl before you mount that Kawa Ninja.
Rogaining/orienteering (navigation competition).
Direction using watch method, by stars.
Observation lane (include sound and movement)
Lantern stalk or hide and seek.
Team building/leadership exercises.
Nature walks - tracks, identify plants esp edible/useful, at night with spotlights.
Fire making, cooking challenges.
Direction using watch method, by stars.
Observation lane (include sound and movement)
Lantern stalk or hide and seek.
Team building/leadership exercises.
Nature walks - tracks, identify plants esp edible/useful, at night with spotlights.
Fire making, cooking challenges.
Please tell us the OP was BS so we all don't think those who are in charge of training our military leaders have gone this far astray.
If you are not trolling us, check out http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/25-100/index.html. You should have a Training Plan based on your unit's Mission Essential Task List. It you are going on a Field Training Exercise, you'll get your tasks from the Training Plan that is coordinated with the unit leadership, not a bunch of folks on this forum.
The time of future Army officers is too precious to waste on an unplanned 'campout'. They need to be learning not only how to stay alive, but how to keep their soldiers alive and you and your leaders should set the example for them by conducting properly planned training to standard.
If you are not trolling us, check out http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/25-100/index.html. You should have a Training Plan based on your unit's Mission Essential Task List. It you are going on a Field Training Exercise, you'll get your tasks from the Training Plan that is coordinated with the unit leadership, not a bunch of folks on this forum.
The time of future Army officers is too precious to waste on an unplanned 'campout'. They need to be learning not only how to stay alive, but how to keep their soldiers alive and you and your leaders should set the example for them by conducting properly planned training to standard.
Are you really cadre? If so, JROTC or SROTC? If SROTC, did you just PCS to ROTC or are you a USAR instructor? You need to be concentrating on getting your cadets ready for LDAC. If this FTX is for MS I/II's, then some survival training is probably ok. This is fun type stuff that is useful. But, if it's for your III's, and you really don't know what you need to be training, your SMI/PMS needs to re-evaluate your ATP and look more at patrolling, land nav, STX lanes, etc. That's the stuff you need to concentrate on. Their LDAC evaluation plays a pretty big part in the accessions process so I'd want them to do the best they can. An E is a lot better than an S.....
You've got to be new to Cadet Command or your cadets are up to snuff and have absolutely no issues with tactics. Training is pretty much standardized on the types of stuff they need to be concentrating on.
You've got to be new to Cadet Command or your cadets are up to snuff and have absolutely no issues with tactics. Training is pretty much standardized on the types of stuff they need to be concentrating on.
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