When discussing camp security the first thing that George emphasizes is what administration do you have in place? They will be able to assess the number of personnel on hand who are trained and un-trained. They should be able to properly evaluate your equipment that you have on hand, your ammo and your available weaponry. The administration has to be organized to function properly. They need to have an effective watch system in place so that early warning of incoming threats are identified. 

 

The next item of concern is making sure you have prepared an all around defense system. Your defense must include all exposed sides. You must determine where you can retreat to and if that will be possible from your chosen location. Be conscious of how many members are on your team. Will it be possible to flank an attacker? Use sector fire: three fire team sectors are preferred. Put one to two people on each team. Send one team to the extreme left, keep one in the center, and send one to the extreme right so they can create a crossfire but not interfere with one another or accidentally cause a friendly fire incident. It is also a good idea to have a sniper who can watch the battlefield, advise the ground groups and help with cover fire. Always make every shot count. Evade your enemy and camouflage your members so they can effectively flank the opponent. Be prepared for consequences of having to dig in and defend your camp. You may be facing a possible loss of life.

 

When thinking about where to place your camp it is good to have a cave, mountain or solid ground behind you but it also limits your ability to retreat. George does not recommend placing your camp on a hill because it is too visible and sticks out like a sore thumb. Your site needs to be defensible and operational. Will you be able to function effectively at this site? Another point to keep in mind is your ability to move. Remember that night time attacks are the most difficult to defend so you have to have quality people on the lookout.

 

There are some special considerations to take into account. Any injuries and/or medical conditions must be accounted for. Non-trained combatants, the elderly or very young, need to be moved to a safe location. Untrained able bodies can be very beneficial for help with reloading, distributing magazines and fighting fires that may start within the camp. Although everyone should have a basic level of fist aid training, qualified medical personnel must be optimized. One medic should be at a triage location and one should be on the move from group to group, helping with any issues that arise. 

 

Is your camp truly defensible? Attackers may exploit the prevailing weather to attack you off guard. Fire can be a major threat to your camp. You could lose your supplies, your food or even your life. Overhead threats can be a big problem. Use camouflage to hide your camp from aerial views. What is the force concentration of your attackers? The military force of the attackers might be much greater than your defensive team, are you going to be overwhelmed? As George mentioned before night combat is a valid strategy. People are relaxing or eating and nighttime is a prime time to take advantage of a unsuspecting target. The final consideration is reconnaissance. Have they been watching you? They may already know the size of your group, how many of you there are and where you are keeping your supplies. Have you been watching them? If you have been, then you will have a much better idea of the threat headed your way.