SERE (an acronym for Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape) is a U.S. military program that provides military personnel, Department of Defense civilians, and contractors with training in the Code of Conduct, survival skills, evading capture, recovery and dealing with captivity. Acronyms, initialisms, and alphabetisms are Abbreviations that are formed using the initial components in a phrase or name The United States Armed Forces are the overall unified military forces of the United States A soldier is a general English term that refers to a member of a land component of National Armed forces. The United States Department of Defense ( DOD or DoD) is the federal department charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government A private military company ( PMC) provides specialized expertise or services of a military nature sometimes called or classified as Mercenary ("soldiers for hire" The Code of the US Fighting Force is a Code of conduct that is an " ethical guide" and a United States Department of Defense directive consisting It was created by the Air Force at the end of the Korean War but was expanded to the Army and the Navy during the Vietnam War. The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korean and South Korean regimes with major hostilities lasting from June 25 1950 until the The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia The majority of students are aircrew members.

Contents 1 The SERE Patch 2 The Code of Conduct 3 Service schools 3.1 Air Force 3.2 Army 3.3 Navy/Marine Corps 4 Curriculum 4.1 Survival and evasion 4.2 Resistance and Escape 4.3 Water survival 5 Levels 6 Controversies 6.1 1995 U.S. Air Force Academy scandal 6.2 Use of techniques in interrogation 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

The SERE Patch

The SERE Patch was designed with meaning. It is green for the freedom, which we all cherish. It is halved with a yellow strip to represent that Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape requires caution. The knife is the basic survival tool and reminds us of our obligation to our country, family and selves to survive and return with honor. The barbed wire is for captivity, it is broken, one can survive and regain their freedom. The Chinese word "Tiger" represents a saying on ancient maps "Here there be tigers" the process leads to the unknown and possibly dangerous territories of one's life. Here Be Dragons is a Historical novel by Sharon Penman, first published in 1985. The letters SERE are self eveident and are written in yellow, also signifying to use caution and it is surrounded by black to honor those who gave their all in their service to their country.

The Code of Conduct

The Code of Conduct is at the heart of SERE training. The Code of Conduct is a guide for Service Members and sets the standard of behavior by which they are to live in uncertain and hostile environments. SERE training provides the skills Service Members employ to live up to the Code of Conduct.

Code of Conduct for Members of the United States Armed Forces:

I- I am an American, fighting in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.

II- I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command I will never surrender those under my command while they still have the means to resist.

III- If I am captured I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy.

IV- If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners. I will give no information nor take part in any action which might be harmful to my comrades. If I am senior I will take command. If not, I will obey the lawful orders of those appointed over me and will back them up in every way.

V- When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am required to give name, rank, service number, and date of birth. I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability. I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies or harmful to their cause.

VI- I will never forget that I am an American, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America. ^[1]

Service schools

Air Force

The primary Air Force SERE training location is Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington. Fairchild AFB is a United States Air Force base under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command (AMC Washington ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. SERE training for medical aircrew is held at Brooks City-Base, Texas. Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. The Air Force also conducts arctic survival training at Eielson AFB, Alaska and parachute water survival training at NAS Pensacola, Florida. Eielson Air Force Base is located in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska. Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the County seat of Escambia County. Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the

SERE training was conducted at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs from the late 1960s until 1995, when it removed the resistance/escape portion and offered only the survival and evasion portions in a program called Combat Survival Training (CST). The United States Air Force Academy ( USAFA or Air Force) is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officers for the United States Air SERE, an Acronym for S urvival E vasion R esistance and E scape is a U The Academy discontinued CST entirely in 2005, but has recently announced that it is reinstating the program, including some portions of resistance training, in the Summer of 2008. ^[2]

Army

The two US Army SERE Schools are located at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and Fort Rucker, Alabama. North Carolina ( is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States Fort Rucker is a US Army post located mostly in Dale County, Alabama, United States. Alabama (formally the State of Alabama;) is a State located in the southern region of the United States of America.

The SERE School at Fort Bragg is run by the Army’s John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School (USAJFKSWCS—which Col. John F Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School (USAJFKSWCS trains United States Army personnel for the United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC Wendell Fertig helped to found), at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Wendell Fertig (December 161900 – March 24 1975 was an American Civil engineer in the Philippines, who became a leader of a guerrilla force in the The program was begun in 1981 under the supervision of LTC James "Nick" Rowe, a Special Forces officer who suffered under North Vietnamese captors for 62 months before escaping and evading to freedom (Five Years to Freedom). James Nicholas "Nick" Rowe ( February 8, 1938 – April 21, 1989) United States Military officer, was one of only The Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRVN or less commonly Vietnamese Democratic Republic (Việt Nam Dân Chủ Cộng Hòa was a Country on the northern half of Vietnam SERE at USAJFKSWCS is a 19-day intense course of instruction that is also a Phase of the Special Forces Qualification Course (the "Q course") in order for Army Special Forces candidates to receive the coveted Special Forces Tab. The Special Forces Qualification Course, or "Q-Course" is an intensive selection and training course conducted by the United States Army for the purposes of preparing The course is taught 25 miles southwest of Ft. Bragg, North Carolina at Camp Mackall. Camp Mackall is an active US Army training facility near Southern Pines North Carolina.

The SERE School at Fort Rucker is located at the Army Aviation Warfare Center and serves the entire Army. The SERE course at Fort Rucker is designed mostly for student pilots and aircrew members. The course is 21 days long at Fort Rucker. It is one of several pre-requisites for student pilots to begin the Initial Entry Rotary Wing courses.

Navy/Marine Corps

The Navy and Marine Corps SERE level C training is held at NAS Brunswick, Maine and at Navy Remote Training Site, Warner Springs, administered by NAS North Island, both near San Diego, California. Naval Air Station Brunswick, also known as NAS Brunswick, is a military airport located North East of Brunswick, Maine; one of two in New England The State of Maine ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean Naval Air Station North Island or NAS North Island is located at the north end of the Coronado peninsula on San Diego Bay and is the home port of California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The Marine Corps also conducts SERE level B training at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport CA, and at the North Training Area Camp Gonsalves, Okinawa, Japan. Camp Gonsalves is a United States Marine Corps training base located in 20000 acres (80 km² of single and double canopy jungle on the Northern end of Okinawa is one of Japan 's southern prefectures, and consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over 1000 km long which extends southwest from Kyūshū For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics.

Curriculum

The SERE training curriculum can be divided into three parts: "survival and evasion", "resistance and escape", and "water survival".

Survival and evasion

The majority of SERE focuses on survival and evasion. Skills taught include wilderness survival and woodcraft (encompassing a wide scope of natural climates), emergency first aid (a variant of battlefield first aid), land navigation, camouflage techniques, evasion techniques, communication protocols, and the construction of improvised tools. The term woodcraft denotes skills and experience in matters relating to living and thriving in the woods — such as Hunting, Fishing, and Camping Wilderness first aid is the specific discipline of First aid which relates to care in remote areas where Emergency medical services will be difficult to obtain or Orienteering is a family of Sports that require Navigational skills using a Map and Compass, usually in combination with Point to point racing Camouflage is a method of cryptic or concealing coloration that allows an otherwise visible Organism This list is not comprehensive, and some of the subject matter has been classified by the United States Government. The United States government classification system is established under Executive Order 13292, the latest in a long series of executive

Resistance and Escape

The "Resistance and Escape" component of SERE survival in captivity and resistance to enemy exploitation. It is based on the experiences of former American and Allied POW's as they were treated at the hands of the enemy. The majority of this portion of the course is classified Secret by the United States government. However, several official sites exist to give a general overview of the curricula. The training is designed to allow the student to utilize their training in a realistic manner and then upon debriefing, discover their weaknesses and how to better utilize their trained skills. The SERE students are not taught how to apply coercive techniques or interrogate enemy prisoners of war, as most are aircrews and would not normally be involved with handling enemy POWs.

Water survival

The remaining portion of SERE is Water Survival, a separate Professional Military Education (PME) course lasting two days and typically attended after the main SERE course. During the water survival portion, students are taught skills to enhance their ability to survive in an aquatic environment. Academic subjects covered include emergency first aid (tailored to an aquatic environment), communication protocols, ocean ecology, and equipment maintenance. First aid is the provision of initial care for an Illness or Injury. Ecology (from Greek grc οἶκος oikos, "house(hold" and grc -λογία -logia) is the scientific study of The course also requires students to become familiar with and display proficiency using aquatic survival gear.

Levels

SERE training is presented at four levels:

• Level A - Entry level training. All services personnel are provided this basic level training annually. This is the Code of Conduct mandatory classes all American Servicemen and women receive at the initial induction training (Recruit training and OCS)
• Level B - For personnel operating (or anticipated to operate) forward of the division rear boundary and up to the "forward line of own troops" (FLOT). A division is a large Military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to thirty thousand soldiers Normally limited to flight personnel of the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. Level B focuses on Survival and Evasion, with Resistance in terms on inital capture.
  • However, due to news of British sailors breaking easily under captivity because of their lack of resistance training, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force now requires all Airmen to receive Level B SERE training.
  • In 2008, The effectiveness of the Air Force training has become questionable. It consists of an online course with reading, videos, and quizzes and takes approximatley 3 to 4 hours to complete.
• Level C - For troops at a high risk of capture and whose position, rank, or seniority make them vulnerable to greater than average exploitation efforts by a captor. Level C focuses on Resistance in terms on prison camps and military interogations.
• Level D - For aircrews, but it has recently been phased out and all SERE-D students will undergo SERE-C training. SERE-C is now specifically taught at Fairchild AFB for Aircrew members.

Controversies

1995 U. S. Air Force Academy scandal

One of the U. S. Air Force's SERE training programs was conducted at the United States Air Force Academy from the late 1960s until 1995. The United States Air Force Academy ( USAFA or Air Force) is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officers for the United States Air Because a large number of pilots and other aircrew members graduated from the academy, it was more efficient for the Air Force to send all cadets through SERE training while they were still at the academy. Cadets would normally complete the training during the summer between their fourth-class (freshman) and third-class (sophomore) years. A number of selected second-class (junior) and first-class (senior) cadets would serve each year as SERE training cadre under the supervision of enlisted Air Force SERE instructors. An enlisted rank in the Military of the United States is any rank below a commissioned officer.

As a result of POWs' experiences during Operation Desert Storm, sexual assault resistance was added to the SERE curriculum. However, some of the training scenarios allegedly were taken too far by SERE cadet members at the academy during practical portions of the program. In 1995, the ABC television news program 20/20 reported that as many as 24 male and female cadets in 1993 had allegedly been sexually assaulted at the Academy during SERE training. The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network. 20/20 is an American television Newsmagazine broadcast on ABC since June 6, 1978. Sexual assault is any Assault of a sexual nature on another person One of the cadets sued the government, which eventually settled for a reported $3 million in damages. ^[3]

As a result of the scandal, the SERE program at the Academy was reduced to the survival and evasion portions only, and called Combat Survival Training (CST). All graduates going on to aircrew positions were then required to attend the resistance portion of the training at Fairchild Air Force Base before reporting to an operational flying unit. Fairchild AFB is a United States Air Force base under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command (AMC The CST program was discontinued entirely in 2004. The Air Force Academy is currently preparing for the return of the SERE program in the summer of 2008. The curriculum of the revived program will contain some resistance elements, but will not contain sexual assault resistance. ^[4]

Use of techniques in interrogation

In July 2005 an article in The New Yorker magazine alleged that psychologists who help direct the SERE curriculum have been advising the military at Guantanamo Bay and other sites on interrogation techniques. The New Yorker is an American Magazine that publishes reportage commentary criticism essays fiction satire cartoons and poetry The Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp is a controversial United States Detention center operated by Joint Task Force Guantanamo since 2002 in Guantanamo Enhanced interrogation techniques, rough interrogation, the Central Intelligence Agency’s interrogation methods, and alternative set of procedures are

The SERE program's chief psychologist, Col. Morgan Banks, issued guidance in early 2003 for the "behavioral science consultants" who helped to devise Guantánamo's interrogation strategy although he has emphatically denied that he had advocated the use of counter-resistance techniques used by SERE instructors to break down detainees. The New Yorker notes that in November, 2001 Banks was detailed to Afghanistan, where he spent four months at Bagram Air Base, "supporting combat operations against Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters". The New Yorker is an American Magazine that publishes reportage commentary criticism essays fiction satire cartoons and poetry Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, Bagram Air Base is a militarized Airport and housing complex that is located next to the ancient city of Bagram, southeast of Charikar in Parwan Al-Qaeda, alternatively spelled al-Qaida, al-Qa`ida or al-Qa`idah, ( Arabic:; ar-Latn ''al-qāʿidah'' Translation: The The Taliban ( طالبان, also anglicised as Taleban; translation "students" is a Sunni Islamist, predominately

In June 2006 an article on Salon.com, an online magazine, confirmed finding a document obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union through the Freedom of Information Act. Saloncom, part of Salon Media Group ( often just called Salon, is an online A March 22, 2005, sworn statement by the former chief of the Interrogation Control Element at Guantánamo said SERE instructors taught their methods to interrogators of the prisoners in Cuba. Events 238 - Gordian I and his son Gordian II are proclaimed Roman emperor. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[5] The article also claims that physical and mental techniques used against some detainees at Abu Ghraib are similar to the ones SERE students are taught to resist. The city of Abu Ghraib ( Arabic: أبو غريب Abū Ghurayb

According to Human Rights First, the interrogation that lead to the death of Iraqi Major General Abed Hamed Mowhoush involved the use of techniques used in SERE training. Human Rights First is a New York City -based association formerly known as the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. Abed Hamed Mowhoush (Arabic "عبد حامد موحوش" was a major general / Air vice-marshal[http //www According to the organization "Internal FBI memos and press reports have pointed to SERE training as the basis for some of the harshest techniques authorized for use on detainees by the Pentagon in 2002 and 2003. " [1]

See also

• Enhanced interrogation techniques
• Waterboarding

References

External links

• US Army SERE training
• US Navy SERE training (Brunswick)
• US Navy SERE training (Coronado)
• US Air Force SERE training
• New Yorker magazine article about SERE
• Army Regulation for Code of Conduct/ SERE Training
• DOD directive regarding SERE training (DODI 1300.21) - broken
• DOD directive regarding isolated personnel training (DODI 1300.23) - broken
• A narrative of SERE Instructor School
• Youtube video - patty cake edition

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