SERE

SERE
Name	SERE
Caption	Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape training overview
Type	Training program
Established	1950s
Used by	United States Air Force, United States Navy, United States Army

SERE

SERE is a specialized training program teaching survival, evasion, resistance, and escape techniques to personnel at risk of capture or isolation. Trainees learn wilderness survival, evasion tradecraft, interrogation resistance, and escape procedures through realistic exercises modeled on historical cases such as Korean War, Vietnam War, Operation Desert Storm, and incidents involving Prisoner of War scenarios. The program draws on doctrine from institutions like the United States Air Force Academy, Naval Special Warfare Command, and historical lessons from figures such as Eugene B. Fluckey, Chesty Puller, and James Stockdale.

Overview

SERE integrates instruction in survival skills (shelter, food, water), evasion navigation using techniques from CIA tradecraft, resistance to interrogation shaped by lessons from International Committee of the Red Cross reports, and escape planning inspired by World War II escape networks like MI9 and the French Resistance. Organizations involved include Air Combat Command, Naval Education and Training Command, and allied institutions such as Royal Air Force training units and the Australian Defence Force. Emphasis is placed on psychological resilience, modeled after research from Stanford University, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and behavioral studies linked to American Psychological Association findings.

History

Origins trace to World War II efforts including British Special Operations Executive, MI9, and Royal Air Force survival initiatives. Postwar developments reacted to experiences in Korean War captivity and Cold War tensions involving Soviet Union operations; doctrine evolved through lessons from Vietnam War POW cases and analyses by United States Naval Institute authors. High-profile cases such as the capture and resistance of John McCain and the conduct of POWs during Operation Rolling Thunder informed policy changes implemented by Department of Defense and codified into training at Lackland Air Force Base and Naval Air Station Pensacola. Legal and ethical debates emerged following revelations linked to Central Intelligence Agency programs and investigations by committees including United States Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs.

Training Components

Core components mirror the acronym: survival modules taught at facilities like Eglin Air Force Base include foraging, water procurement, and hypothermia prevention using case studies from Antarctic and Sahara Desert operations. Evasion instruction uses concealment, route selection, and clandestine signaling informed by practices from Special Operations Command, Green Berets, and Navy SEALs. Resistance training addresses interrogation avoidance and psychological survival with reference to the Uniform Code of Military Justice and guidance from Department of Veterans Affairs behavioral health programs. Escape techniques cover improvised tools, concealment of identification, and coordinated breakout planning with examples from Stalag Luft III incidents and Great Escape narratives.

Curriculum and Techniques

Curriculum blends classroom instruction, field exercises, and controlled interrogation simulations derived from documented incidents involving John McCain, Jeremiah Denton, and James Stockdale. Techniques include land navigation using celestial concepts traced to explorers like Roald Amundsen and navigators associated with Ernest Shackleton expeditions, improvised signaling inspired by World War II resistance cells, and code-based communications similar to networks run by Office of Strategic Services. Medical topics reference protocols from Red Cross and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for wound care and infection control. Training progression often mirrors certification frameworks analogous to Common Military Training structures and uses assessment models informed by research at National Defense University.

Military and Civilian Applications

While centered on armed forces units such as United States Air Force, United States Marine Corps, and United States Special Operations Command, variants serve civilian agencies including Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security, and Peace Corps risk-preparedness programs. Private sector offerings draw on techniques used by National Geographic field teams, Explorers Club expeditions, and adventure guides trained by Outward Bound. Humanitarian organizations like Médecins Sans Frontières and International Committee of the Red Cross adapt survival and security training to protect personnel in conflict zones such as Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

Controversies and Legal Issues

SERE-related controversies have involved interrogation techniques and ethical boundaries highlighted by investigations into Central Intelligence Agency programs, congressional hearings before United States Senate, and legal challenges invoking the United States Constitution and international law such as the Geneva Conventions. Reports by American Civil Liberties Union and media outlets including The New York Times and Washington Post scrutinized the adaptation of SERE-derived methods for detainee operations at facilities like Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib. Litigation and policy reviews engaged entities such as Department of Justice, Department of Defense Inspector General, and committees chaired by members of United States Congress resulting in revised manuals and oversight mechanisms.

International Variants

Allied militaries maintain analogous programs: the Royal Air Force and British Army run survival courses informed by SAS practices; the Canadian Armed Forces operate survival training at CFB Borden; Australian Defence Force programs reflect experiences from Kokoda Track Campaign studies. NATO partners including Bundeswehr, French Armed Forces, and Royal Netherlands Air Force provide interoperable curricula while regional programs in Japan Self-Defense Forces and Republic of Korea Armed Forces adapt lessons from the Korean War. International cooperation occurs via exchanges with institutions like NATO Defense College and through joint exercises with United States European Command and United States Indo-Pacific Command.

Category:Military training programs