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| SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape) | |
|---|---|
| Name | SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape) |
| Type | Survival training |
| Established | 1950s |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force; United States Navy; United States Army |
SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape) is a specialized training program taught within United States Air Force, United States Navy, and United States Army institutions to prepare personnel for captivity, isolation, and avoidance in hostile environments. The curriculum draws on practices from historical events such as the Korean War, Vietnam War, and World War II, and interfaces with contemporary doctrines from organizations like the Central Intelligence Agency and Defense Intelligence Agency. SERE graduates operate in contexts associated with operations by United States Special Operations Command, NATO, and allied forces such as Royal Air Force and Special Air Service forces.
SERE integrates survival skills from teachings associated with Ernest Hemingway, Roald Amundsen, Sir Edmund Hillary, and Jacques-Yves Cousteau with evasion doctrines influenced by Office of Strategic Services techniques and escape approaches seen in Prisoner of War accounts from Battle of Iwo Jima and Battle of Midway. The resistance component references interrogation histories involving individuals tied to John McCain, James Stockdale, and debriefing practices used by Federal Bureau of Investigation and National Security Agency analysts. Training aims to reduce mortality observed in incidents like the Persian Gulf War and incidents during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Origins trace to programs established after World War II by organizations connected to United States Air Force Academy initiatives and advisers from United Kingdom units associated with Royal Navy and Royal Marines. The Korean War prompted formalization alongside lessons from Bataan Death March survivors and intelligence from Office of Naval Intelligence. Cold War exigencies led to doctrinal shifts influenced by National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency mapping, Central Intelligence Agency clandestine operations, and policy debates in the United States Congress. The post-Vietnam era reforms incorporated insights from Uniform Code of Military Justice reviews and investigations by panels linked to Department of Defense oversight.
Courses are tiered into echelons aligned with qualifications used by Aircrew, Special Forces (United States Army), Naval Special Warfare Command, and Marine Corps personnel, with levels similar to pre-deployment preparations in Joint Chiefs of Staff directives. Modules include wilderness survival drawing on techniques from Bear Grylls-style practices and polar survival methods used by Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station explorers, evasion exercises modeled after Operation Entebbe planning, resistance training referencing debrief protocols from National Transportation Safety Board incident analyses, and escape rehearsals informed by International Committee of the Red Cross norms. Instruction involves simulation environments used by institutions such as United States Air Force Survival School and allied schools like Canadian Forces facilities, employing evaluation criteria comparable to standards from Allied Joint Doctrine.
Techniques taught encompass land navigation using equipment interoperable with Global Positioning System, water survival methods akin to USS Indianapolis (CA-35) rescue accounts, forage and signaling methods adapted from Lewis and Clark Expedition narratives, and resistance techniques referencing historical interrogation cases involving figures in Soviet Union era captivity. Issued equipment ranges from items comparable to those in M-RETE kits and survival radios similar to devices used by Lockheed Martin platforms, to camouflage and concealment gear paralleling kit used by Green Berets and Delta Force. Medical instruction references practices encountered in Red Cross manuals and case studies from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
SERE has been at the center of debates involving interrogation practices linked to reports about Central Intelligence Agency programs and congressional investigations led by committees of the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives; legal scrutiny has referenced treaties such as the Geneva Conventions and rulings from the International Criminal Court. Controversies include allegations arising from techniques compared in oversight reports to methods purportedly used in detention sites associated with Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and interrogations discussed in hearings with figures connected to Department of Justice. Litigation and ethics reviews have involved organizations like American Civil Liberties Union and inquiries by the Office of Inspector General (United States Department of Defense).
Allied nations operate analogous programs within institutions such as Royal Air Force Regiment SERE courses, Canadian Forces survival schools, Australian Defence Force training, and NATO-standardized exchanges under Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. Bilateral cooperation includes curriculum sharing with entities like Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), cross-training exercises with French Armed Forces units, and knowledge transfer involving Japan Self-Defense Forces, German Armed Forces, and South Korean Armed Forces training centers. International coordination often occurs at multinational events such as exercises hosted by United States European Command and curricula harmonized via accords influenced by North Atlantic Treaty obligations.
SERE and related practices have appeared in popular culture through portrayals connected to works like Zero Dark Thirty, Unbroken (film), The Thin Red Line (film), and literature referencing Ernest Hemingway and Laura Hillenbrand narratives; personalities such as Chris Kyle, Marcus Luttrell, and Yossarian-type characters in novels draw on SERE motifs. Media discussions have involved coverage by outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and BBC News, and documentaries produced by networks like National Geographic and History (U.S. TV channel). Academic analysis appears in journals affiliated with Harvard University, Georgetown University, and United States Naval War College.
Category:Military training