jhungary
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Here are an article I wrote a few months ago, this is quite a long article so I have break it down into 3 parts. I will put all 3 parts online over the next 2 weeks. So please stay tune
Inside : Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) Operation
A couple of month ago, while replying to a post about armoured ambulance, I had the chance to interact with a fellow member @DESERT FIGHTER about Medical Evacuation. And seeing that CSAR is nothing more than a few paragraph on Wikipedia, I was going to write an article on skills about Combat Search and Rescue Technique, but I never did find the motivation and time to do it. And while replying to the post I have finally muster enough motivation to do the proper research and reach out to some of my old buddies which specialise in Combat Search and Rescue Operation.
Upon finishing this article, reader will have a brief knowledge on
The definition of Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR)
Introduction
"That other may live" You would have heard about that somewhere, and the Navy version "So other may live" were make famous by the Kevin Costner Movie The Guardian. Forces that conduct CSAR operation is usually hailed as Hero and looked upon to be of highest honor of any military unit can achieve. However, being a Special Operation mission, little were known outside the people who perform these mission. So, I am hoping by writing this article, reader can have a clearer image on how CSAR works.
What is CSAR?
It was quite self explanatory really, CSAR is a Rescue Operation which consist of 3 parts, Combat, Search and Rescue. The premises is that CSAR will be utilize as a way to rescue or recover friendly personnel behind enemy lines. The basic is that the rescuer will fight into the mission area, look for the objective and then recover the objective usually under fire and exfil to friendly location, thus completing a rescue.
In essence, CSAR is an individual discipline of Personnel Recovery, and as a sub-topic of tactical recovery, which also included Non-conventional Assist recovery, hardware recovery, civilian evacuation and Manhunt Operation.
Combat
Combat is the ability of the rescuer to penetrate the enemy controlled space and perform the rescue. In term of a Air-Land rescue, you may be talking about a Enemy controlled area or airspace. or sea lane in term of a Sea-Land rescue.
Combat capability is the same as in any combat operation, the ability to wage a local battle to clear the path of the rescue to their own objective or a limited battle to temporary hold the enemy in place in order to proceed with search and rescue. The pattern were to be the same as any combat operation done to at any level. You will need an assault force, a support force and a logistic force.
The principal of combat is the same between normal Combat Operation and CSAR operation. First you need to identify your battlefield, then you need an overall battle plan. And finally, you need a method and mean to execute such plan.
While most principal is common between normal combat operation and combat phase of CSAR operation. There are still different. The different is since CSAR is not a permanent operation, the plan to conduct combat would need both insertion and exertion strategy, the rescue force would not hold on that patch on land forever, and once the principal were rescued or captured, they were to exfil out immediately or the battle will become non-sustainable (Which was the intention from the beginning).
Hence a solid exit strategy is required for any CSAR if it have to work. The problem is, you can enter the area stealth, but by the time you rescued your objective, your rescue operation would most likely been discovered. So, a clear defined and as foolproof as possible exit strategy is the key to success of any CSAR operation, otherwise it would have been no use you can battle your way in, find your objective and rescue it but you have no intention to bringing that out in one piece.
Another separation between tradition combat operation and CSAR is the scope of the battlefield. Being a temporary operation, there are a limit of the battlefield you can established to conduct the CSAR operation, the minimal requirement is the immediate area of your objective, but if that area is deep inside enemy territories, then you will also need to open a corridor to tap into the area from your friendly line.
Now if you draw too big of an area for which you would need to battle with your enemy, you may not have enough resource to pull off. But too small of an area, you may fail your overall operation. For this, intelligence play a key role in determining how big is the arena of combat have to be established to support a rescue effort. Routes that needed for the rescue is mapped and Outpost was designed alongside the route to support the effort, a aggress and egress route was determined. Date and time were to be considered and also, perhaps the most important bits, enemy movement were plotted before sending in the rescue. All this would have been heavily relies on your own intelligence input.
Search
While the combat stage, the rescue force would have to secure the area for the rescue, the rescuer would still have to search through the assigned grid to find the objective. Due to the fact that the person needed to be rescue would most likely hidden, the rescuer would have to look for it.
Search part started as with any civilian search and rescue operation, the search part would utilize advance sensor and communication equipment to contact and locate the subject. Therefore while most CSAR helicopter were variant of tradition helicopter, the CSAR version usually gone thru extensive upgrade so it can be of All-Day, All-Weather service.
Technology used today include forward looking infrared (FLIR), 2 ways high frequency communication, satellite communication, Doppler radar, ground searching radar, target acquisition radar, night vision equipment as well as many other equipment may be useful to perform a search on a given area.
Another aspect of Search is to link up your objective with you, in an optimum situation, communication should be kept continuous in 2 ways, and in a less than ideal world, at least a one way communication should be kept between the object and the rescuer. Keeping your objective in communication would achieve 2 things, 1.) Keeping the Rescuer up-to-date, no one knows the area better than the rescue object on the ground, keeping com will means an active way to update troop movement.
2.) Keeping the rescue in com will keep his/her spirit up.
Rescue
Rescue part is the final chapter in an CSAR operation, after you had stabilised the area, after you have located your objective, naturally comes for you to insert your rescuer.
Inserting the Rescuer usually mean inserting them deep inside enemy lines, and even tho the combat part of CSAR operation would give you a temporary secured corridor to conduct your CSAR operation, your target would most likely still surrounded by the enemies, and thus more than likely inserting Rescuer behind enemy lines would be a special operation.
On another note, the rescuer would be inserted and may not be coming back the same way, so either a one way (Para-drop) or 2 ways insertion (Air Assault using helicopter) would probably considered.
Another aspect is that most likely your target would be wounded or injured and therefore being medically qualified personnel would also be the basic requirement for any rescuer.
end of Part I, to be continue
Inside : Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) Operation
A couple of month ago, while replying to a post about armoured ambulance, I had the chance to interact with a fellow member @DESERT FIGHTER about Medical Evacuation. And seeing that CSAR is nothing more than a few paragraph on Wikipedia, I was going to write an article on skills about Combat Search and Rescue Technique, but I never did find the motivation and time to do it. And while replying to the post I have finally muster enough motivation to do the proper research and reach out to some of my old buddies which specialise in Combat Search and Rescue Operation.
Upon finishing this article, reader will have a brief knowledge on
The definition of Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR)
- The history of CSAR mission
- The tactics employed by CSAR mission
- The equipment employed by CSAR mission
- The people involved in CSAR mission
- The prime example of CSAR mission
- The future of CSAR mission
Introduction
"That other may live" You would have heard about that somewhere, and the Navy version "So other may live" were make famous by the Kevin Costner Movie The Guardian. Forces that conduct CSAR operation is usually hailed as Hero and looked upon to be of highest honor of any military unit can achieve. However, being a Special Operation mission, little were known outside the people who perform these mission. So, I am hoping by writing this article, reader can have a clearer image on how CSAR works.
What is CSAR?
It was quite self explanatory really, CSAR is a Rescue Operation which consist of 3 parts, Combat, Search and Rescue. The premises is that CSAR will be utilize as a way to rescue or recover friendly personnel behind enemy lines. The basic is that the rescuer will fight into the mission area, look for the objective and then recover the objective usually under fire and exfil to friendly location, thus completing a rescue.
In essence, CSAR is an individual discipline of Personnel Recovery, and as a sub-topic of tactical recovery, which also included Non-conventional Assist recovery, hardware recovery, civilian evacuation and Manhunt Operation.
Combat
Combat is the ability of the rescuer to penetrate the enemy controlled space and perform the rescue. In term of a Air-Land rescue, you may be talking about a Enemy controlled area or airspace. or sea lane in term of a Sea-Land rescue.
Combat capability is the same as in any combat operation, the ability to wage a local battle to clear the path of the rescue to their own objective or a limited battle to temporary hold the enemy in place in order to proceed with search and rescue. The pattern were to be the same as any combat operation done to at any level. You will need an assault force, a support force and a logistic force.
The principal of combat is the same between normal Combat Operation and CSAR operation. First you need to identify your battlefield, then you need an overall battle plan. And finally, you need a method and mean to execute such plan.
While most principal is common between normal combat operation and combat phase of CSAR operation. There are still different. The different is since CSAR is not a permanent operation, the plan to conduct combat would need both insertion and exertion strategy, the rescue force would not hold on that patch on land forever, and once the principal were rescued or captured, they were to exfil out immediately or the battle will become non-sustainable (Which was the intention from the beginning).
Hence a solid exit strategy is required for any CSAR if it have to work. The problem is, you can enter the area stealth, but by the time you rescued your objective, your rescue operation would most likely been discovered. So, a clear defined and as foolproof as possible exit strategy is the key to success of any CSAR operation, otherwise it would have been no use you can battle your way in, find your objective and rescue it but you have no intention to bringing that out in one piece.
Another separation between tradition combat operation and CSAR is the scope of the battlefield. Being a temporary operation, there are a limit of the battlefield you can established to conduct the CSAR operation, the minimal requirement is the immediate area of your objective, but if that area is deep inside enemy territories, then you will also need to open a corridor to tap into the area from your friendly line.
Now if you draw too big of an area for which you would need to battle with your enemy, you may not have enough resource to pull off. But too small of an area, you may fail your overall operation. For this, intelligence play a key role in determining how big is the arena of combat have to be established to support a rescue effort. Routes that needed for the rescue is mapped and Outpost was designed alongside the route to support the effort, a aggress and egress route was determined. Date and time were to be considered and also, perhaps the most important bits, enemy movement were plotted before sending in the rescue. All this would have been heavily relies on your own intelligence input.
Search
While the combat stage, the rescue force would have to secure the area for the rescue, the rescuer would still have to search through the assigned grid to find the objective. Due to the fact that the person needed to be rescue would most likely hidden, the rescuer would have to look for it.
Search part started as with any civilian search and rescue operation, the search part would utilize advance sensor and communication equipment to contact and locate the subject. Therefore while most CSAR helicopter were variant of tradition helicopter, the CSAR version usually gone thru extensive upgrade so it can be of All-Day, All-Weather service.
Technology used today include forward looking infrared (FLIR), 2 ways high frequency communication, satellite communication, Doppler radar, ground searching radar, target acquisition radar, night vision equipment as well as many other equipment may be useful to perform a search on a given area.
Another aspect of Search is to link up your objective with you, in an optimum situation, communication should be kept continuous in 2 ways, and in a less than ideal world, at least a one way communication should be kept between the object and the rescuer. Keeping your objective in communication would achieve 2 things, 1.) Keeping the Rescuer up-to-date, no one knows the area better than the rescue object on the ground, keeping com will means an active way to update troop movement.
2.) Keeping the rescue in com will keep his/her spirit up.
Rescue
Rescue part is the final chapter in an CSAR operation, after you had stabilised the area, after you have located your objective, naturally comes for you to insert your rescuer.
Inserting the Rescuer usually mean inserting them deep inside enemy lines, and even tho the combat part of CSAR operation would give you a temporary secured corridor to conduct your CSAR operation, your target would most likely still surrounded by the enemies, and thus more than likely inserting Rescuer behind enemy lines would be a special operation.
On another note, the rescuer would be inserted and may not be coming back the same way, so either a one way (Para-drop) or 2 ways insertion (Air Assault using helicopter) would probably considered.
Another aspect is that most likely your target would be wounded or injured and therefore being medically qualified personnel would also be the basic requirement for any rescuer.
end of Part I, to be continue
