This is a very good question to ask. Many of us have no military background and understand little on this subject. There are good sections on PO's and LP's that explain some considerations that must be made in the book The G.O.O.D. plan by V. Andrew McMillan. It also covers some considerations that must be made when using radio communications between the OP's and the base. Constant perimeter surveillance is of paramount importance. This is one area that is served well by a larger group as it is very labour intensive. With only four OP's plus your base monitoring for one full day you require 120 man hours. Even if group members are pulling 6 hour shifts that is 20 shifts per day (140 shifts per week)! Even if you were to do two shifts per 24 hour period you would require 10 group members dedicated to this task alone. This is where terrain and the ability to defend the location becomes very important. If you can adequately provide surveillance with two OP's and one roving patrol you can lower your daily requirement to 72 man hours or 12 shifts. This configuration could be managed with only 6 dedicated group members. It quickly becomes apparent that every group member will need to take a turn at surveillance. Training of all group members thus becomes a priority. General awareness must be promoted and techniques to fight boredom and fatigue must be taught to everyone. Just my thoughts but as I said no military experience.

some quick answers;

That is a huge and complicated answer.
First there are 3 or 4 stages of what Keeping Watch would entail.

can not give you an answer without proper details, size of perimeter, lay of the land, surroundings, urban, rural, woods, with power, without power. The answer to even a simple setup would be a voluminous essay in and of itself.

do you have animals, especially dogs, they come in very handy for assisting in security. Loud security..
Ducks are also good, big white ones, small pack about 8-10, will chase down people they do not know, so long as they are in an enclosure. British and US forces use them. Laugh, civies laugh.. until you have been chased and attacked by these 25-40 lb birds, loud, honking, flapping winged birds! like I said a pack.. trained for security

how many people, minimum is ONE person on Fire picket to a full force command. any are can be taken by a big enough force, the question are you worth being a target or being targeted? so many ways to answer, so many answers.
communications
weapons, defensive - offensive
ballistic vests
hardened structures
patrol areas
wire
fencing
ditches
hills
valleys
swamps
vehicle patrols
search lights
trip wires
ground defensive objects
early warning objects (powered and non powered)

dedicated security/fire picket personnel, how many rotations, how many hours per shift, teams, tandems,

Just a couple of other considerations for manning Op's and LP's. First of all the more OP's/LP's you can manage to operate the better because where possible overlapping fields of view are desirable. For obvious security considerations changes in shifts should be anything than routine. You cannot have shift changes totally random but you can make them appear random to anyone observing from the outside. For a shift of 6 hours you have the options of 1,2,3,4,5, and 6 hours stints at any one post. It is a very good tabletop exercise to come up with a workable, random appearing, shift change schedule for 5 locations ( 4 OP's and a base radio operator) for a period of one week allowing for other duties and sleep for each of the participants. Breaking down daily shifts into shorter periods at different locations also combats boredom and fatigue of the participants. Try coming up with such a schedule. It is not as easy as you think. Once you have made one weekly schedule then go ahead and produce three more weekly schedules. Once you have a month's worth you can randomly alternate the weekly schedules. This way outside observers might well conclude that your daily schedule is really random.

Wildernessreturn did you meet my large white red headed Muscovy Ducks. On a good day they are not, how shall I put it, good looking. They are large, very aggressive and hiss a lot. The drawback is they are not very loud so I depend on the rest of the flock for that. A small flock of disgruntled ducks can be very loud and compared to a single dog not nearly as easily quieted. Geese make excellent guard animals too but for me large dogs are still king.

At first this may seem a little off topic but I think it fits in quite well here. An important part of your operations security (OPSEC) is your radio centre or dispatch at you base. This in itself is a big and possibly complicated consideration. It may consist of just one person manning with a hand held FRS radio or it may be something much more elaborate. With any level of communications, even if you using a couple of FRS radios, you have to consider minimal training for the operators, concerns such as battery maintenance and possibly even simple equipment maintenance.

The recent poll on communications on the portal page lists most the types of commendation devices that might be considered. Some for keeping in touch with group members, others for listening and gathering information and still others for long range two way communications. This is a huge field and can be daunting to anyone not familiar with this area.

From my way thinking what is required in this area will depend on what you are planning for and the duration of any event. The longer and more serious the situation becomes the more sophisticated your communications need to be. For a few days bug out or bug in situation a couple of FRS or perhaps GMRS along with a AM/FM/NOAA radio and a cell phone are probably more than adequate. However if the situation was prolonged to weeks or months then I would imagine that if you had not covered all the communication bases you might well come to regret it.

Setting up a communications base for your bug in or bug out location is not an easy task for most. It requires some expertise and certainly is not cheap. Manning your dispatch and monitoring other radio frequencies is as important as another job that your group will perform. This has to be integrated with your surveillance schedule. However it does afford the opportunity for group members who are perhaps less physically fit or even non- ambulatory to participate in the group and perform vital functions.

I would be very interested to hear what considerations others have made and what solutions you have come up with. I have spent a lot of time considering this topic. I feel that for the most part I have our communications needs covered but like everything else in prepping you find yourself constantly making adjustments and going to the next level.

I agree with what you have said. I believe one of the most important things is training and discipline. It doesn't have to be extremely deep or involved. What it should cover is simple codes such as the old 10 code system or something you make up yourself. The object is to reduce the time you are "on the air". The longer you have the transmit button down the more opportunity you are giving someone to triangulate your position. Also while you are "on the air" no one else can be. Secondly if you are communication in plain text everyone knows the message. You do not want the world to know what and who you have, how many, your situation etc. Thirdly the purpose of radio comms are to exchange tactical or strategic information ONLY. Not for conversation.

JAB

Good points JAB.

As ICRCC implied animals might be an important early warning, especially since most of us won't have a group dedicated to a fortified compound. I think we'll have an excessive rule of law situation, not the opposite. Fortified bunkers overlooking approaches and sentries are going to single you out as a potential troublemaker. However you do this it should be invisible or appear innocent.

one of the most overlooked forms of communication is the silent type. most people just do not get even basic hand or body signals, which I find curious.
TRAINING and practice, remember most people who are not Military or Security will not take the job seriously, they were too comfortable in their lives and most do not get touched by the other side. you will need a supervisor to install discipline and maintain alertness.

the best is a team approach and at the very least a two person team. two dog team, they need company as well and motivate and compete with each other to do the best job as well, very much like Humans.

JAB is ex military and his points on the codes standard for most any military. - I was just thinking one of those big old scanners setup in the background can just scan away if your in an area with no communications, then one day it might pick up on something and give you a head start.

another area you need to work on is your environment, build natural fortifications and blinds to help keep your area unnoticed for as long as possible. NEIGHBOURS, you will need to get a grid system of communication, early warning and fall back positions organized and in place. sounds easy, good luck! some will be on board almost immediately others will need to be awakened by information others still will not cooperate until they come screaming at your door about the Golden Hoard at their doorstep.

daily meetings for your core group, weekly meetings for the extended working group and try to get the others together for at least an every 2 week meeting. this is where diplomacy is needed, someone with a background in social services, negotiations, politics comes in handy.

diplomacy is delicate so you need a carver of words with finely honed carving tools, me, I am about as subtle as a sledgehammer, use the proper tool for the proper job.
just some other points

as well, do you have any OPs in the area? (observation posts)
hidden, underground or in hides?
do not get all carried away thinking, buried buildings, just think, slit trenches, L-trenches, fast and simple to make especially with equipment like a backhoe.
hides could incorporate spider shelters, debris shelters, rock wall shelters. heat them with home-made rocket mass heaters and use rocket stoves or Dakota Smokeless holes for cooking and warmth.

everyone needs to take turns at security but not all are cut out for the job at all. hopefully these folks could at least do the in camp fire picket, monitor communications and get the water hot for the morning meals, etc.

Vigilance, not vigilantes, remember the distinctions here.

most non urban areas, will just need to be vigilant and deter the Hordes for a while.

THIS IS ALL assuming there is a full and utter breakdown with roving bandits and gangs. Even a household can be vigilant, individuals taught to watch out and be on the look out. This is not a male or female thing, it is a personality thing. I have seen some women and girls who were way more vigilant than guys, but have also seen the reverse.
still need more info on your location, etc before giving you a full break down and needs analysis.

As ICRCC implied animals might be an important early warning, especially since most of us won't have a group dedicated to a fortified compound. I think we'll have an excessive rule of law situation, not the opposite. Fortified bunkers overlooking approaches and sentries are going to single you out as a potential troublemaker. However you do this it should be invisible or appear innocent.

Oh a mine field

Excellent points Wildernessreturn. Another thing to consider is the area you are trying to control. And THAT is what it is all about. You want to secure an area. Whether it is a bugout retreat in the country or your own neighborhood in the city or 'burbs you are trying to create an area that you can control access to. Your personal situation will dictate what you can do to accomplish this. Also you will want to have concentric rings of security. The outer rings will be more for warning, both active and passive. The inner rings will be for denial and defence. You will also want to have a number of egress routes planned for the event you have to bug out from your bug out.

In all of this I believe the adage "live to fight another day" is the best philosophy to live by. Regardless of the area you are in.. regardless of what you have stored or the retreat you have developed...in the final analysis the best course of action will be to avoid confrontation if at all possible but if you HAVE TO fight, know when to leave. You can be the boulder in the river. The water flows around but at times the water rises and flows over. Always keep this in your list of possibilities.

Howdy All,

Sorry I am so late to this party. 🙂 Good topic.

I believe no matter where you are security is important. Before, during or after a crisis or disaster. In normal life, security means locking the doors by day and the deadbolt by night. Will these stop the criminals - NO, but it will slow them down a little. That may be enough to either evacuate or prepare a proper response to an intruder with hostile intent. Any intruder who does not withdrawl when they find the entry is "locked" is hostile.

As it has been stated by JAB, security is best done in layers. In commercial security the layers will be different than the layers for a BOL, with the major difference being a BOL does not want to advertise its location. But I digress.

The outer layers want to notify you of an intruder and wants to inform the intruder that this is private property. IF, the intruder continues they know they are in the wrong - one less rule of law to establish. As the layers get closer and closer to your living quarters the tighter and stiffer the resistance to an intruder. Fences on the perimeter can be post and rail, to define your boarder with signs that identify it as private property. As the layers get closer, you may want to have more fences, including chain link, barb wire or concentina. A mix of low wire entanglements - to make intruders rise up into view or multiple layers of fences in one area and few fences in another to funnel intruders to an area that is easier to keep an eye on. So fences can channel or funnel intruders. Trip wires, tin cans filled with stones or marbles hanging from fences, bear traps, leg hold traps, snares, pitfalls, tiger traps, and the list goes on and on. Some resourceful use of available materials and terrian provide with the means to deny access to intruders. Your imagination is the limit. Wireless battery operated motion sensors used for acreage driveways is another tools that can be set up and used to your advantage.

OP's/LP's a great choice. If your site has the option to limit access points less OP's can be used. One option to a limit manpower is to have less OP's and more foot patrols. Network with others outside your area is a good idea. So was WildE's suggestion of having a scanner(s) to monitor as many comm's sources to get as much warning as possible.

Read Sun TZU - The Art of War. And if you must fight for your place, Fight like there is no escape route. If that is what you believe is the right thing to do at the time.

That is it for now. Each environment offers different challenges and only you know what your BOL will need. If you don't know what you need, now is the time to invite a fellow like-minded prepper to assist your group.

Cheers,

Mountainman.