1-1. Army personnel recovery is the military efforts taken to prepare for and execute the recovery and reintegration of isolated personnel. (FM 3-50) Personnel recovery aims to return isolated personnel to duty as well as to sustain morale, increase operational performance, collect information, and develop intelligence. Army forces work with unified action partners to recover individuals and groups who become isolated. Isolation refers to persons separated from their unit or in a situation where they must survive, evade, resist, or escape.
1-2. All Soldiers, Department of Army civilians and supporting contractors must understand how Army survival, evasion, resistance, and escape (SERE) relates to personnel recovery. Survival, evasion, resistance, and escape is defined as actions performed by isolated personnel designed to ensure their health, mobility, safety, and honor in anticipation of or preparation for their return to friendly control (JP 3-50). Army SERE represents actions that enable isolated individuals to survive and return to friendly control as soon as possible. SERE focuses on the actions of the isolated person or group of isolated persons.
Survival
1-3. Table 1-1 identifies the four SERE actions and their related proficiencies. Survival begins when a Soldier executes their isolated Soldier guidance (ISG) or evasion plan of action (EPA). The survival proficiencies include protection, sustenance, survival medicine, and navigation. Units and individuals train on these proficiencies to improve and sustain individual task proficiency.
1-4. The recovery of isolated personnel and their return to friendly control is dependent upon their ability to employ relevant knowledge and skills of the survival proficiencies tailored to their operational environment.
Survival Medicine
1-5. Survival medicine is characterized by remote and improvised care of isolated personnel with routine or exotic physical or psychological illnesses or trauma, limited resources and labor, and delayed evacuation to definitive care. There are four fundamentals common to survival medicine: prevention, recognition, mitigation, and treatment. Assess these fundamentals during planning and preparation activities and include relevant physical and psychological factors. Additionally, they form the basis for effective organization, training, and equipping efforts by the commander and staff, unit recovery force and the individual. Planning is the art and science of understanding a situation, envisioning a desired future, and laying out effective ways of bringing that future about (ADP 5-0).
Sustenance
1-6. Sustenance includes procuring, preparing, and storing adequate food and water to enable the isolated person’s normal body functions and to provide strength, energy, and endurance to overcome the stress of survival. Isolated personnel must be prepared to use a variety of both native and domestic food sources, obtain water using various methods, and be able to prepare and preserve food and water throughout the duration of their isolation. Assess life-sustaining food and water needs during planning and preparation activities and integrate into organization, training, and equipping considerations by the commander and staff, unit recovery force, and the individual. Preparation are those activities by units and Soldiers to improve their ability to execute operations (ADP 5-0).
Protection
1-7. Protection includes wear and care for protective clothing and equipment, the ability to build appropriate shelter and fire and the application of basic security measures. Protection needs are assessed during planning and preparation activities and integrated into organization, training, and equipping considerations by the commander and staff, unit recovery force, and the individual. Army forces are typically equipped and prepared to survive for up to 96 hours of isolation subject to recovery force capabilities, threats, and environmental conditions. ATP 3-50.20, chapter 2 provides an in-depth discussion on duration of isolation.
Navigation
1-8. Navigation requirements for isolated personnel are met through planning and preparation efforts that focus on a combination of (Global Positioning System) GPS, map and compass, and field expedient techniques in a specific operational environment for the purpose of surviving, avoiding capture, and facilitating recovery. Navigational limitations and opportunities relating to terrain and illumination are identified and analyzed to subsequently organize, train and equip personnel to conduct precise movements to desired locations such as recovery areas, recovery sites and rally points to enable link-up with recovery forces. Assess navigation needs during planning and preparation activities and integrated into organization, training, and equipping considerations by the commander and staff, unit recovery force, and the individual.
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