Fieldcraft

Fieldcraft or "field craft" is the tactical skill to operate stealthily and the methods used to do so,[1] which can differ during day or night and due to weather or terrain.[2][3] The term "field craft" is not only used in warfare but also in the filming of wildlife documentaries, for example.[4][5]

For the information services business, see FieldCraft (company).
A camouflaged sniper lying prone

In the anti-terrorism field, field craft is defined as "the art of evading monitoring by police and the security services." Terror groups such as the one tracked by Operation Guava were caught "despite their own well developed field craft."[6]

The term has been used since at least World War II. For example, Diana Rowden, a war hero, was described at the time as "very good in field craft and excellent with guns”.[7]

Field skills include camouflage, land and water navigation, understanding the difference between concealment from view and cover from small arms' fire, using the terrain and its features to mask ground movement, obstacle crossing, selecting good firing positions, lying-up positions, camping positions, effective observation, camouflage penetration, countersurveillance, detecting enemy-fire directionality and range, survival, evasion, and escape techniques.

Good fieldcraft is especially important for the effectiveness and survival of infantry soldiers, snipers, special forces, reconnaissance and sabotage teams. Efficient fieldcraft is only possible by spending time, effort, and attention to memorizing battlefield details, infiltration and escape routes, construction and employment of hiding positions, enemy force doctrines and equipment.

See also

References
  1. "Definition of fieldcraft in English". Oxford Dictionaries. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  2. Australian Air Force Cadets (April 2007). "FIELDCRAFT BASIC" (PDF). Australian Air Force Cadets.
  3. "Unit of competency details". Australian Government Department of Education and Training.
  4. Andy Richardson (28 August 2017). "Ray Mears: The world is full of too much conflict". Shropshire Star. Retrieved 8 December 2019. “It’s a big job to research these shows. But the most important thing is the field craft on the ground."
  5. "Johnny Kingdom's funeral held in Devon". BBC. 23 September 2018. Retrieved 8 December 2019. His field-craft skills were really second to none... When it got to sitting there waiting for that wildlife
  6. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/nov/30/usman-khan-cobridge-stoke-on-trent-neighbours-shock
  7. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/29/awful-fate-betrayed-volunteer-operated-behind-enemy-lines-france/


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