Shadows, Silhouettes, Sounds and Movement

You must achieve two things, break up your outline and blend in.

When you are out on a mission you need to consider concealment vs. camouflage. Concealment is what keeps you from being seen by an opponent. Concealment will hide you but it will not stop a bullet. You can be wearing a bright orange jump suit and a wall can conceal you from the person on the other side of the wall. Camouflage allows you to blend the shapes and colors of your body to match the area you are operating in. Concealment and camouflage will help you hide from a bullet but neither will stop a bullet.

Concealment

Concealment is what keeps you from being seen by your opponent. Concealment is a very important tool. It will allow you to maneuver to a target without alerting them to your presence. If the shooter is engaged with you but is not sure of your exact position then the chances of landing a bullet in your position is reduced. If your opponent is engaging multiple targets they will aim and shoot at those they can see.

In some situations you might want to choose a

uniform that does not blend with your environment. The reason for this is to insure that you can identify the people on your team quickly. If you look like the people you are engaging you might be put in confusing shoot-don’t shoot scenarios. If you can rapidly identify your team mates moving in and out of the area of operation you can avoid the confusion. In that environment awareness of physical concealment is a primary consideration.

The best way to practice the location and movement to different forms of concealment is through Individual Movement Techniques (IMT). Simply set up a few observers with airsoft rifles in a recreation of the area of operation. Have your fire teams move through the environment with proper IMTs with the goal of closing with the target.

Camouflage

When camouflaging yourself, consider the shape of the human. The enemy will look for these shapes at contrast the shapes in their environment. The shape of a hat, helmet, or boots can give you away. Break up your outline by placing small amounts of vegetation from the surrounding area in your uniform, equipment, and headgear. You need to reduce any shine from skin or equipment. Blend in with the surrounding colors and simulate the texture of your surroundings.

Shape and Outline

Watch the last video I posted in the right column. You need to consider the height you are traveling at. Don’t choose low level plants to put in your hat when you are walking through the area. Don’t choose tree limbs to weave in your hat when you are low crawling through. Use height appropriate vegetation to change your outline.

You need to consider the climate and vegetation of the area you are operating in. What are the basic colors of the area? Is the texture smooth and rocky, leafy or ruff and sandy? Choose your base colors based on where you are. Fleck tarn, Multi cam and 3d camouflage are wonderful forms of patterns what have environment that they excel in.

Just For Fun

Color and Texture

Bottom Line

I will cover camouflage techniques in greater depth in another article. What I want you to come away with in this post are to learn ways to use movement and concealment to close on a target especially when cover is not available. You MUST train on these IMTs and techniques to learn to quickly spot your next firing position and identify the safest way to get to that location.