SITUATION AWARENESS (SA)

We aren't afforded the luxury of knowing when bad things happen. Sometimes we find ourselves in positions and circumstances we didn't see coming. However, in order to minimize these situations, we must learn how to develop our present-moment awareness to avoid being caught off guard.

What does it mean to be situationally aware?

In short, it is the practice of being present in the moment and aware of your current surroundings. This is the conscious effort of taking in the environment around you.

This practice of being aware is very important. In special operations, not being mentally “switched on” when it is time to go to work can be the difference between life and death in certain situations.

This can also be the case in everyday life depending on the environment. Think about vehicle accidents on the freeway, the potential for an active shooter situation, criminal activities, power outages, natural disasters in crowded environments, etc. Practicing good SA is critical to seeing a situation develop and then responding appropriately.

Less critical areas where SA applies would be in sports competitions or in the corporate/ business sector. Things are happening fast and if we do not read the situation quickly enough, we become left behind in a wake of confusion.

OODA Loop

In the military, the term OODA Loop is used to describe the concept of adjusting to the demands of dynamic circumstances.

This acronym stands for Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act and is a cycle of awareness implemented in combat operations to gain and maintain momentum and advantage over the enemy on the battlefield. Initially developed by Air Force fighter pilot and military strategist John Boyd, this process of observing the environment around you and then responding in the appropriate manner serves as a formula for making quick decisions in high-paced events.

Whoever can observe and process the developing situation, orient themselves to the point of friction, decide the correct course of action, and then act in the appropriate manner will outmaneuver their opponent and win the fight on the field of battle.

In fact, it is referred to as the OODA loop because it is meant to serve as a continuous cycle. This cycle not only applies to military warfare but business and everyday life. This is because we are constantly reacting or adjusting to our environments. This reality highlights why practicing SA is so important regardless of circumstance or profession.

Life is rapidly happening around us each and every day. If we are not paying attention to the environment around us, we may fall behind the power curve and become victims of circumstance. We must be ready!

Gain a broader perspective on the current problem

To do this effectively requires us to avoid becoming mud-sucked or target-fixated on the finer details. We need to train our ability to take a step back to see the situation as a whole.

When we become honed in on a particular task or problem, we lose situational awareness. This is especially true in a highly dynamic or kinetic environment where things are happening fast and every second counts.

Gaining a broader scope of the current situation enables the ability to see the various points of friction/problems, prioritize objectives, and effectively execute as necessary.

If we are part of a team, this is where the concept of division of labor allows for leadership to delegate tasks according to roles and responsibilities effectively. If we have more than one task on our hands, this is where we must prioritize what is time-sensitive or most critical.

A real-world combat example of this is the potential of getting mud-sucked into an ambush immediately after contact with the enemy. If everyone is front-sight focused on the initial contact and nobody is checking our left and right flank, we could be swiftly maneuvered on and suffer casualties.

Also, if we lack awareness of the enemy's tactics and procedures, suffering from tunnel vision may also inhibit our ability to see everything else happening around us. Sleight-of-hand distractions and deceptions are clever ways of getting us to focus on a particular area while the real fight is taking place somewhere else. This tactic is as old as warfare itself!

To echo this, years ago while deployed downrange in Afghanistan, we were working with an Army Reconnaissance unit out of a small British Forward Operating Base (FOB). A tactic utilized by the Taliban in that particular area of the country was to initiate contact through a small element (two or three fighters) in order to force coalition units to seek cover in a specific area behind a terrain feature that had been booby-trapped ahead of time.

Coalition forces would utilize this key piece of terrain only to suffer devastating casualties through blast injuries from pressure plate-initiated Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) embedded into the ground and surrounding micro terrain.The results of this tactic were devastating and brutally effective. 

Stop, Look, Listen, and Smell (SLLS)

One of the ways we would practice SA while on patrol during a combat operation was through conducting SLLS. After our insert was complete (successfully dismounted our helicopter or vehicle platform in enemy territory), we would find cover and concealment within 50 meters of our insertion point and hold a 360-degree security posture for roughly 20 minutes before stepping out on patrol towards our objective.

This time enabled us to adapt to the sounds and smells of our operational environment and allowed us to get the drop on anyone who may have been alerted to our insert and moving in on our position.

This tactic also enabled our team to make any last-minute communication checks with hire headquarters, afforded our navigators the time to check the route, and for leadership to receive any intel updates on the target area. Ultimately, we use this time to stack the deck in our favor.

Sometimes in life, we need to take a pregnant pause, reflect on our current situation, and then make the necessary adjustments to keep us on course and headed in the right direction.

5s and 25s

In special operations, we would visually scan for Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) utilizing the 5's and 25's principle. 

To do this effectively, simply scan the ground, structure, etc. within 5 yards of your current position and then begin scanning out to roughly 25 yards. You visually scan near-to-far because if you are fixated on a threat further out but don't see the IED we are about to step on, we are in for some serious trouble. 

This technique is particularly useful when conducting vehicle-borne/ mobility operations. Before you even step foot out of your vehicle, open the door, visually scan the ground within 5 meters, dismount, take up your security position, and then scan out to 25 yards and beyond to identify as many threats as possible. 

This concept relates to every area of life. Start within your immediate sphere of influence (what you can affect) and identify the problems that need to be solved, etc. further and further out and problem by problem. What you don't see coming may be the issue that takes you for a ride.

Develop Your Situation Awareness (SA)

Put Away Distractions

This primarily applies to when you should be paying attention to your surroundings. For example, stay off of your phone when walking down the street, driving your vehicle, walking through the store or mall, etc. We are all guilty of being distracted to some degree. It is very important that we simply “look up” from our phones and pay attention. When we do this and are mindful of our surroundings, we are then mentally ready to respond to whatever comes our way.

Pay Close Attention to Your Surroundings

This includes the people you come in contact with, people within your vicinity, buildings, vehicles, streets, sidewalks, alleyways, and all of the things happening around you. Pay close attention to your spatial awareness (your position in relation to objects such as buildings, people, vehicles, stairwells, railings, etc.). This practice enables us to better understand our environment and our relation to it. The key takeaway here is to recognize the pattern of life and pick up on outliers and anomalies that go against this established pattern.

Be Consciously Aware of Entry and Exit Points

This applies on a crowded street, in a building, or anywhere else. It is very important to know where you can go to either escape a crisis or assist others during a high-stakes situation.

It is also imperative that you sense and recognize danger and then have a plan to protect yourself and your loved ones or avoid it altogether before this danger becomes a reality.

Trust Your Instincts

When we feel uncomfortable about a certain situation or uneasy in a specific setting, it is usually for a reason. Trust your intuition and avoid the circumstance altogether if feasible. Our instincts will not kick in if we are mentally distracted or unaware.

Think Ahead and Have A Plan

This isn’t being paranoid. This is practicing good situation awareness (SA) and self-preservation in times when you may sense danger. Even if you are in a relatively safe environment, thinking one step ahead (forecasting what may likely occur next respective to the situation) enables you to be mentally ready for anything.

Practicing good SA can be the difference between responding appropriately to our environment or reacting emotionally to our current situation and making mistakes. It is critical to our success that we maintain a posture of readiness and awareness in today’s dynamic environment

Conclusion

Regardless of the scenario or the situation you may find yourself in, it is wise to take a brief moment (even if it is a few seconds) to let the situation develop before deciding what action to take. This moment will allow you to take in the information needed to make an informed decision. This is also a good time to remind yourself to remain calm in order to avoid panic.

Get Ready! Stay Ready!