Exercising violence does require specific training,
and execution of such tactics and techniques must fit the
circumstances. You must consider your options as it happens
and hopefully you will have planned and prepared in advance
for the same. If you cannot think and act along these lines,
then it would be best to comply with the kidnappers and hope
for a negotiation or possible rescue.
Remember, the idea of kidnapping is to take the
person alive and they want to keep it that way at least for a
while especially if you are being taken for ransom.
• Become a hard target
• Identify potential threats
• Understand travel vulnerabilities
• Avoid choke points
• Analyze routes
• Learn the principles of surveillance detection
• Maintain situational awareness at all times
• Train and Rehearse offensive and defensive tactics
I will tell you that compliance and cooperation is the best
chance you have for survival and release in a great number
of the cases. I will also tell you that once held in internment,
you should be patient as hostage negotiations are difficult and
many times lengthy. I will also tell you that your survival,
and in cases where execution is imminent, and your escape
crucial, training is the key. The fact is, if you don’t have any
you greatly reduce your chances of survivability.
The best chance of escape or thwarting the kidnapping
will be during those precious first few seconds of the attack
when there is confusion and chaos and while you are still in a
public place.
During the initial attack, most victims do not realize
that the kidnappers are vulnerable. They will have weapons
pointed at you and expect that you will cooperate with their
demands. The victim can exploit this overconfidence, if the
circumstance, timing and preparation all come together.
Psychologically, it is critical at that moment that you have the
“violent mindset”, which drives you to do whatever it takes to
survive and escape. It is essential you wholeheartedly believe
that you will succeed, survive and escape.
This is also why it is so important that you are
prepared. Preparation is training and rehearsal. Now you
must rehearse in your mind exactly what direct action you
will take and what events will follow. Though this mind
exercise is very rapid as the situation unfolds, it helps you
gain greater confidence in your capabilities and actions that
you will take. This in turn sends a signal to your brain and
nervous system that you are ready to fight and thus helps you
produce a successful outcome.
Training and rehearsal are the quintessential element
when it comes to any direct action. The Many CEOs and other
clients don’t always agree with this. They often say,“Jeff, we
do not have time to do the Anti-Kidnapping and Hostage
Survival training because we are out everyday working
towards our business goals.” .
What do I retort? to them? I say, “I understand what
you are trying to achieve, but you are missing the point.
In every mission that I have executed, there are a number
of parameters that must be met in order to ensure mission
success. There are always primary and secondary objectives.
There are always threats to our mission, which must be
defined. I tell them there are lives at stake, yours and ours.
I then explain the one thread that runs thru every aspect of
every mission is training. If we do not train hard, a mission
can be compromised. Lack of preparation resulting in failure
is not an option in the field of security.
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