A look at Hostile Environment Surveillance Operations

As a result of the privatization of Iraq in 2003 and the dramatic growth of private security operations in politically
unstable and hostile environments, close protection professionals are finding themselves working in increasingly
diverse environments that require highly specialized skills and training. One of those specializations is Hostile
Environment Surveillance Operations (HESO).

This article will discuss the primary types of hostile environment surveillance operations and their application to the
layered security of the protection detail as well as the specialized training needed by operatives wishing to conduct
this type of work.
Lets start by identifying what a hostile environment is. For our purposes an environment may be considered hostile
because of high crime rates like Mexico and South America or due to civil unrest like in the cases of Ukraine, Iraq,
and Syria, Egypt and Libya during the Arab Spring or Nigeria. Additional hostile environments include areas that are
dramatically underdeveloped and lack critical infrastructure such as east Africa or India.
The primary goal of Hostile Environment Surveillance Operations (HESO) is to successfully detect and gather
intelligence on hostile third party activities which pose a security threat, in aid of preventing an attack. There are
four primary types of HESOs: Protective surveillance (PS), surveillance detection (SD), counter surveillance (CS)
and close target reconnaissance (CTR). Each of these involves the use of the fundamental principles of physical
surveillance and plays a critical role to the support of the protection detail.
Protective surveillance is the covert use of a team of highly trained and experienced operatives to form a protective
ring around the principal. The protective surveillance teams (PST) primary goals are is to occupy or control areas
that could be used by a hostile surveillance team (HST) to plan or assist in an attack on the principal. The PST will
identify hostile surveillance, gather protective intelligence and if necessary serve as a quick reaction force (QRF) to
assist defending an attack on the principal. If hostile surveillance is detected, the PST will notify the close protection
team of the threat so that the principal can be discreetly removed to a safe environment. As mentioned earlier, in
worst case scenarios the PST will act as a quick reaction force (QRF) which is why it is essential that all members
of the PST have advanced specialized training in close protection, close quarter battle, anti ambush and anti
kidnapping.

History has taught us that terrorist attacks follow a distinct process known as the Terrorist Attack Cycle which
includes target selection, planning, deployment, escape and exploitation. Regardless of the type of attack there will
almost always be some type of preoperational hostile surveillance conducted. The hostile surveillance is intended
to assess the value of the target, security measures and vulnerabilities and escape routes. Surveillance Detection
(SD) has become critical to successful hostile environment operations because it gives us the ability to prevent or
defeat an attack by detecting hostile or suspicious activity early in the target selection and planning phase. The
surveillance detection team (SDT) will develop a surveillance detection plan that includes identifying suitable
observation points that provide optimal views of critical locations that hostile surveillance would want to observe
during the planning phase. The SDT will conduct surveillance of these critical locations to identify people or vehicles
that look out of place or have suspicious patterns and exhibit poor surveillance demeanor. In addition, the SDT will
conduct pattern and route analysis to determine where the target is most predictable and vulnerable during travel.
Surveillance detection works because it allows the HST to feel confident operating in the open because they have
no idea anyone is watching them. If the intelligence collected by the SDT warrants further investigation, then an
appropriate counter-surveillance (CS) operation can be designed to exploit or capture the hostile surveillance. It is
critical that the SDTs role does not cross over into CS as this risks compromising future CS operations by chasing
the HST into hiding.
Counter Surveillance (CS) is conducted by a third party or counter surveillance team (CST) to exploit and neutralize
hostile surveillance. Essentially, counter surveillance is an operational measure taken once hostile surveillance has
been identified. The CST then conducts surveillance of the HST to gather intelligence that can be used to
manipulate, exploit or apprehend the hostile surveillance. Counter surveillance is normally conducted by
intelligence agencies and the military but in todays global environment more and more security contractors are
becoming involved in CS operations. It should be noted that some sophisticated attackers may use CS as a
countermeasure against surveillance detection to increase their operational security.
Close Target Reconnaissance (CTR) is the covert collection of detailed intelligence against a target location to
assist in operation planning and success. Potential CTR targets include a variety of residential and commercial
structures and CTR is designed to develop tactics, techniques and procedures that identify, assess and exploit
each structures vulnerabilities. The skills here are different than the other HESO areas. CTR teams are versed in
environmental and terrain analysis, tactical tracking operations, covert patrol methods, planning and risk
assessment, facility vulnerability assessment, defeating active and passive security, external security threat / risk
mitigation, covert entry, active and passive security sensor mitigation, human security vulnerability analysis, defeat
and or exploitation. CTR is most often used in support of military, intelligence and hostage rescue operations.
Regardless of what HESO area you may wish to specialize in there is some core specialized training that all HESO
operatives should have. Each HESO operative should have completed advanced level training in covert physical
surveillance and have extensive experience planning and conducting a wide range of covert surveillance operations
against a variety of targets. In addition, to allow the HESO operative to operate relatively safely in the hostile
environment they should have specialized training in night surveillance operations, advanced operational security
and planning, threat assessment, analysis and target identification, terrorist / security threat groups operating in
their region, terrorist and hostile surveillance tradecraft, firearms training to include pistol, rifle, shotgun and foreign
weapons of the region, advanced hostile environment close protection operations (HECPO), advanced counter
ambush and counter kidnapping, detecting car bombs, VBIEDs and IEDs, detecting suicide bombers, tactical
combat casualty care and defensive counter sniper operations.
As you can see hostile environment surveillance operations play a critical role in successful hostile environment
protection operations and its definitely not for the newbie. To be successful the operative needs extensive
experience, comprehensive training and the ability to blend in to their environment.