Wilderness Survival: A Warrior Foundational Skill

There is no military supremacy without self-sufficiency and associated resilience.

Throughout history, one of the greatest challenges of any military leader has been logistics to maintain the troops hydrated, fed and relatively clean (lack of hygiene leading to disease outbreaks, and thus, potential disaster). Some basic military concepts, such as sieges or embargo, are also meant to bring enemies to their knees by essentially cutting off supply chains and starving them. Or simply psychologically breaking their men. 

Guerrilla warfare, originally specific to irregular forces, but arguably also applicable to special forces facing a much larger and better armed enemy, is based on the ability to survive in the wilderness or other harsh and inhospitable environments, in near total self-sufficiency, and on the long-term. 

The importance of guerrilla warfare has been demonstrated over and over again throughout history, and particularly in more modern times, with the United States essentially losing war after war to a bunch of poorly tactically trained irregular combatants - sometimes even mere goat herders (and fucker) - in their own environment. From Vietnam to Iraq, to Afghanistan. Would be even much worse with Ukraine and Russia if it got to that point, due to U.S. forces no longer being able to rely on some level of knowledge acquired in desert environments, combined with an astonishing decrease in standards, fitness and otherwise, having produced in recent times an inept army. An army incapable of wilderness survival, self-sufficiency, and resilience.

Yet, there is no warrior without foundational skills, including, and especially, wilderness survival. Reliance on equipment, weapon systems, a chain of command (historically inept and with no regard for the man and warrior, and certainly not getting better), and logistics to keep fighting, let alone getting sustenance, is a critical weakness. An inability to survive in the wilderness will also deprive a man of the very resilience that is critical to combat.

I am not talking about going LARPing in the woods with the best equipment from REI, MEC, or Milrab. This is not survival. It is fun, rest and recreation. I am referring to the ability of survive in very harsh environments, with minimal equipment, and substantial misery. Because any true survival situation is miserable, and this is where resilience comes into the picture.

Furthermore, wilderness survival can be an incredible advantage over enemies, especially if not in their own environment, as Trident Juncture and Cold Response exercises in Norway have consistently demonstrated over the years. With relatively poorly equipped Norwegian forces (at least in comparison to the U.S.), performing much better than anyone else (with the exception of Finns usually being at a similar level), and demonstrating the decreasing capabilities of NATO forces in a cold/mountain environment. 

Wilderness survival, the ability to survive with next to no equipment, to use nature to one’s benefit (including strategic), to know, incidentally, one’s own land, country and environment better than anyone else, and to develop resiliency from it all is one of the most fundamental aspect of a warrior, and a critical skill to ensure the defense and protection of our lands. 

There is a reason our combat school, Áskunnr Gunnarskólinn, approaches skills such as basic survival and knowledge the natural environment as a foundational skill.