No one thinks they will become involved in a kidnapping or a life-threatening situation. Yet, tens of thousands find themselves in hostile, dangerous attacks every year. In these circumstances, knowing what to do can be the difference between surviving … or not.
Knowing the various stages and details of each stage of an Attack Cycle is vital to your safety. In fact, your safety and survival will depend on recognizing and reacting to four key factors.
Attack Cycle
When individuals or groups plan and execute an attack, they follow a discernible and predictable cycle of actions typically referred to as the Attack Cycle.
These actions (or stages)consist of:
- The planning phase
- Information gathering
- Verification of the plan and information
- Execution of the attack
- Escape
- Exploitation of the target
For attackers to successfully complete an attack, they must progress through each stage. Successfully blocking an attacker or disrupting the process at any point within the cycle breaks the chain of attack.
Companies and organizations can protect both people and their assets against potentially deadly and costly attacks with proper training and active strategic security programs.
Know the Attack Cycle = Understanding the Threat = Possible Prevention
Understanding the details and the layers of the Attack Cycle is the basis to prevent, protect against, respond to, and mitigate attacks.
Disrupting the Attack Cycle can cause the attacker to repeat some or all the stages of the cycle (or hopefully abandoning the effort). Knowing the Attack Cycle allows disruption and possible prevention. The main difference is between being a soft target versus a hard target. It is important to understand that criminals typically look for the easiest possible target to increase their level of success, the harder it is for them, the less interested they typically are.
By definition, as oft target is a target (person or location) that, due to actions and/or lack of appropriate protective measures, is at the mercy of existing risks and thus is an easy target. In other words, a soft target is one that can be easily exploited or taken advantage of. Point-in-case, a soft location target would be a building without any locked doors, a vehicle with attractive items in plain sight requiring only a quick “smash and grab” and/or a person completely oblivious to their surroundings that exhibit traits or items that suggest access to wealth (note; “wealth” is a relative term and could mean as little as $50 USD to some).
In contrast, a hard target is a person or location, that, due to actions and/or appropriate protective measures, can minimize existing risks and represents an unattractive target. Again, a point-in-case would be a building with locked doors or controlled access and visible security measures, a vehicle without any valuable items visible and active security system in a well lit active location, and/or a person who is aware of their surroundings and constantly watching those around them for signs of danger.
SBS Attack Cycle Training
For any abduction or attack to occur, there are several major indicators that have been missed or overlooked by the victim that, if detected, could have prevented the action. These actions are not typically spontaneous, thus the perpetrators will provide ample indications that they intend to do something if there is someone to see it.
Our Attack Cycle training provides the skill set required to substantially reduce the risk of abduction or hostile acts. The SBS Training Staff is composed of career Special Operations personnel and Subject Matter Experts that have extensive real world experience and knowledge.
Whether it is a physical attack designed to inflict mass casualties or is an attack on an individual, participants will understand the importance of early detection as well as techniques to mitigate the potential risk.
Participants will learn what must occur before any attack can take place. By understanding the details and specifics of the Attack Cycle, participants will understand:
- The conditions that support an attach and how to spot/avoid them
- How and when they might alter hostile/attack events
- • How to create a favorable, positive outcome
- How to protect people, facilities, and organizations
To learn more about The Attack Cycle and Abduction Management Courses, and additional SBS Customized Training programs, to protect yourself and your employees, please contact us.