An observation post is run as a fixed cycle: the sentry arrives early, takes a briefing, scans in a set pattern with short pauses to change position, logs what is seen, reports contacts by one agreed signal and hands over in person. The sentry observes and reports, and does not leave the post, show a light, or deal with a contact alone.
Part of Watch and Patrol Scheduling
Observation post operations are the routines that keep a sentry useful through a shift: scanning, logging, reporting and handing over.
The Sentry’s Job Is To See And Tell
The sentry’s value is information, and an observation post is built (see Observation Posts) so that a sentry can see without being seen. A post is a place to observe from, not to fight from. The routine below keeps the sentry observing and keeps the rest of the settlement informed.
What You Need
- A briefing sheet with the day’s password and challenge, the threat level, standing orders and anything unusual.
- A log book and pencil (Log Keeping).
- A signal to the settlement, a horn, whistle or lamp (Communication Between Posts).
- Binoculars or a spy-glass if the settlement has them, and shade or cover from weather.
- Water and a warm layer. A cold or thirsty sentry watches badly.
- A clear route in and out that cannot be seen from outside.
Method: One Shift At The Post
Step 1: Arrive early and take the briefing. See Handover Procedures. The sentry takes over only when they have read the log and know the last two hours.
Step 2: Divide the view into sectors and scan each in turn: near ground first, then middle distance, then far, with pauses of a few seconds (Visual Scanning Patterns). Look slightly off to the side at night (Night Observation).
Step 3: Break the monotony. Change position, stand and sit, swap roles in a pair, sweep a different sector first. Variety helps, because staring at one view dulls the eye.
Step 4: Log at fixed intervals what was seen, the weather and the state of any warning devices.
Step 5: Report a contact with the six questions. What is it, how many, where, which way is it moving, what is it doing, and since when. Use the agreed signal first, then the details by runner or call.
Step 6: Stay at the post. If a contact approaches, the sentry observes and signals. The sentry does not go out to meet it, does not challenge alone (pairs and a witness are the rule; see Two-Person Shifts), and does not use a light.
Step 7: Hand over in person, with the log and the briefing.
Self-Checks A Sentry Can Use
- The cold test. If you cannot say what changed in your view in the last ten minutes, you are staring, not watching.
- The sound test. Name the three sounds you can hear now. If you cannot, you are not listening.
- The log test. If your last log entry was filled in without looking up, make the next one from something you have just seen.
Awareness levels are described in Cooper Color Codes: a sentry holds the relaxed alert state and moves to a specific alert when something triggers it, because full alert cannot be held for hours.
Common Mistakes
- Leaving the post to check something. The post is then empty at the moment it matters.
- Reporting a guess as a fact. Say “I think” and say what you saw.
- A lamp in the hut. It shows the post to anyone outside and ruins the sentry’s night sight.
- A sentry who is also the messenger. If the only sentry runs the report, the post is empty (see Runner Systems).
Safety
Height, weather and exposure
A raised post is a fall hazard in wind, rain, ice or the dark; fit a railing and a fixed way down (Observation Posts). In a thunderstorm the sentry comes down. A sentry exposed to cold or heat for hours needs clothing, water and relief.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Post Placement — where posts go so their views overlap
- Combine with: Log Keeping — what to write and why