A discussion on the being steatlhy versus inconspicous.

[Teutoni]

I have noticed lately that there are disagreements on what Night Opping is exactly and what is or is not in the spirit of it. I was hoping that we could have a civil discussion as to our philosophies on what it is we do and how it applies to our actions in the night. If someone disagrees with how you view what you do, don't get butthurt simply try and understand what they are saying and remember quite a few people have been doing this for many years and their philosophies were often forged and tested in the fields long before you ever thought of leaving your house at night.

Here is a link to start the discussion: http://nightops.net/

[Marzka]

Is this a more philosophical and general view on the topic "Casual Clothes VS BDUs" or am I misunderstanding?

[TheBurnedMan]

marzka I think that is part of it but there are also other aspects, like is night ops its own thing or merely a means to an end such as urbex or burglary.

[Xanatos]

This discussion has come up a few times and really pertains to how one travels to an op. Some people favour walking the streets inconspicuously, others prefer to leave their place all masked up. Either approach is acceptable provided you can pull it off.

For the actual op, however, there really is no excuse for going in civvies. The idea of night ops is not to be seen at all, and going in "inconspicuously" implies you're willing to or expect to be spotted.

Basically, if you're somewhere you're not supposed to be, you need to take every precaution to ensure that you remain undetected. This means dressing appropriately and staying out of sight as much as possible.

[Teutoni]

TBM is correct. It's not just about civvies vs. full battle rattle it's more encompassing than that. If you have any philosophy on what Night Ops is or how/why you do it then share it.

[Æternaeon]

For the actual op, however, there really is no excuse for going in civvies. The idea of night ops is not to be seen at all, and going in "inconspicuously" implies you're willing to or expect to be spotted.

Basically, if you're somewhere you're not supposed to be, you need to take every precaution to ensure that you remain undetected. This means dressing appropriately and staying out of sight as much as possible.

I agree with this entirely. If you're not stealthy enough to stay hidden from base to the area of operations, so be it. But find a spot you can safely move from unseen and begin total stealth at that point in proper attire and work on ways in the meantime to be out of sight as soon as you leave your starting point.

[Ghost]

Ah, here's a topic that's very near to my heart.

Night Ops has always struggled to define itself, and after many years of debates on what counts or doesn't count, it seems as if we've allowed everyone to decide for themselves. However, I feel like there's one thing that everyone's definition includes, which is the same part of opping that separates us from other activities like urban ex - stealth. Stealth is the underlying principle behind any and every form of opping, and when you break a "Night Op" down to the most basic idea behind it, stealth is what you end up with. This may seem obvious, but I felt that stating all of this was necessary.

Being inconspicuous has plenty of uses, and I won't argue that sometimes, there's no way to pull off a certain op without using it. That said, being inconspicuous is NOT the same thing as being stealthy. If you're using it to get to or from your area of operations, so be it. But don't look at that as being any different from getting in your car and driving to your AOR - it isn't stealthy, and it isn't opping. After all, just look at people who use being inconspicuous (but not actually using pure stealth) to go explore buildings. That activity already has a name, and it's urban exploration. What sets us apart is our utilization of stealth, and our desire to remain unseen. If not for stealth, there would be no opping.

Personally, I've sworn off "being inconspicuous" or using any form of social engineering on my ops. I'm what you might consider a purist, and I consider stealth to be the be-all and end-all of opping. Yes, my ops all have targets, objectives, and locations, but those are just a part of the op. The whole point of opping, to me, is the practice of stealth for it's own sake.

[Sangrior]

Yeah.. Ghost got this one in the bag for me, but being a normal dude on the way to an op isnt too bad, I dont like being related to the mission at all though, if anything gets out, if I get spotted, it should be a man in a mask, not anything to narrow it down, thats why I dont like being so openly identifiable ever, when about to commit some bad acts, hahaha.

[Xanatos]

I'm what you might consider a purist, and I consider stealth to be the be-all and end-all of opping. Yes, my ops all have targets, objectives, and locations, but those are just a part of the op. The whole point of opping, to me, is the practice of stealth for it's own sake.

This x100.
I often go out on 'stealthcercise' runs that have no set path or target or objective other than remaining unseen. Heck, sometimes I do these half naked without any sort of gear, and I still equivalate these to opping.

Whatever shit you've got planned for an op, have stealth always a priority.

[Absent]

I've been on a few ops where full stealth gear was simply inadvisable. If you're operating in an urban area, there's a very high chance SOMEONE is going to see you, and if you're in full urban camouflage and you have to get into an inhabited building to explore some part of it, e.g. you have to pass by people, walking around in full camo is a bad idea. Don't get me wrong, stealth attire is necessary in a good deal of ops and I've used it often, but sometimes blending in is also necessary. I like to mix the two. Like, I'll wear some regular everyday civ. clothes underneath of my camo or whatever else I'm using to reach a destination. Then, when necessary, I'll drop the heavier / less inconspicuous gear at a drop point and proceed in less-suspicious attire. Sometimes I wear gear that can pass as civilian in some situations that are also very good for operating, depending on the setting and how urban it is.

Contingency planning should not be forgotten. Plan for the worst, imo. If I run into a cop or something I don't want to look like I'm about to do something grossly illegal or something like that.

[Woden]

'Night Ops' for me would be as Ghost put it. In and Out without being seen.

As for being inconspicuous, I see this being used in a Social Engineering scenario. I would like to be inconspicuous when pretending to be a technician who has been called out to fix a banks computer systems.