The Value of Stealth

[Psychlonic]

When night ops first came into being, the concept was that you were never seen and you never left a trace. This was done primarily for the challenge, remaining completely unseen being the most difficult part of the entire operation in many areas. Today, both experience and common sense suggests this to be the ideal approach. Why? It's simple. If you are never seen, you are never chased, questioned, or attacked. As long as you remain unseen this is always going to be true. You can read any story on this forum, any website, my guide or anywhere else and see the obviousness of it. When you are seen somewhere you are not supposed to be, you are suspicious regardless of what you are wearing. If you are never seen, chances are you just had a smooth, flawless operation.

Stealth cannot be denied. It is greater than any other facet of the operation. You can't pick a lock you can't approach without being seen. You can't take a picture from the roof of a building if you can't get up there unnoticed first. It can arguably replace every other skill if one is good enough at it. Someone who is a fat and out of shape but impossible to see in the night is a better operative than someone who is fit but not stealthy.

It's obvious, so much so that we often overlook it. Remember that this is night ops. Stealth is always the highest priority. Do not let yourself be seen by person, camera, or sensor.

Stealth is everything. Anything else is just a fail-safe precaution. Think about it. You wear a mask in case your stealth proves weak and you are seen. You wear gloves in the advent you lack sufficient stealth and someone thinks to take prints the area. Brute force is just a compensation for stealthy methods. Stealthy methods are technically a compensation because we lack the natural stealth required to overcome barriers and security naturally. You stay in shape and think of escape plans because you'll need them if your stealth fails you.

Stealth. Stealth. Stealth.

Does your operation center around stealth? Think about that next time. You're saving yourself a big headache by observing it and lessening any chance for being caught.

I've been hearing more and more stories, mostly on MSN, of operatives being sighted and not taking the most basic of precautions to observe stealth. Don't be the next victim.

[Xanatos]

Good post. Fortunately stealth has always been my top priority, although I've never consciously thought of it that way. Guess it's just one of those things that develops subconsciously over time, like "black vision" or military/MA-trained reflexes.

[Captain Winky]

Stealth is everything. Anything else is just a fail-safe precaution. Think about it. You wear a mask in case your stealth proves weak and you are seen. You wear gloves in the advent you lack sufficient stealth and someone thinks to take prints the area.

You are forgetting one point there, though, psych...
I'm a scrawny little nerd kit who reflects the sunlight better than the fucking moon. I would not be surprised if people could see my pale ass from outer fucking space!

Hence, I wear gloves and a balaclava, To hide the parts of me that stand out in the dark (my skin and hair).

So Basically, I wear either of those in order to remain unseen.

It's a sad thing this had to be posted, though. I thought it was pretty obvious NO was always about sneaking around and going as unseen as possible. Hence I constantly have it on my mind.

[kunoichi]

Good post. Unfortunately, stealth is overlooked by some nopers...
Once I went on an op with a guy. At the place we were supposed to meet, I came out of the shadows wearing a balaclava, gloves, and I was covering all my skin (apart from my eyes) with black clothes. He came following the most bright path, wearing only a black t-shirt, a black trousers, and his red all stars. I asked him what the fuck he was doing, as we were surrounded by houses (and in a couple of them people were at their balconies chating!!). He answered me that what I was doing had no point, because 2 kids walking at the night wasn't THAT suspicious and uncommon... He was not 100% wrong about that, but for me, no stealth=no op=no fun
Finally, we ended up doing this op, but I refused leaving the shadows, so it was like he was walking alone..
I still don't understand what the hell he thought an op means.
I never asked him to join me at an op again.

[Psychlonic]

He answered me that what I was doing had no point, because 2 kids walking at the night wasn't THAT suspicious and uncommon...

When I hear this, all I can think is that the "operative" isn't actually doing an operation. They are walking down the street and maybe, just maybe, they'll go into some area where they have very little chance of being seen because there isn't a soul within several hundred meters. If you're somewhere you are at risk of being caught and nobody is supposed to be there, what is really more important? Looking "inconspicuous" or making sure nobody sees you in the first place? I mean, you're not going to "blend in" behind someone's house. They're going to see you and call the cops.

And why bother dressing/equipping yourself to minimize police charges? You won't get charged at all if you're never seen. It's like everyone who dresses "casually" is expecting to get caught, and that's exactly what happens. How many stories are there of someone saying "The police brought me into the station and questioned me, but since I was only wearing this and that, I got off easily"? Now compare this to the very select few who have been caught in full gear? Has any here actually been caught in gear? The last guy I can remember was HARDMAN ages ago, and that was only because he was running an operation against a fucking police station and had to run.

Statistically and through common sense, you are much less likely to be caught if you attempt to remain unseen at all times. Besides, it's way more fun. Night ops was built off this philosophy.

It's a sad thing this had to be posted, though. I thought it was pretty obvious NO was always about sneaking around and going as unseen as possible. Hence I constantly have it on my mind.

Very much so. Fortunately, that "generation" of operative seems to be phasing out as shown by the latest forum experiences on here. If someone isn't sneaky enough to go through an area undetected, then sure go through there wearing your jeans and hoody, but don't call it a night op.

[Ping]

My thoughts exactly. Excellent post.