Warner Springs SERE Training Facility, California
Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape [SERE] training is conducted at the U.S. Navy's Training Site in Warner Springs, CA located in the Cleveland National Forest. It is in a remote area near the community of Warner Springs in the northeastern San Diego County, at an elevation of about 3200 feet. The Camp consist of a headquarters area with an administrative building, several staff barracks building, a wastewater treatment plant, and a training compound.
All west coast Navy/Marine Corps personnel who risk capture during wartime (e.g. aviators) undergo SERE training at this facility. The Warner Springs SERE Facility covers 6,100 acres and trains over 1,500 students each year. The students gain the knowledge and confidence necessary to survive in a hostile environment until rescued. SERE instructions covers dealing with fatigue, fear, hunger, thirst, temperature, pain and boredom. The students are divided into elements, and spend days practicing map reading, navigation, fire building, water procurement and shelter building in the Cleveland National Forest. They learn different water procurement and purification techniques, constructed solar stills, and setup transpiration bags for water collection. They identify and eat edible plants. They also learn how to trap small game and field dress a rabbit for cooking and eating. They construct shelters with parachute material and camp out overnight in them. Students learn how to start fires using a variety of fire starting tools and techniques, and practice ground to air signaling using ground panels and Navy smoke flares.