Observation Techniques?

[Mortblanc]

The real key is to eliminate those "iffy looking" bushes and areas. You will probably not have the ammo stores to "put a few rounds out there".

If you are in a fixed and developed BOL clear the area to bare ground or engineer clear vision for 50-100 (or as far as possible) meters outside the enclosure/building/wire.

1. you are depriving aggressors of cover/concealment

2. you are eliminating a fire hazard, either natural or man made.

As TH pointed out, those avenues of approach are critical. Just because you don't think an aggressor would dare come at you from a specific area is exactly why he will come that way! Those things are exactly what we were taught to look for and exploit in our training. (create a diversion where they expect attack and throw your main effort where it is not expected.)

Also keep in mind that post event these things will become more important as time passes, because only the people that already had this training, or learned it rapidly, will be left, among both attackers and defenders.

The longer you live the better you have to get.