ISG stands for Isolated Soldier Guidance. In the US Army PR framework, it is the command guidance issued for the possibility that unit members become isolated. It establishes how an isolation event is recognised, how it should be reported, which actions are intended and how contact with recovery forces will be made.
What ISG addresses
| Area | Content |
|---|---|
| Isolation | Criteria for recognising an isolation event, such as unplanned separation under threat or the absence of agreed contacts. |
| Accountability | Procedures for tracking unit members and identifying missing personnel, including personnel-status reports and, where appropriate, technical tools. |
| Reporting | The isolated person's planned contact attempts and the unit's reporting channels. Radios, distress beacons and visual signals may perform different roles. |
| Actions | Guidance for actions after isolation and return to friendly forces, including reporting necessary departures from the guidance. |
| Link-up | Agreed recognition, authentication and contact procedures, together with compliance with the instructions of the recovery forces. |
Ground troops may routinely operate at a distance from other friendly forces; a forced landing in hostile territory presents a different situation. Commanders therefore specify which missed contacts, events or deviations constitute isolation criteria for the operation.
ISG is incorporated into unit preparation and need not be a separate form. In small units, it forms part of troop-leading and mission preparation. In the US Army framework, it applies throughout the command.
Difference from an Evasion Plan of Action
ISG passes from commanders to unit members. An Evasion Plan of Action (EPA), by contrast, describes the intentions of an individual, crew or small unit if isolation occurs. It is prepared before the mission and made available through the chain of command so potential recovery forces know those intentions and support can be planned.
The two directions of information complement each other: ISG sets out how the organisation recognises, reports and responds to isolation. The EPA communicates what the potentially isolated personnel intend to do. An ISOPREP serves a different purpose again: it supplies information for identifying and authenticating the person.
Coordination with recovery forces
The recovery forces may come from another unit. Planned recognition and contact procedures must therefore be known on both sides. ISG may distinguish between recognition at long range and at close range. It connects recognition with authentication and the person's actions during pickup.
If the situation requires a departure from the guidance, the isolated person should inform friendly forces of the situation and the change. Recovery coordinators can then adjust the search and support to what the person is actually doing.