ISOE stands for Isolation Event in the context of Personnel Recovery. Personnel become separated from their unit or organisation, which loses its intended direct or procedural control over them. Life or health is endangered. The situation may require survival, evasion, resistance to exploitation, or an independent or assisted return.
The event and the people affected
An ambush, aircraft crash or vehicle breakdown can create such a situation. While the unit initially responds to hostile fire, casualties or the damaged vehicle, it may fail to notice that someone has become separated from the rest of the personnel.
| Acronym | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ISOE | Isolation Event: the event through which personnel become isolated. |
| ISOP | Isolated Personnel: the people affected, whether an individual or a group. |
| PR | Personnel Recovery: efforts to recover and reintegrate isolated personnel. |
Reporting and confirmation
Under NATO PR procedures, an observed or developing isolation situation should be reported immediately to the appropriate command element. Initial information may come from the personnel themselves, their unit, an eyewitness or reconnaissance. Early notification does not require the situation to have been fully established.
Command elements validate the incident and obtain further information. This distinguishes actual isolation from misreporting or adversary deception. Once the incident is confirmed, the responsible joint commander declares an ISOE and has recovery missions assigned. The commander may delegate this responsibility to the joint operations centre.
Related wording and the end of isolation
US military terminology also uses the expression isolating event. It belongs to the family of terms around isolation, covering survival and evasion as well as detention or capture.
Isolation ends when the personnel return to friendly control. Personnel Recovery continues beyond that point: subsequent reintegration includes care for the returned personnel and debriefing about their experiences.