DUALFORCES® FIELD SERIES

GHILLIE: Fieldcraft & Camouflage

Course Information

Date: Saturday, August 15, 2026
Time: 1000–1600
Location: Santa Monica Mountains, California
Hosted by: DUALFORCES®
Course Length: 6 Hours
Format: Classroom Instruction • Hands-On Construction • Field Practical Exercises

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Overview

Set within the terrain of the Santa Monica Mountains, this course blends proven military fieldcraft with contemporary design thinking, environmental awareness, and practical application. These are not tactical fantasy experiences—they are educational workshops focused on understanding how elite units solve problems in complex environments.

The inaugural course, GHILLIE, introduces students to one of the most recognizable—and misunderstood—skills in Special Operations: the construction and employment of a ghillie suit.

Participants will learn how camouflage extends far beyond clothing. Effective concealment is the integration of terrain analysis, vegetation, light, shadow, movement discipline, texture, shape disruption, and patience. Students will build their own field-adapted ghillie systems while developing a deeper understanding of how the environment can be used to reduce visual detection.

Throughout the day, instruction will combine classroom discussion with hands-on construction and practical field exercises inside the Santa Monica Mountains.

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Course Objectives

Participants will learn:

• Principles of camouflage and visual perception
• Shape, shadow, shine, silhouette, and movement discipline
• Natural vegetation integration and environmental adaptation
• Construction of a lightweight operational ghillie system
• Terrain analysis and route selection
• Fundamentals of stalking and observation
• Position selection and concealment techniques
• Environmental awareness and patient movement
• Practical field exercises in natural terrain

Students will leave with a functional ghillie suit foundation, an understanding of concealment methodology, and techniques that can be adapted for photography, wildlife observation, search and rescue, filmmaking, outdoor education, and historical military study.

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Lead Instructor

Jeff served in numerous Special Operations assignments throughout his military career, including:

• 82nd Airborne Division Long Range Surveillance Detachment (LRSD)
• 3rd Special Forces Group Commander’s In-Extremis Force (CIF)
• 1st Special Warfare Training Group (1SWTG), United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC)

His military education includes:

• Airborne School
• Ranger School
  Survival, Evasion, Resistance & Escape (SERE)
• Military Free Fall
• Special Forces Advanced Targeting, Reconnaissance, Target Analysis & Exploitation Techniques Course (SFARTAETC)
• Special Forces Sniper Course (SFSC)

Following his retirement from military service in 2019, Jeff continued his professional development by studying art, merchandising, branding, and creative strategy under the mentorship of Robert Abeyta Jr. and DUALFORCES®, integrating military fieldcraft with contemporary design and visual communication.

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Course Philosophy

The ghillie suit is not simply equipment—it represents a way of observing the world.

Its purpose is to reduce unnecessary movement, heighten awareness, and cultivate an understanding of terrain, light, vegetation, and human perception. Students are encouraged to think beyond camouflage as appearance and instead approach concealment as an exercise in patience, discipline, and environmental integration.

These principles have applications well beyond military contexts and offer valuable lessons for anyone interested in wilderness skills, photography, conservation, creative observation, or advanced outdoor movement.