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F-1 Tornado Lessons from Mt Airy MDOn November 2, 2018 an EF-1 Tornado touched down in my hometown of Mt. Airy, MD. EF-1 is the lowest level on the EF-1 to EF-5 National Weather Service scale. I learned that even an EF-1 can cause serious damage.(For an analysis of an EF-5 in Joplin, MO, see here.)There was no warning from the National Weather Service, on TV, or from local media. It just struck.The NWS website here shows the early path of the tornado.Miraculously, there were no deaths caused by it.Find a few simple necessary civil defense supplies (like potassium iodate) at the American Civil Defense store here.Here is an incomplete summary of the damage from the National Weather Service:Canopy at High's store was partly torn offTJ Maxx roof was lifted up and partly removedTrees down behind the Twin Arch Shopping Center near the water towerSilo destroyed and roofs partly blown off outbuildings at Knill's Farm MarketPower poles snapped on Watersville Road (meriting the 100 mph wind estimate)Five pine trees snapped at a residence on Watersville RoadMinor structural damage at several homes on Arrowood CircleMultiple hardwood trees snapped in the 6000 block of Runkles RoadTrees uprooted east of Runkles Road on Gillis Falls RoadFor local media accounts of the tornado after it happened, see:Fox NewsWTOPCarroll County TimesPatch WestminsterFox5dcCarroll County TimesBaltimore SunLessons Learned Due the Tornado1. The Media Only Reports Part of the StoryThe Media concentrated on the damage to the stores while the greater damage was to the Knills Farm right behind the stores, the Nottingham development, and the double telephone lines on Watersville Road. There was extensive damage to a large dog kennel and numerous houses around Runkles Road. This and other damage was neverreported. Most got their story filed that night and then they moved on.2. Dishonest Contractors will Always Show up Post Disaster.As many have not experienced a devastating natural disaster before, they can be taken advantage of by dishonest contractors.The day after the tornado, multiple tree service, debris removal and home repair contractors showed up to offer their services. Many were insured, bonded and licensed . Others were not. So, we had to issue the following WARNING on the Town of Mt. Airy and other websites.WARNING: Unfortunately, some dishonest tree removal, roof and building repair, and other kinds of contractors show up after any natural disaster. They offer services but disappear once paid without doing their job. Always check that any contractor you consider is licensed, bonded, and insured. Only pay them when the work is completed.3. Your Insurance Only Covers Part of the CostThis is just a fact of life. There are all kinds of exclusions in your policy. You never realize they are there until you try to make a claim.(What is extraordinary about Mt. Airy is that the Mayor and citizens immediately organized to help those most hurt financially by the tornado, and especially those without insurance.)4. Drones are the Future of Planning for and Recovering from Natural and Man-Made Disasters.George Varros, owner of Mount Airy Drone Photography, has an innovative drone company. Our good fortune. He flew his drone over the damaged area the day after the tornado and again on 11/8/2018. He took the aerial drone views you see here.As you can see from the aerial photos of the path of the tornado here this is a new technology that will have a huge impact on damage assessment, emergency management planning, civil defense strategic planning insurance claim validation, children's education, and for other uses we cannot even imagine right now.I helped write the Town of Mount Airy Emergency Management Plan. It would have been useful to have had this technology when we did so.5. Have a Damage Survey Form Template ReadyFilling out a damage survey, such as the Carroll County Emergency Management Damage Survey Form is critical to establishing the facts about the financial damage caused by the tornado. Here is a simple Damage Survey Form that can be a template for others to use for other natural and man-made disasters.6. Human Ties are Critical to Successful Disaster Response and RecoveryEvery successful response to and recovery from a disaster I've seen depends on people who love and care for each other taking action. Rather than explain, I offer this post for the Town of Mt Airy website that demonstrates this.Knill’s Farm Update-"Respecting the Knill family privacy I feel comfortable stating Mr. Knill, the patriarch of the family, is very touched by the community outreach of offers of support. They are accessing their current needs and will let us know in the future what help if any is needed. As a proud farming family and very self sufficient they have already opened up road access and performed other immediate services. Mr. Knill, a pillar of our community, states he has never seen a storm of this magnitude is his 78 years living here in Mount Airy. We will continue to communicate and look to Mr. Knill for guidance on what needs may arise. God Bless the Knill family and Mount Airy."From the Town of Mt Airy website: Image of the Nov 2 Tornado Path as surveyed by our Town Engineer, Barney Quinn and Asst Town Engineer, Chaslyn Derexson. Red circles indicate where severe damage was observed (likely some locations were missed).7. Good Government Governance and Communication Tools are CriticalThe Town of Mt. Airy and Carroll County are both blessed with good governance.Good governance results in a good response to a bad natural event, as here.For example, the Town of Mount Airy and Carroll County have excellent communication tools. For example, this Storm Damage Information Sought from Businesses and Residents was created and distributed several days after the tornado. That's fast. As importantly, it has a link to an on-line Damage Survey Form to it has an excellent data collection feedback loop.The Mayor of Mount Airy acted as the hub of the wheel coordinating the response:Dispatched the guys from the Department of Public Works in minutes after the storm to cut up the trees in the roadways so people could drive the roads.Coordinated with the Carroll County Emergency Management Office to bring in extra fire, police and emergency medical technicians.For life to return to normal, tree and vegetation removal is essential after every natural disaster. Below are examples (Carroll County notice) about how it is done.8. Neighbors Must Help NeighborsAt church the Sunday after the tornado I heard a table of elderly people talking about it. One mentioned that he went to his elderly neighbor the night it happened and bailed out the water in her basement as the sump pump had no electricity. Then he gathered his three sons, gave them each a chain saw, and together they cut up the many trees that had fallen on her long farm road driveway so she could get to the grocery store.There were so many acts of kindness like this that I cannot mention them all.But the central truth of these acts of charity hold: neighbors must help neighbors.The Town of Mt Airy had already set up a Disaster Relief Fund and the town website encouraged those who needed direct assistance to apply. " There is an application process. Call Ellie Bonde at 301-829-8300 Blossom and Basket Boutique. Only money is distributed. Email address: [email protected]." The Disaster Relief Application Form is below.What Must be DoneAs with all natural disaster planning, the fundamentals must be repeated.1. Learn IN ADVANCE what you must do to prepare to save yourself, your family, your pets, and your neighbors when disaster strikes.2. Stockpile, within reason, items you will need to survive (water, food, medical, electronic, etc.).3. Exercise for an event. Make if fun with children. This is vital. You will discover holes in your plan, supplies, contacts, etc. you will need to fill.They Mayor's Report November 2018The November 2018 Mayor's Report includes an excellent and brief analysis of what happened during and after the Mt. Airy tornado.Remember...no one died. Some of that was Providence in that no trees fell on anyone. Still, after a tornado there is always the possibility of death or accidents. Here you will read of the professional actions of the police, fire service, utility companies, and various government officials who ensured that streets were closed, live wires were moved, and trees removed without anyone getting hurt.The letter below is a blue print for how to react calmly, professionally and cooperatively as a well oiled machine to prevent the loss of life and damage to property during and after a natural disaster.Team Mount Airy - Tornado ResponseOn Friday evening, November 2, 2018, the town was hit by a tornado with winds up to 90 miles plus per hour. This resulted in extensive damage to commercial structures, homes, and utility services. The Town’s role was mainly one of support and coordination, ensuring those unfamiliar with the community kept vital access routes to communities open by providing emergency services and equipment throughout the event. Follow-up efforts will continue throughout the week as well as updates on storm recovery operations. Twin Arch Road was fully opened today.We need to thank many others, that worked behind the scenes but whose roles were just as important as those who were more visible during the emergency. Thanks firstly to our residents that showed amazing resiliency and humanity to each other. Together you chipped in to restore normalcy, provide housing, essential services, worked to clear roads and open access to private homes, etc. as needed. Many thanks to your Town Council members Peter Helt, Larry Hushour, Bob King, Jason Poirier and Patty Washabaugh who all chipped in manning Town Hall as an Emergency Shelter, providing much needed refreshments with a warm greeting to our utility crews and first responders.We know that those actions go a long way. We also had chainsaw wielding Council members, YES, they were out there with chainsaws too. Our amazing town staff that worked behind the scenes mostly, using large equipment to clear roads, keeping emergency generators running to ensure you received uninterrupted water and sewer services.At one point, they hand cut through the debris and using an ATV brought in emergency fuel to ensure essential water and sewer services were not interrupted. Thanks to the many commercial businesses that offered services and food to our first responders at no cost, such as Vocelli’s Pizza, Wings of Angel’s Chicken, Upper Deck, and Wagner’s Meat Locker. Many other businesses did not have power but have a long history of sending food in for first responders who don’t have the luxury of taking a break.We were also fortunate and appreciative of assistance received from our State and County agencies. Special Secretary Wendi Peters from the Governor’s office checked in, it’s comforting to know our State Representatives and Governor have Mount Airy’s best interest in mind.Other agencies who were a critical part of the emergency response effort include the Carroll County Emergency Response Unit who set up the command center, Maryland Emergency Management Agency, first responders from neighboring local Fire Companies, Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, Maryland State Police and the Carroll County Roads Operations crew.Again, thanks to the Mount Airy Volunteer Fire Company (MAVFC) and Chief Kenny Stull who were all out there in the rain Friday night securing our commercial areas that were literally torn apart. Life safety measures, getting gas lines, etc. secured was the priority and we are grateful for their swift and capable emergency response measures. Thank you to Chief Reitz and Lieutenant Snyder who along with other MAPD Officers assisted in various roles throughout the event. No major injuries were noted.Team Mount Airy, Working Together, Weathered a Tornado!! Thank you all!To View a video of the damage to an access road to one of the Mt. Airy water towers, click:Tornado Damage Video. This was one of the hardest hit areas. The road by Knill’s Farm and to our waste water treatment plant directly behind Home Goods. We came very close to catastrophic essential facility damage. Please forgive my amateur video skills and note the large trees snapped like tooth pics. It was more horrific in person.Bonus Tip: If you read this far, know that the inventor of the computer is buried in Mt. Airy MD in the back of the Pine Grove Chapel at 787 Main Street. Here are photos of his gravestone. For more information, see here, and here, and here.

Really? This is a question?Okay then.Well, there are…Wait.You want short answer or long answer?Short: Yes, there are.Long: A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. In ancient to modern times, they were used to enclose settlements. Generally, these are referred to as city walls or town walls, although there were also walls, such as the Great Wall of China, Walls of Benin, Hadrian's Wall, Anastasian Wall, the Cyclopean Wall Rajgir[1]and the metaphorical Atlantic Wall, which extended far beyond the borders of a city and were used to enclose regions or mark territorial boundaries. In mountainous terrain, defensive walls such as letzis were used in combination with castles to seal valleys from potential attack. Beyond their defensive utility, many walls also had important symbolic functions – representing the status and independence of the communities they embraced.Existing ancient walls are almost always masonry structures, although brick and timber-built variants are also known. Depending on the topography of the area surrounding the city or the settlement the wall is intended to protect, elements of the terrain such as rivers or coastlines may be incorporated in order to make the wall more effective.Walls may only be crossed by entering the appropriate city gate and are often supplemented with towers. The practice of building these massive walls, though having its origins in prehistory, was refined during the rise of city-states, and energetic wall-building continued into the medieval period and beyond in certain parts of Europe.Simpler defensive walls of earth or stone, thrown up around hillforts, ringworks, early castles and the like, tend to be referred to as ramparts or banks.From very early history to modern times, walls have been a near necessity for every city. Uruk in ancient Sumer (Mesopotamia) is one of the world's oldest known walled cities. Before that, the proto-city of Jericho in what is now the West Bank had a wall surrounding it as early as the 8th millennium BC.The Assyrians deployed large labour forces to build new palaces, temples and defensive walls.[2]Some settlements in the Indus Valley Civilization were also fortified. By about 3500 BC, hundreds of small farming villages dotted the Indus floodplain. Many of these settlements had fortifications and planned streets. The stone and mud brick houses of Kot Diji were clustered behind massive stone flood dykes and defensive walls, for neighboring communities quarreled constantly about the control of prime agricultural land.[3] Mundigak (c. 2500 BC) in present-day south-east Afghanistan has defensive walls and square bastions of sun dried bricks.[4]Babylon was one of the most famous cities of the ancient world, especially as a result of the building program of Nebuchadnezzar, who expanded the walls and built the Ishtar Gate.Exceptions were few, but neither ancient Sparta nor ancient Rome had walls for a long time, choosing to rely on their militaries for defense instead. Initially, these fortifications were simple constructions of wood and earth, which were later replaced by mixed constructions of stones piled on top of each other without mortar.In Central Europe, the Celts built large fortified settlements which the Romans called oppida, whose walls seem partially influenced by those built in the Mediterranean. The fortifications were continuously expanded and improved.In ancient Greece, large stone walls had been built in Mycenaean Greece, such as the ancient site of Mycenae (famous for the huge stone blocks of its 'cyclopean' walls). In classical era Greece, the city of Athens built a long set of parallel stone walls called the Long Walls that reached their guarded seaport at Piraeus.Large rammed earth walls were built in ancient China since the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600–1050 BC), as the capital at ancient Ao had enormous walls built in this fashion (see siege for more info). Although stone walls were built in China during the Warring States (481–221 BC), mass conversion to stone architecture did not begin in earnest until the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD). Sections of the Great Wall had been built prior to the Qin Dynasty (221–207 BC) and subsequently connected and fortified during the Qin dynasty, although its present form was mostly an engineering feat and remodeling of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644 AD) during the 15th and 16th centuries. The large walls of Pingyao serve as one example. Likewise, the walls of the Forbidden City in Beijing were established in the early 15th century by the Yongle Emperor.The Romans fortified their cities with massive, mortar-bound stone walls. Among these are the largely extant Aurelian Walls of Rome and the Theodosian Walls of Constantinople, together with partial remains elsewhere. These are mostly city gates, like the Porta Nigra in Trier or Newport Arch in Lincoln.Apart from these, the early Middle Ages also saw the creation of some towns built around castles. These cities were only rarely protected by simple stone walls and more usually by a combination of both walls and ditches. From the 12th century AD hundreds of settlements of all sizes were founded all across Europe, which very often obtained the right of fortification soon afterwards.The founding of urban centers was an important means of territorial expansion and many cities, especially in central and eastern Europe, were founded for this purpose during the period of Eastern settlement. These cities are easy to recognise due to their regular layout and large market spaces. The fortifications of these settlements were continuously improved to reflect the current level of military development.During the Renaissance era, the Venetians raised great walls around cities threatened by the Ottoman Empire. Examples include the walled cities of Nicosia and Famagusta in Cyprus and the fortifications of Candia and Chania in Crete, which still stand.The city walls of Jaisalmer, India, also known as Jaisalmer Fort due to its size and complexity in comparison to other city walls. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is considered one of the largest and best preserved city walls, along with its Medieval Indian town, where many of the stone-carved buildings have not changed since the 12th century.Historic defensive wallsThe Walls of Constantinople, a UNESCO World Heritage SiteDefensive wall in Cartagena, ColombiaThe gate of the Gonio castleWall of Hittite Capital Hattusa (reconstruction)9th century BC relief of an Assyrian attack on a walled townLugo's Roman walls, Galicia, a UNESCO World Heritage SiteDerbent Walls, late Sassanian periodCity walls in Ávila, Spain, a UNESCO World Heritage SiteThe remaining section of city walls in town of Svätý Jur, SlovakiaThe walls of Tallinn, Estonia, a UNESCO World Heritage SiteThe walls of Dubrovnik, CroatiaA city gate with its towers, the defensive walls, and the city ditch from the 13th century in Metz, FranceDefensive wall in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, GermanyPart of the wall in San Francisco de Campeche, a UNESCO World Heritage SiteA defensive wall in Taroudannt, MoroccoThe medieval fortress overlooking the city of Ohrid in the Republic of MacedoniaMedieval churches visible beyond the Renaissance defensive walls of Famagusta, CyprusChinese and Korean troops assaulting the Japanese forces of Hideyoshi in the Siege of Ulsan Castle during the Imjin War (1592–1598)Model of the Lines of Communication built around London in 1642–43A section of the city walls around York, UKNarikala fortress, Tbilisi, GeorgiaAerial view of Neuf-Brisach (Alsace) with walls and fortifications built by Vauban after 1697Derawar Wall located in Bahawlpur, PakistanA defensive wall located in City of San Marino, San MarinoModel of the defensive wall around MegiddoDefensive walls around the ancient Egyptian settlement of BuhenA coastal defensive wall of Ulcinj Castle, MontenegroWalls of the Ark of BukharaGreek walls in Gela, SicilyThe defensive walls of Intramuros, the "Walled City" of old Manila, PhilippinesPorte St. Louis, part of Ramparts of Quebec City, the only remaining fortified city walls in North America north of MexicoComposition[edit]At its simplest, a defensive wall consists of a wall enclosure and its gates. For the most part, the top of the walls were accessible, with the outside of the walls having tall parapets with embrasures or merlons. North of the Alps, this passageway at the top of the walls occasionally had a roof.In addition to this, many different enhancements were made over the course of the centuries:City ditch: a ditch dug in front of the walls, occasionally filled with water.Gate tower: a tower built next to, or on top of the city gates to better defend the city gates.Wall tower: a tower built on top of a segment of the wall, which usually extended outwards slightly, so as to be able to observe the exterior of the walls on either side. In addition to arrow slits, ballistae, catapults and cannons could be mounted on top for extra defence.Pre-wall: wall built outside the wall proper, usually of lesser height – the space in between was usually further subdivided by additional walls.Additional obstacles in front of the walls.The defensive towers of west and south European fortifications in the Middle Ages were often very regularly and uniformly constructed (cf. Ávila, Provins), whereas Central European city walls tend to show a variety of different styles. In these cases the gate and wall towers often reach up to considerable heights, and gates equipped with two towers on either side are much rarer. Apart from having a purely military and defensive purpose, towers also played a representative and artistic role in the conception of a fortified complex. The architecture of the city thus competed with that of the castle of the noblemen and city walls were often a manifestation of the pride of a particular city.Urban areas outside the city walls, so-called Vorstädte, were often enclosed by their own set of walls and integrated into the defense of the city. These areas were often inhabited by the poorer population and held the "noxious trades". In many cities, a new wall was built once the city had grown outside of the old wall. This can often still be seen in the layout of the city, for example in Nördlingen, and sometimes even a few of the old gate towers are preserved, such as the white tower in Nuremberg. Additional constructions prevented the circumvention of the city, through which many important trade routes passed, thus ensuring that tolls were paid when the caravans passed through the city gates, and that the local market was visited by the trade caravans. Furthermore, additional signaling and observation towers were frequently built outside the city, and were sometimes fortified in a castle-like fashion. The border of the area of influence of the city was often partially or fully defended by elaborate ditches, walls and hedges. The crossing points were usually guarded by gates or gate houses. These defenses were regularly checked by riders, who often also served as the gate keepers. Long stretches of these defenses can still be seen to this day, and even some gates are still intact. To further protect their territory, rich cities also established castles in their area of influence. An example of this practice is the Romanian Bran Castle, which was intended to protect nearby Kronstadt (today's Braşov).The city walls were often connected to the fortifications of hill castles via additional walls. Thus the defenses were made up of city and castle fortifications taken together. Several examples of this are preserved, for example in Germany Hirschhorn on the Neckar, Königsberg and Pappenheim, Franken, Burghausen in Oberbayern and many more. A few castles were more directly incorporated into the defensive strategy of the city (e.g. Nuremberg, Zons, Carcassonne), or the cities were directly outside the castle as a sort of "pre-castle" (Coucy-le-Chateau, Conwy and others). Larger cities often had multiple stewards – for example Augsburg was divided into a Reichstadt and a clerical city. These different parts were often separated by their own fortifications.With the development of firearms came the necessity to expand the existing installation, which occurred in multiples stages. Firstly, additional, half-circular towers were added in the interstices between the walls and pre-walls in which a handful of cannons could be placed. Soon after, reinforcing structures – or "bastions" – were added in strategically relevant positions, such as at the gates or corners. A well-preserved example of this is the Spitalbastei in Rothenburg or the bastions built as part of the 17th-century walls surrounding Derry, a city in Northern Ireland; however, at this stage the cities were still only protected by relatively thin walls which could offer little resistance to the cannons of the time. Therefore, new, star forts with numerous cannons and thick earth walls reinforced by stone were built. These could resist cannon fire for prolonged periods of time. However, these massive fortifications severely limited the growth of the cities, as it was much more difficult to move them as compared to the simple walls previously employed – to make matters worse, it was forbidden to build "outside the city gates" for strategic reasons and the cities became more and more densely populated as a result.Decline[edit]In the wake of city growth and the ensuing change of defensive strategy, focusing more on the defense of forts around cities, many city walls were demolished. Also, the invention of gunpowder rendered walls less effective, as siege cannons could then be used to blast through walls, allowing armies to simply march through. Today, the presence of former city fortifications can often only be deduced from the presence of ditches, ring roads or parks.Furthermore, some street names hint at the presence of fortifications in times past, for example when words such as "wall" or "glacis" occur. Wall Street in New York City, itself a metonym for the entire United States financial system, is one example.In the 19th century, less emphasis was placed on preserving the fortifications for the sake of their architectural or historical value – on the one hand, complete fortifications were restored (Carcassonne), on the other hand many structures were demolished in an effort to modernize the cities. One exception to this is the "monument preservation" law by the Bavarian King Ludwig I of Bavaria, which led to the nearly complete preservation of many monuments such as the Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Nördlingen and Dinkelsbühl. The countless small fortified towns in the Franconia region were also preserved as a consequence of this edict.Modern era[edit]Walls and fortified wall structures were still built in the modern era. They did not, however, have the original purpose of being a structure able to resist a prolonged siege or bombardment. Modern examples of defensive walls include:Berlin's city wall from the 1730s to the 1860s was partially made of wood. Its primary purpose was to enable the city to impose tolls on goods and, secondarily, also served to prevent the desertion of soldiers from the garrison in Berlin. The Berlin Wall did not exclusively serve the purpose of protection of an enclosed settlement. One of its purposes was to prevent the crossing of the Berlin border between the German Democratic Republic and the West German exclave of west-Berlin.The Nicosia Wall along the Green Line divides North and South Cyprus.Defensive walls have been built in between North Korea and South Korea, along the De-militarised Zone.In the 20th century and after, many enclaves Jewish settlements in Israel were and are surrounded by fortified wallsMexico–United States barrier a wall to be constructed in the Mexico–United States border to prevent illegal immigration and organized crime [5]Belfast, Northern Ireland by the "peace lines".Additionally, in some countries, different embassies may be grouped together in a single "embassy district," enclosed by a fortified complex with walls and towers – this usually occurs in regions where the embassies run a high risk of being target of attacks. An early example of such a compound was the Legation Quarter in Beijing in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.Most of these modern city walls are made of steel and concrete. Vertical concrete plates are put together so as to allow the least space in between them, and are rooted firmly in the ground. The top of the wall is often protruding and beset with barbed wire in order to make climbing them more difficult. These walls are usually built in straight lines and covered by watchtowers at the corners. Double walls with an interstitial "zone of fire", as had the former Berlin Wall, are now rare.In September 2014, Ukraine announced the construction of the "European Rampart" alongside its border with Russia to be able to successfully apply for a visa-free movement with the European Union.[6]Modern defensive wallsA view of the Berlin Wall in 1986A "peace line" in Belfast, Northern IrelandThe fortified wall of a police station in Belfast, Northern IrelandFortifications are military constructions or buildings designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and also used to solidify rule in a region during peace time. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs. The term is derived from the Latin fortis ("strong") and facere ("to make").From very early history to modern times, walls have been a necessity for cities to survive in an ever-changing world of invasion and conquest. Some settlements in the Indus Valley Civilization were the first small cities to be fortified. In ancient Greece, large stone walls had been built in Mycenaean Greece, such as the ancient site of Mycenae (famous for the huge stone blocks of its 'cyclopean' walls). A Greek Phrourion was a fortified collection of buildings used as a military garrison, and is the equivalent of the Roman castellum or English fortress. These construction mainly served the purpose of a watch tower, to guard certain roads, passes, and lands that might threaten the kingdom. Though smaller than a real fortress, they acted as a border guard rather than a real strongpoint to watch and maintain the border.The art of setting out a military camp or constructing a fortification traditionally has been called "castramentation" since the time of the Roman legions. Fortification is usually divided into two branches: permanent fortification and field fortification. There is also an intermediate branch known as semi-permanent fortification. Castles are fortifications which are regarded as being distinct from the generic fort or fortress in that they are a residence of a monarch or noble and command a specific defensive territory.Roman forts and hill forts were the main antecedents of castles in Europe, which emerged in the 9th century in the Carolingian Empire. The Early Middle Ages saw the creation of some towns built around castles.Medieval-style fortifications were largely made obsolete by the arrival of cannons in the 14th century. Fortifications in the age of black powder evolved into much lower structures with greater use of ditches and earth ramparts that would absorb and disperse the energy of cannon fire. Walls exposed to direct cannon fire were very vulnerable, so were sunk into ditches fronted by earth slopes.The arrival of explosive shells in the 19th century led to yet another stage in the evolution of fortification. Star forts did not fare well against the effects of high explosive, and the intricate arrangements of bastions, flanking batteries and the carefully constructed lines of fire for the defending cannon could be rapidly disrupted by explosive shells. Steel-and-concrete fortifications were common during the 19th and early 20th centuries. However the advances in modern warfare since World War I have made large-scale fortifications obsolete in most situations.Demilitarized zones along borders are arguably another type of fortification, although a passive kind, providing a buffer between potentially hostile militaries.Contents [hide]1 Nomenclature2 History2.1 Ancient2.2 India2.3 China2.4 Filipino2.5 Islamic2.6 Medieval Europe2.7 Development after introduction of firearms2.8 19th century2.9 20th and 21st centuries2.9.1 Counter-insurgency3 Forts3.1 North America4 Prisons and others5 See also6 Gallery7 Notes8 References9 External linksNomenclature[edit]Srebrenik Fortress in Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of the Bosnia's best-preserved medieval castles dating from at least 1333.This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)Many military installations are known as forts, although they are not always fortified. Indeed, during the pioneering era of North America, many outposts on the frontiers, even non-military outposts, were referred to generically as forts. Larger military installations may be called fortresses; smaller ones were once known as fortalices. The word fortification can also refer to the practice of improving an area's defence with defensive works. City walls are fortifications but are not necessarily called fortresses.The art of setting out a military camp or constructing a fortification traditionally has been called castramentation since the time of the Roman legions. The art/science of laying siege to a fortification and of destroying it is commonly called siegecraft or siege warfare and is formally known as poliorcetics. In some texts this latter term also applies to the art of building a fortification.Fortification is usually divided into two branches: permanent fortification and field fortification. Permanent fortifications are erected at leisure, with all the resources that a state can supply of constructive and mechanical skill, and are built of enduring materials. Field fortifications—for example breastworks—and often known as fieldworks or earthworks, are extemporized by troops in the field, perhaps assisted by such local labour and tools as may be procurable and with materials that do not require much preparation, such as earth, brushwood and light timber, or sandbags (see sangar). An example of field fortification was the construction of Fort Necessity by George Washington in 1754.There is also an intermediate branch known as semi-permanent fortification. This is employed when in the course of a campaign it becomes desirable to protect some locality with the best imitation of permanent defences that can be made in a short time, ample resources and skilled civilian labour being available. An example of this is the construction of Roman forts in England and in other Roman territories where camps were set up with the intention of staying for some time, but not permanently.Castles are fortifications which are regarded as being distinct from the generic fort or fortress in that it describes a residence of a monarch or noble and commands a specific defensive territory. An example of this is the massive medieval castle of Carcassonne.History[edit]Ancient[edit]From very early history to modern times, walls have been a necessity for many cities. In Bulgaria, near the town of Provadia a walled fortified settlement today called Solnitsata starting from 4700 BC had a diameter of about 300 feet (100 meters), was home to 350 people living in two-storey houses, and was encircled by a fortified wall. The huge walls around the settlement, which were built very tall and with stone blocks which are 6 feet (2 meters) high and 4.5 feet (1.5 meters) thick, make it one of the earliest walled settlements in Europe[2][3] but it is younger than the walled town of Sesklo in Greece from 6800 BC.[4][5] Uruk in ancient Sumer (Mesopotamia) is one of the world's oldest known walled cities. The Ancient Egyptians also built fortresses on the frontiers of the Nile Valley to protect against invaders from neighbouring territories. Many of the fortifications of the ancient world were built with mud brick, often leaving them no more than mounds of dirt for today's archaeologists.A model of the prehistoric town of Los Millares 3000 BC Spain, with its walls.Artists impression of the battlements at Buhen fortress in Egypt about 1800BCA massive prehistoric stone wall surrounded the ancient temple of Ness of Brodgar 3200 BC in Scotland. Named the "Great Wall of Brodgar" it was four metres thick and four metres tall. The wall had some symbolic or ritualistic function.[6][7] The Assyrians deployed large labour forces to build new palaces, temples and defensive walls.[8]Some settlements in the Indus Valley Civilization were also fortified. By about 3500 BC, hundreds of small farming villages dotted the Indus floodplain. Many of these settlements had fortifications and planned streets. The stone and mud brick houses of Kot Diji were clustered behind massive stone flood dykes and defensive walls, for neighbouring communities bickered constantly about the control of prime agricultural land.[9] Mundigak (c. 2500 BC) in present-day south-east Afghanistan has defensive walls and square bastions of sun dried bricks.[10]In Bronze Age Malta, some settlements also began to be fortified. The most notable surviving example is Borġ in-Nadur, where a bastion built in around 1500 BC was found.Model of Ishtar Gate and part of the walls of Babylon built by NebuchadnezzarBabylon was one of the most famous cities of the ancient world, especially as a result of the building program of Nebuchadnezzar, who expanded the walls and built the Ishtar Gate.Exceptions were few—notably, ancient Sparta and ancient Rome did not have walls for a long time, choosing to rely on their militaries for defence instead. Initially, these fortifications were simple constructions of wood and earth, which were later replaced by mixed constructions of stones piled on top of each other without mortar.The Lion Gate at Mycenae, Greece (1600 BC)In ancient Greece, large stone walls had been built in Mycenaean Greece, such as the ancient site of Mycenae (famous for the huge stone blocks of its 'cyclopean' walls). In classical era Greece, the city of Athens built two parallel stone walls, called the Long Walls, that reached their fortified seaport at Piraeus a few miles away.Heuneburg, a Celtic fort in Germany 600 BC, with mudbrick wallsIn Central Europe, the Celts built large fortified settlements known as oppida, whose walls seem partially influenced by those built in the Mediterranean. The fortifications were continuously being expanded and improved. Around 600 BC, in Heuneburg, Germany, forts were constructed with a limestone foundation supported by a mudbrick wall approximately 4 metres tall, probably topped by a roofed walkway, thus reaching a total height of 6 metres. The wall was clad with lime plaster, regularly renewed. Towers protruded outwards from it.[11][12]Oppidum of Manching Germany 200 BC with its 7.2 km wallsThe Oppidum of Manching (German: Oppidum von Manching) was a large Celtic proto-urban or city-like settlement at modern-day Manching (near Ingolstadt), Bavaria (Germany). The settlement was founded in the 3rd century BC and existed until c. 50-30 BC. It reached its largest extent during the late La Tène period (late 2nd century BC), when it had a size of 380 hectares. At that time, 5,000 to 10,000 people lived within its 7.2 km long walls.Aurelian Walls Rome, with up to 16 meter tall wallsThe Aurelian Walls (Italian: Mura aureliane) are a line of city walls built between 271 AD and 275 AD in Rome, Italy, during the reign of the Roman Emperors Aurelian and Probus. The walls enclosed all the seven hills of Rome plus the Campus Martius and, on the right bank of the Tiber, the Trastevere district. The river banks within the city limits appear to have been left unfortified, although they were fortified along the Campus Martius. The full circuit ran for 19 kilometres (12 mi) surrounding an area of 13.7 square kilometres (5.3 sq mi). The walls were constructed in brick-faced concrete, 3.5 metres (11 ft) thick and 8 metres (26 ft) high, with a square tower every 100 Roman feet (29.6 metres (97 ft)). In the 5th century, remodelling doubled the height of the walls to 16 metres (52 ft). By 500 AD, the circuit possessed 383 towers, 7,020 crenellations, 18 main gates, 5 postern gates, 116 latrines, and 2,066 large external windows.[13]File:Templeborough Roman Fort visualised 3D flythrough - Rotherham.webmA reconstruction of Templeborough Roman fort in EnglandThe Romans fortified their cities with massive, mortar-bound stone walls. The most famous of these are the largely extant Aurelian Walls of Rome and the Theodosian Walls of Constantinople, together with partial remains elsewhere. These are mostly city gates, like the Porta Nigra in Trier or Newport Arch in Lincoln. Hadrian's Wall was built by the Roman Empire across the width of what is now northern England following a visit by Roman Emperor Hadrian (AD 76–138) in AD 122.India[edit]Main article: List of forts in IndiaMehrangarh FortMehrangarh FortChittorgarh FortChittorgarh FortChittorgarh Fort and Mehrangarh Fort built under Hindu Rajput states are the largest fort examples on the Indian subcontinent.India has more forts than any other country in the world, which were built in all periods between the late stone age and the British Raj. "Fort" is the word used in India for all old fortifications. India currently has over 180 forts, with the state of Maharashtra alone having over 70 forts, which are also known as durg,[14][15][16] many of them built by Shivaji, founder of the Maratha state. A large majority of forts in India are in North India. The most notable forts are the Red Fort at Delhi, the Red Fort at Agra, the Chittorgarh Fort and Mehrangarh Fort in Rajasthan, the Ranthambhor Fort in Rajasthan and Gwalior Fort in Madhya Pradesh.[17]China[edit]The Great Wall of China.Large tempered earth (i.e. rammed earth) walls were built in ancient China since the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1050 BC); the capital at ancient Ao had enormous walls built in this fashion (see siege for more info). Although stone walls were built in China during the Warring States (481–221 BC), mass conversion to stone architecture did not begin in earnest until the Tang dynasty (618–907 AD). The Great Wall had been built since the Qin dynasty (221–207 BC), although its present form was mostly an engineering feat and remodelling of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644 AD). The large walls of Pingyao serve as one example. Likewise, the famous walls of the Forbidden City in Beijing were established in the early 15th century by the Yongle Emperor.Filipino[edit]Main articles: Ivatan people and Architecture of the PhilippinesThe defensive wall of Hispanic Colonial Intramuros in Manila, Philippines.The Ivatan people of the northern islands of Batanes often built fortifications to protect themselves during times of war. They built their so-called idjangs on hills and elevated areas.[18] These fortifications were likened to European castles because of their purpose. Usually, the only entrance to the castles would be via a rope ladder that would only be lowered for the villagers and could be kept away when invaders arrived.The Igorots built forts made of stone walls that averaged several meters in width and about two to three times the width in height around 2000 BC.[19]With the arrival of Muslim scholars from nearby Indonesia, the native Filipinos were introduced to the concept of the Kota or fort. The Muslim Filipinos of the south built strong fortresses called kota or moong to protect their communities. Usually, many of the occupants of these kotas are entire families rather than just warriors. Lords often had their own kotas to assert their right to rule, it served not only as a military installation but as a palace for the local Lord. It is said that at the height of the Maguindanao Sultanate's power, they blanketed the areas around Western Mindanao with Kotas and other fortifications to block the Spanish advance into the region. These kotas were usually made of stone and bamboo or other light materials and surrounded by trench networks. As a result, some of these kotas were burned easily of destroyed. With further Spanish campaigns in the region, the Sultanate was subdued and majority of Kotas dismantled or destroyed. Kotas were not only used by the Muslims as defense against Spaniards and other foreigners, renegades and rebels also built fortifications in defiance of other chiefs in the area.[20] During the American occupation, rebels built strongholds and the Datus, Rajahs or Sultans often built and reinforced their kotas in a desperate bid to maintain rule over their subjects and their land.[21] Many of these forts were also destroyed by American expeditions, as a result, very very few kotas still stand to this day. Notable Kotas:Kota Selurong: an outpost of the Bruneian Empire in Luzon, later became the City of Manila.Kuta Wato/Kota Bato: Literally translates to "stone fort" the first known stone fortification in the country, its ruins exist as the "Kutawato Cave Complex"[22]Kota Sug/Jolo: The capital and seat of the Sultanate of Sulu. When it was occupied by the Spaniards in the 1870s they converted the kota into the world's smallest walled city.And during the Spanish Era, The Intramuros is the old walled city of Manila located along the southern bank of the Pasig River.[23] The historic city was home to centuries-old churches, schools, convents, government buildings and residences, the best collection of Spanish colonial architecture before much of it was destroyed by the bombs of World War II. Of all the buildings within the 67-acre city, only one building, the San Agustin Church, survived the war.Islamic[edit]Main article: List of expeditions of MuhammadDuring Muhammad's era in Arabia, many tribes made use of fortifications. In the Battle of the Trench, the largely outnumbered defenders of Medina, mainly Muslims led by Islamic prophet Muhammad, dug a trench, which together with Medina's natural fortifications, rendered the confederate cavalry (consisting of horses and camels) useless, locking the two sides in a stalemate. Hoping to make several attacks at once, the confederates persuaded the Medina-allied Banu Qurayza to attack the city from the south. However, Muhammad's diplomacy derailed the negotiations, and broke up the confederacy against him. The well-organized defenders, the sinking of confederate morale, and poor weather conditions caused the siege to end in a fiasco.[24]During the Siege of Ta'if in January 630,[25] Muhammad ordered his followers to attack enemies who fled from the Battle of Hunayn and sought refuge in the fortress of Taif.[26]Medieval Europe[edit]Spiš Castle in Slovakia - one of the largest castles in Central Europe. An aerial photography documents its enlargement in the course of 11th - 17th centuries.Genoese fortress in Sudak, UkraineAmberd Castle in Armenia 7th centuryMain article: Medieval fortificationSee also: Austrian walled townsRoman forts and hill forts were the main antecedents of castles in Europe, which emerged in the 9th century in the Carolingian Empire.Jajce is a walled city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, protected by two rivers and long walls.Narva castle and bastions (Estonia) from the 13th century and part of Ivangorod stronghold (Russia) on the leftThe Early Middle Ages saw the creation of some towns built around castles. These cities were only rarely protected by simple stone walls and more usually by a combination of both walls and ditches. From the 12th century hundreds of settlements of all sizes were founded all across Europe, which very often obtained the right of fortification soon afterwards.Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork: the world’s largest brick gothic castle, in PolandThe fortified city of Valença, Portugal as seen from across the Minho River (Portugal's northern border with Spain)The well preserved Bulgarian medieval fort Baba Vida.Table of Fortification, from the 1728 Cyclopaedia.Austro-Hungarian Fort 31 Benedykt of Kraków fortressAustro-Hungarian Fort I "Salis Soglio" of Przemyśl fortressThe founding of urban centres was an important means of territorial expansion and many cities, especially in eastern Europe, were founded precisely for this purpose during the period of Eastern Colonisation. These cities are easy to recognise due to their regular layout and large market spaces. The fortifications of these settlements were continuously improved to reflect the current level of military development.During the Renaissance era, the Venetians raised great walls around cities threatened by the Ottoman Empire. The finest examples are, among others, in Nicosia (Cyprus) and Chania (Crete), which proved to be futile but still stand to this day.Development after introduction of firearms[edit]Medieval-style fortifications were largely made obsolete by the arrival of cannons on the 14th century battlefield. Fortifications in the age of black powder evolved into much lower structures with greater use of ditches and earth ramparts that would absorb and disperse the energy of cannon fire. Walls exposed to direct cannon fire were very vulnerable, so were sunk into ditches fronted by earth slopes.This placed a heavy emphasis on the geometry of the fortification to allow defensive cannonry interlocking fields of fire to cover all approaches to the lower and thus more vulnerable walls.The evolution of this new style of fortification can be seen in transitional forts such as Sarzanello[27] in North West Italy which was built between 1492 and 1502. Sarzanello consists of both crenellated walls with towers typical of the medieval period but also has a ravelin like angular gun platform screening one of the curtain walls which is protected from flanking fire from the towers of the main part of the fort. Another example are the fortifications of Rhodes which were frozen at 1522 so that Rhodes is the only European walled town that still shows the transition between the classical medieval fortification and the modern ones.[28]Fortifications also extended in depth, with protected batteries for defensive cannonry, to allow them to engage attacking cannon to keep them at a distance and prevent them bearing directly on the vulnerable walls.The result was star shaped fortifications with tier upon tier of hornworks and bastions, of which Fort Bourtange is an excellent example. There are also extensive fortifications from this era in the Nordic states and in Britain, the fortifications of Berwick-upon-Tweed and the harbour archipelago of Suomenlinna at Helsinki being fine examples.19th century[edit]The arrival of explosive shells in the 19th century led to yet another stage in the evolution of fortification. Star forts did not fare well against the effects of high explosive and the intricate arrangements of bastions, flanking batteries and the carefully constructed lines of fire for the defending cannon could be rapidly disrupted by explosive shells.Worse, the large open ditches surrounding forts of this type were an integral part of the defensive scheme, as was the covered way at the edge of the counter scarp. The ditch was extremely vulnerable to bombardment with explosive shells.In response, military engineers evolved the polygonal style of fortification. The ditch became deep and vertically sided, cut directly into the native rock or soil, laid out as a series of straight lines creating the central fortified area that gives this style of fortification its name.Wide enough to be an impassable barrier for attacking troops, but narrow enough to be a difficult target for enemy shellfire, the ditch was swept by fire from defensive blockhouses set in the ditch as well as firing positions cut into the outer face of the ditch itself.The profile of the fort became very low indeed, surrounded outside the ditch covered by caponiers by a gently sloping open area so as to eliminate possible cover for enemy forces, while the fort itself provided a minimal target for enemy fire. The entrypoint became a sunken gatehouse in the inner face of the ditch, reached by a curving ramp that gave access to the gate via a rolling bridge that could be withdrawn into the gatehouse.Much of the fort moved underground. Deep passages and tunnels now connected the blockhouses and firing points in the ditch to the fort proper, with magazines and machine rooms deep under the surface.The guns, however, were often mounted in open emplacements and protected only by a parapet; both in order to keep a lower profile and also because experience with guns in closed casemates had seen them put out of action by rubble as their own casemates were collapsed around them.Gone were citadels surrounding towns: forts were to be moved to the outside of the cities some 12 km to keep the enemy at a distance so their artillery could not bombard the city center. From now on a ring of forts were to be built at a spacing that would allow them to effectively cover the intervals between them.The new forts abandoned the principle of the bastion, which had also been made obsolete by advances in arms. The outline was a much simplified polygon, surrounded by a ditch. These forts, built in masonry and shaped stone, were designed to shelter their garrison against bombardment. One organizing feature of the new system involved the construction of two defensive curtains: an outer line of forts, backed by an inner ring or line at critical points of terrain or junctions (see, for example, Séré de Rivières system in France).Entry, Fort d'UxegneyTraditional fortification however continued to be applied by European armies engaged in warfare in colonies established in Africa against lightly armed attackers from amongst the indigenous population. A relatively small number of defenders in a fort impervious to primitive weaponry could hold out against high odds, the only constraint being the supply of ammunition.20th and 21st centuries[edit]Aerial photograph, Fort de Douaumont, Verdun (1916).St. David's Battery, housing coastal artillery in Bermuda, was placed below ground level, except its guns, obscuring it from view and protecting it from return fire. Defending against landward attack was not a consideration, consequently the rear of the battery is exposed, and there is no defensive wall or ditch.Steel-and-concrete fortifications were common during the 19th and early 20th centuries. However the advances in modern warfare since World War I have made large-scale fortifications obsolete in most situations. In the 1930s and 1940s, some fortifications were built with designs taking into consideration the new threat of aerial warfare, for example Fort Campbell in Malta.[29] Despite this, only underground bunkers are still able to provide some protection in modern wars. Many historical fortifications were demolished during the modern age, but a considerable number survive as popular tourist destinations and prominent local landmarks today.Dragon's teeth—tank traps in the EifelThe downfall of permanent fortifications had two causes:The ever-escalating power, speed, and reach of artillery and air power meant that almost any target that could be located could be destroyed, if sufficient force were massed against it. As such, the more resources a defender devoted to reinforcing a fortification, the more combat power that fortification justified being devoted to destroying it, if the fortification's destruction was demanded by an attacker's strategy. From World War II, bunker busters were used against fortifications. By 1950, nuclear weapons were capable of destroying entire cities, and produced dangerous radiation. This led to the creation of civilian nuclear air raid shelters.The second weakness of permanent fortification was its very permanency. Because of this it was often easier to go around a fortification and, with the rise of mobile warfare in the beginning of World War II, this became a viable offensive choice. When a defensive line was too extensive to be entirely bypassed, massive offensive might could be massed against one part of the line allowing a breakthrough, after which the rest of the line could be bypassed. Such was the fate of the many defensive lines built before and during World War II, such as the Siegfried Line, the Stalin Line and the Atlantic Wall. This was not the case with the Maginot Line; it was designed to force the Germans to invade other countries (Belgium or Switzerland) to go around it, and was successful in that sense.[30]Bunkers in Albania[31]Instead field fortification rose to dominate defensive action. Unlike the trench warfare which dominated World War I, these defences were more temporary in nature. This was an advantage because since it was less extensive it formed a less obvious target for enemy force to be directed against.If sufficient power were massed against one point to penetrate it, the forces based there could be withdrawn and the line could be re-established relatively quickly. Instead of a supposedly impenetrable defensive line, such fortifications emphasized defence in depth, so that as defenders were forced to pull back or were overrun, the lines of defenders behind them could take over the defence.Because the mobile offensives practised by both sides usually focused on avoiding the strongest points of a defensive line, these defences were usually relatively thin and spread along the length of a line. The defence was usually not equally strong throughout however.The strength of the defensive line in an area varied according to how rapidly an attacking force could progress in the terrain that was being defended—both the terrain the defensive line was built on and the ground behind it that an attacker might hope to break out into. This was both for reasons of the strategic value of the ground, and its defensive value.This was possible because while offensive tactics were focused on mobility, so were defensive tactics. The dug in defences consisted primarily of infantry and antitank guns. Defending tanks and tank destroyers would be concentrated in mobile "Fire Brigades" behind the defensive line. If a major offensive was launched against a point in the line, mobile reinforcements would be sent to reinforce that part of the line that was in danger of failing.Thus the defensive line could be relatively thin because the bulk of the fighting power of the defenders was not concentrated in the line itself but rather in the mobile reserves. A notable exception to this rule was seen in the defensive lines at the Battle of Kursk during World War II, where German forces deliberately attacked into the strongest part of the Soviet defences seeking to crush them utterly.The terrain that was being defended was of primary importance because open terrain that tanks could move over quickly made possible rapid advances into the defenders' rear areas that were very dangerous to the defenders. Thus such terrain had to be defended at all cost.In addition, since in theory the defensive line only had to hold out long enough for mobile reserves to reinforce it, terrain that did not permit rapid advance could be held more weakly because the enemy's advance into it would be slower, giving the defenders more time to reinforce that point in the line. For example, the battle of the Hurtgen Forest in Germany during the closing stages of World War II is an excellent example of how difficult terrain could be used to the defenders' advantage.After World War II, ICBMs capable of reaching much of the way around the world were developed, and so speed became an essential characteristic of the strongest militaries and defenses. Missile silos were developed, so missiles could be fired from the middle of a country and hit cities and targets in another country, and airplanes (and air carriers) became major defenses and offensive weapons (leading to an expansion of the use of airports and airstrips as fortifications). Mobile defenses could be had underwater, too, in the form of nuclear submarines capable of firing missiles. Some bunkers in the mid to late 20th century came to be buried deep inside mountains and prominent rocks, such as Gibraltar and the Cheyenne Mountain Complex. On the ground itself, minefields have been used as hidden defences in modern warfare, often remaining long after the wars that have produced them have ended.Demilitarized zones along borders are arguably another type of fortification, although a passive kind, providing a buffer between potentially hostile militaries.Counter-insurgency[edit]Just as in colonial periods, comparatively obsolete fortifications are still used for low-intensity conflicts. Such fortifications range in size from small patrol bases or forward operating bases up to huge airbases such as Camp Bastion/Leatherneck in Afghanistan. Much like in the 18th and 19th century, because the enemy is not a powerful military force with the heavy weaponry required to destroy fortifications, walls of gabion, sandbag or even simple mud can provide protection against small arms and anti-tank weapons - although such fortifications are still vulnerable to mortar and artillery fire.Forts[edit]Engineers fill Hesco bastions at a forward operating base in Afghanistan.Forts in modern usage often refer to space set aside by governments for a permanent military facility; these often do not have any actual fortifications, and can have specializations (military barracks, administration, medical facilities, or intelligence). In the United States usage, forts specifically refer to US Army bases; US Marine Corps bases are referred to as camps.[citation needed]However, there are some modern fortifications that are referred to as forts. These are typically small semi permanent fortifications. In urban combat they are built by upgrading existing structures such as houses or public buildings. In field warfare they are often log, sandbag or gabion type construction.Such forts are typically only used in low level conflict, such as counterinsurgency conflicts or very low level conventional conflicts, such as the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation, which saw the use of log forts for use by forward platoons and companies. The reason for this is that static above ground forts can not survive modern direct or indirect fire weapons larger than mortars, RPGs and small arms.North America[edit]This historical reconstruction, of an American frontier fort, featured a log stockade, with a sturdy blockhouse built, as a temporary, defensive structure, on the western frontier.Fort Snelling on, the confluence of, the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers, in 1844, in a painting by John Caspar Wild (1804-1846).In British North America, and subsequently on western frontier of the United States, prior to the 20th century the term fort was increasingly used for any military base of operations regardless of how fortified it was. Military forts in the American Old West during the Indian Wars were often lightly fortified enclosures, with log or adobe walls. In many areas the term fort was used to refer to any European or U.S. outpost, military, para-military, or civilian, that was located in an undeveloped region. Many of these outposts were simply a trading post, with a stockade and possibly blockhouses added, or a combination of a trading post and an Army post.Prisons and others[edit]Fortifications designed to keep the inhabitants of a facility in rather than out can also be found, in prisons, concentration camps, and other such facilities, with supermaxes having some of the strongest of those. Those are covered in other articles, as most prisons and concentration camps are not primarily military forts (although forts, camps, and garrison towns have been used as prisons and/or concentration camps; such as Theresienstadt, Guantanamo Bay detention camp and the Tower of London for example.See also[edit]Captain John Smith's 1624 map of Bermuda, showing important sites, including the Castle Islands Fortifications.The Kumbhalgarh Fort in Rajasthan, India. For more than three centuries, the fort remained impregnable.The effect of thirty years evolution in the design of coastal fortifications, between the 1790s and 1822, can be discerned between Ferry Island Fort (in the foreground), with multiple guns arrayed to cover the water westward, and the Martello tower in the background, which used a single gun with 360° traverse to cover all of the surrounding area. Ferry Reach, Bermuda, 2011.Border fenceCastraCavinCitadelCoastal fortificationDefensive wallHesco bastionKuruwa, the walls of a Japanese castleList of fortificationsList of fortsMilitary campFort componentsAbatisBanquetteBarbed wire, Razor wire, Wire entanglement, and Wire obstacleBartizanBastionBermCapitalCaponierCasemateCurtainCzech hedgehogDefensive fighting position (aka a "foxhole")DitchEmbrasureGlacisGun turretKeepPalisadeParapetPillboxPosternRavelinRevetmentSandbagSangarScarp and CounterscarpTurretZwingerTypes of forts and fortificationBlockhouseBunkerCastleChinese city wallCompoundDefensive wallDiaolouFire support baseFlak towerFortress church or fortified churchGrad, a Slavic wooden fortified settlementGusuku, castles, forts, and fortifications in the Ryukyu IslandsHill fortLand batteryMartello towerMedieval fortificationMissile siloPā a 19th-century Māori fortificationPeel towerPlanetary fortressPolygonal fortPromontory fortRedoubtStockadeStar fortWater defencesFortification and siege warfareMedieval warfareMilitary engineeringMilitary historySiegeSiege engineFamous expertsHenri Alexis BrialmontCésar CuiBernard de GommeFrancesco LaparelliMoziDiades of PellaJames of Saint GeorgeFritz TodtMenno van CoehoornSébastien Le Prestre de VaubanGallery[edit]Remnants of the Slavic ring fortress Jaromarsburg at Cape Arkona (Rügen Island, Germany)Klis Fortress in Croatia, built into the south face of a rocky mass. Lost and re-conquered several times over more than two thousand years.St. Angelo Fort, Kannur, Kerala, India built by Portuguese in 1505.Forte dos Reis Magos in Natal, Brazil, built in 1599.Marienberg Fortress in Würzburg, GermanyView of Alamghiri Gate of Lahore Fort.Fort St Angelo in Birgu, MaltaPetrovaradin Fortress "Gibraltar on the Danube" - Austrian fortress from the 18th century and one of the best preserved fortifications in Serbia.Fortaleza de Santa Teresa - Fortress in Eastern Uruguay built in 1762 by Portugal, later occupied by Spain and finally by Uruguay garrisons alternatively.Fortifications of Edinburgh Castle used the natural volcanic landscape to best advantage. Image painted by Alexander Nasmyth (~1780).Fort Tigné in Sliema, Malta. It is one of the oldest polygonal forts in the world.Aerial view of Mohammed Abdullah Hassan's main fort in Taleh, the capital of his Dervish State.Rödberget fort, a part of the modern Boden Fortress in Sweden, seen from the north. The moat and the armored turrets are clearly visible.Did I mention that it was long? Btw, this is from Google. for all those who read this all the way through, this meme is for you.

This question has a lot of really good insightful answers to it already (that are much more concise!), but I’ll throw my hat in here since I’m wounded and freshly healing from exposing a malignant narcissist. I think the question is a bit loaded (“would they try to verify your suspicion and how” is too focused — I recommend the moderator truncate).This is quite long — and about my experience exposing a malignant Narc boss without meaning to— so if you’re not interested in reading, I understand. If you are, hope you’ve got a mug of tea to sip because this will be a few minutes. Editorially, I gave myself the wide berth to get winded here because the devil is in the little details over time (I didn’t provide them all because this is quite lengthy already), especially when you’re dealing with a Narc who presents a front for strategic purposes and plays the long game. There’s a reason why these people can rope you in and seem normal at first — and throughout your experience with them — while you overlook the red flags or take their behavior personally without knowing why or feeling bad about it. Narcs tend to use the same template with everyone, but they feel you out in various ways to figure out how to customize that template in order to identify your strengths/weaknesses, exploit you through them, and manipulate others (who’ve also been inventoried for various purposes).I’ve only known one malignant Narc (as far as I know) from a non-romantic relationship that I’ve written about a little bit here on Quora years ago, by observing the more famous ones (like the current POTUS or former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes) from an impersonal distance, and continuing to monitor this topic online, which has exploded in popularity. I’m a bit worried people are misappropriating this term to anyone that hurts them or rubs them the wrong way — it’s de rigeur these days. I hope I’m not doing that below.Recently, I got fired and pushed out of my job due to a malignant narcissistic customer boss. My life has been forever changed as a result. You’ll meet people throughout life whom you won't always jive with, who’ll skip a few times like a small pebble across your pond, but a malignant narc is more like a boulder that causes a huge splash, large waves, and maybe crushes a few fish in the process.At the job I was just fired from in a career-ending manner (that also left me with physician-diagnosed PTSD that I now take medication for) — where I worked a little over a year on two separate occasions (I quit/left and then got hired back by a new company to return) — I got roped in yet again by one of these disordered people and nearly destroyed. I haven’t been able to find work since and now wear the scarlet badge of shame as a “mentally disabled” person.In spite of enlightenment through therapy (over several years), a much more reserved approach to people as a result, reading a lot on this topic, and trying to heal for many years, I’ve realized these folks cannot be avoided and you can be easily ensnared by their facades in spite of all your education or how you’ve been broken in in the past. You learn in therapy about boundaries, but those will be difficult to establish or enforce in a work setting characterized by an imbalanced power dynamic capstoned by narcissistic leadership and those who enable it (for different reasons). If you don’t encounter a narc (or malignant narc) through a friendship, family tie, or romantic relationship, you will encounter one of these most likely through another social setting like the workplace, church, or sports team where a real or perceived hierarchy sets the structure to interpersonal dynamics.There’s a lot of research and material on the web about narcissistic leaders and why narcs tend to be promoted into high status positions — they are more motivated to go after them because they are hungry for power, control, and status.At first, I liked my former Narc boss and thought we’d get along quite well. I’ll do the military thing and create an acronym to refer to her thoughout: Angry Midget Boss Ever Raging (AMBER). Before I was hired, AMBER was previously the team leader (program manager or PM) on my government contracting team (the supplier), but she applied for — and got — a high level GS-14 civilian position (a promotion), so she went over to the customer side on the government. Good for her, you’d think at face value. Whenever I’ve seen that happen in the past, the former contractor/new “customer” was usually great to work with because they were empathetic to the experience of being on the other side (contractors get few rights, no job security, and must perform quickly and to great results to prevent the contracting company from losing the contract and the windfall of cash that comes along with it). Former contractors who’ve become government customers or leaders, in my past experience, were usually highly successful in creating the basis of a very successful relationship with good relations between the two parties — supplier and customer. That requires empathy and expert interpersonal skills.The company people who interviewed me warned me that AMBER was a “difficult customer,” and they would “do anything to avoid her,” — yes, they admitted to this me right up front — but I shrugged that off before I accepted the job, citing that I’d worked with many of those in the past and never had a problem. In fact, I won over some of those folks and found that they were not so bad, they were simply challenging and helped me (and receptive others) to grow professionally. That’s how I responded to the interview question about how I’d feel about working for a difficult customer and what my response would be.“She’s also a micromanager.” I thought, “Oh well, I’ll just make sure to keep her in the loop, and once she sees that I’m a hard worker who’s responsive and eager to learn, she’ll learn to trust me more.” (Heh!!!) I needed the job, was qualified for it, and took it. People in the environment made sideways looks, raised eyebrows when I was new. “Oh, you have to work for AMBER? I feel sorry for you!” As a woman, I thought this was maybe just a sexist, jealous response to a woman in power who sounded like she was highly qualified to obtain her position, and I wasn’t going to participate in calling her “a bitch” because she was in a higher position and demanded great results. I shrugged everything off. Does an empath ever learn? Similar to a narc, it’s hard to not take things personally (at least for me).AMBER was nice in the first few months of my job, asking me personal questions (as if to get to know me), giving me the up-and-down and remarking on my appearance (wondering if I was single and looking for any romantic prospects — I said I was not. “But there are so many eligible men here in the Pentagon and you’re still young and attractive!”). Read up on love-bombing, flattery, and why/how smear campaigns are started — narcs are both strategic and impulsive. I’d sometimes pop into her office to give a quick update, and try to get to know her. We’d chat about her through emblems in her office that I pointed out — a banner of her hometown’s football team, pictures of her teenage son from a previous marriage, whom she stated she adored even if he was “autistic.” She didn’t ask much about me as a person, though (about my hobbies or family).I made friends with a male peer coworker on my new team who was really nice, a hard worker, and highly valued by AMBER (for good reason), but I was taken aback by some of his comments about her, whom he mutually “adored.” He was smart and well-liked by everyone, so I trusted him (and still do). He familiarized me with a bunch of her preferences people had to follow, or quirks that characterized her personally, in order to make her happy:“We’re not allowed to take lunch away from our desks in case she needs something, and never for more than 30 minutes.”“We’re not allowed to do casual Fridays around here.”“We’re never allowed to work from home under any circumstances.”“She wants you to copy her on all emails always.”“She’s very religious.”“She wants you to attend any organizational events, even if they’re voluntary, so she looks good in front of her bosses. You must make her look good to the higher ups no matter what.”Ok.Sounds like a micromanager, alright, but not the end of the world or all that striking. Still, she’s not legally or contractually authorized to dictate how people take their lunch, I thought. Additionally, most workplaces allow casual Fridays unless there’s an important meeting, visitors, or an event — that’s why we had the team calendar, no? It was odd that other personnel in the environment (on separate contracts not in her domain, as well as government folks) were allowed to have casual Friday or take lunches however they liked. Nonetheless, I complied obediently. Nothing really stood out to me (and wouldn’t for quite a while).AMBER told my corporate PM what a good job I was doing in the first few months. My PM said she was really pleased with my work, he was pleased that I was helping to take things off his plate, and we were performing well on behalf of our company, even though the turnover rate on the team was historically high for a small team. One female coworker ghosted the team completely just days after I started with only a 3-month tenure (we never knew why). I got a great 90-day review, “Great hire!” which felt good and gave me the confidence I would perform well on this contract and under its leadership.Our team helped to elevate AMBER’s specific task of creating and operationalizing a governance structure with enterprise forums regarding our specific portfolio, reporting on highly visible compliance statistics (for which she was ultimately held accountable by Army leadership), and providing necessary training for those in the field who were charged with maintaining the quality of system records in order to achieve 100% compliance across the enterprise. Our commander, her immediate boss, popped into our working area now and then to tell us to keep up the great work (he is awesome and well-respected by many). It’s hard for me to explain simply, but basically, she was in charge of ensuring US Army IT compliance through laws, regulation, and policy (LRP) enterprise-wide from a very visible command underneath (and answerable to) the Army’s Chief Information Officer. Our job was to help with these efforts.The months rolled on. We added a couple more people to the team to backfill and expand. We hired one team member who was a real dud (didn’t work her hours, didn’t do her work while present, and was conspicuously unprofessional — making lots of loud personal calls throughout the day, complaining about how much she hated the new job and everyone there). That created strain. The work piled onto me and another former coworker hired shortly after her, producing fatigue, resentment, and interpersonal strain. My former (more reliable) coworker and I helped each other out. I took on some of the problematic coworker’s work in addition to mine, and once, I helped the other good coworker with a large matrix involving the analysis of 600+ systems for their level of compliance within a specific area of focus because he was also taking on some of the PM’s tasks while he’d be out on a week’s vacation. The matrix was daunting for me (this was a stretch role for me as a writer becoming an analyst), but I followed my PM’s instructions while he was out, had my work peer-reviewed, and shared the results with the entire team, copying AMBER (as she wished with everything). At a later meeting in which my PM asked about the matrix and I was prepared to discuss the work and the results, AMBER said, “I don’t trust that work” in front of the team. Dead stop. I worked on it exclusively for a whole week according to the PM’s detailed instructions and had it checked by peers. My heart sunk, and I never learned what issues she had with the product, so I got no feedback about any errors, means of collecting the data, or presenting it (non-constructive feedback, they call it).Also while the PM was out, AMBER asked the underperforming coworker and I (both females) to put together a birthday party for AMBER’s favorite subordinate, another older, much respected female coworker who’d been with her on the original team when AMBER was the lead on the supplier side. I did not like that this powerful woman in a high visibility role was being very sexist by making female subordinates do this feel-good, housework. I told AMBER that LRP (AFARS, in particular) states government employees are not to task contracting subordinates in the accomplishment of personal favors or the expenditure of their own money to fulfill personal requests. AMBER said she wouldn’t be happy if we didn’t comply. Well, we did — and I reported this to my PM when he got back from vacation — but, we were never compensated for spending our own money and time fulfilling this request, nor was the gesture appreciated. Still not a red flag. I thought maybe I was just being a sourpuss or not a good team player to push back on the original request. Still, it was unusual we didn’t celebrate anyone else’s birthday on the team. That was really the PM’s choice, not the customer’s, since she was not our boss, technically (he was).The older female coworker was one of our most valuable people. I have a high amount of respect for this lady’s work ethic, but she has no backbone. In spite of outstanding work — anybody would be happy to hire her in a more positive environment where she’d get more seniority and better pay, better treatment — she learned to survive AMBER by playing the duteous sycophant. This lady would round up people from their cubes when small events would be going on that we could opt out from (perhaps because some of us were overloaded from work), but AMBER conditioned her over the years to strong-arm others because the risk of displeasing AMBER would mean all hell would break loose, I would later realize. This senior coworker mostly buried her head in her work and didn’t socialize with the team much, as she tried to uphold high demands that took AMBER’s crazy-making preferences into account, often working late into the evening on many occasions.A couple of my reliable coworkers (the first friend I made that told me about her preferences, then the other hired a couple months after me that asked me to help with the matrix) quit within months of my start. The former felt his career was stalling in spite of 2 years of excellent performance and high marks (in fact, I originally interviewed for his job, but he ultimately decided to stay, only to ultimately vacate the position a couple months later, but I’d accepted one of the other roles as an analyst instead). The latter was smart enough to see how toxic this place was and immediately looked for something better.Although I got excellent feedback through formal channels (even though my work like the difficult matrix was overlooked), I started to resent the amount of work I trudged through to pick up the slack left by the departed coworkers while AMBER increasingly snubbed my work or ignored it. I was directed by the PM to schedule meetings regarding my work for both review and to create a plan for forthcoming efforts, but AMBER cancelled every single one — we tried repeatedly (about 4 times within a month’s time frame, carefully reviewing her schedule for openings before creating the invites) before the PM said, “Let’s just give up on this effort for now.” AMBER was nice to my face (sort of) throughout this time, and I continued to get good feedback from the PM, so I was confused about why my work was being snubbed and I was being painted as not a “team player” by my company. The problematic coworker forwarded an email I wrote her, stating she had to work her hours and contribute to the team just like the rest of us were expected to (I was overloaded with analysis while she’d surf Facebook and then chat loudly on the phone about what she saw on FB). She forwarded that to corporate and claimed I was “bullying” her, so that put a whole spoke into our wheels that further complicated the dynamics on the team. I was not found guilty, but I was treated like I was for the remainder of the time I spent on this contract by the corporate supplier-side management (all male).When women do not get along, men are quick to explain there’s a “personality issue,” — it often uncovers their own unconscious biases against successful women and issues they’ve got with the women’s personalities. I noted earlier above that I resisted early efforts to view the Narc boss as a problematic woman undeserving of her job because I’ve seen that repeatedly throughout my career and had similar comments made about me behind my back. I’ve seen many an undeserving woman given the shaft, just because she wasn’t particularly warm, overly accommodating, modest to a fault, and committed the crime of doing an outstanding job. My first boss was like that — I’ve never found a treasure like that woman since (and I’m 40 now).I lost 15 lbs within 3 months without trying. I lost gobs of hair in the shower. I couldn’t sleep at night and was eaten up by persistent anxiety. After my most immediate reliable coworker quit after only 3 months (matrix guy) — and it was down to me and the unreliable one who’d caused so much trouble and extra work for others — I put in my 2 weeks’ notice of resignation, too. On the day I left, I said goodbye to AMBER in her office. Her only question was, “Are you leaving because of me?” What an unusual question. In hindsight, it screams “this person thinks the entire world revolves around her at all times.” The truth was, I wasn’t leaving because of her: I was leaving because my company was allowing a situation to fester by putting me in the position of doing 3 peoples’ worth of work, plus some of the PM’s, while letting that problematic coworker go undisciplined while my reputation was sullied. As long as I shut up and took the beating with a smile, the $$$ would be there for them, they assumed (and knew — let’s face it).I told AMBER, “No, I’m leaving because my health has deteriorated to the point where I am feeling very unwell [the truth], but you could try thanking the team for all its hard work.” My voice was neutral and the comment was not malicious. A person at a GS-14 level (a LT COL military equivalent), you’d think, would be able to accept that kind of comment with humility. How does a leader achieve their status without growing through teachable moments? If you read between the lines, it meant that her good opinion or constructive feedback (shared now and then) was valuable to team morale — most people on that team worked very hard to please her and make her look good. I told her boss, the commander and our COL — who was disappointed I was leaving after other good people quit — the same reasons for why I was suddenly leaving (declining health, didn’t feel valued in spite of hard and good work).I left in the early summer and hoped to land another job. I was not successful after several months — quitting due to illness and having an employment gap thereafter is hard to overcome. I was contacted on LinkedIn by a Hawaiian company interested in taking over the contract in a re-compete. That told me AMBER was holding the former company at fault for the turnover (which sounds reasonable at face value) and complaining about bad hires, so they didn’t automatically award the final option year to the first companies (a prime and the sub) who’d had the contract for 4 years consistently. My former PM, who was happy with my performance, recommended me to the new company who’d go on to win the new contract and take it over from my previous company. I was a veteran on the team this time, so I was ready to hit the ground running. I thought the past was the past. The problematic former coworker had quit, I learned, probably because she wouldn’t be extended an offer from the new company due to poor performance documented in her review (I only speculate, to be honest). I still thought the original problem was my previous company, the unreliable teammate who claimed I was a bully, and that I’d simply misunderstood AMBER. I’d try better this next time. When I look back in hindsight, I can see what a fool I was to be so optimistic.The second tour of duty would prove much worse. We kept three veterans and the PM (all people I liked and got along well with), and we hired other folks who turned out to be wonderful. All was going to be good this time, I thought — whew. I was still confident my work ethic and performance would be valued objectively, hoping I was wrong about AMBER and maybe misunderstood her the first time around.Nope.From Day 1, AMBER sought to undermine me. She humiliated me in public in front of the rest of the organization (including her own leadership), skipped over me in internal team meetings conspicuously so that the new people found it odd (so did I), pressured my PM to give me menial tasks beneath my skill/experience level, and then complained my work was sub-par. I asked my PM for feedback. I got nothing (can you appreciate the pressure cooker he was trying to function within in this dynamic?). I complained to the Contracting Office Representative (COR) — the mediator in this world of business — about those activities above which included witnesses and were creating a discriminatory, hostile work environment. The COR approached AMBER that afternoon with some pointed questions. She played dumb, stating she wasn’t aware of my role on the new contract. The COR said, “But you introduced R. Rosendale at the organizational meeting, with all of us present, as [my former role]. Besides, [AMBER’s made up role/excuse] isn’t in the contract because you [she] helped co-author it.” I heard about this later from my PM because AMBER lost self-control and had a public tantrum in the area where they both worked, and it didn’t fare well for her at her senior level. The COR also reported my complaint to AMBER’s bosses (because AMBER also caused other people grief, including another government subordinate who requested a transfer away from AMBER weeks after I quit the first time — AMBER has a history of creating conflicts with others throughout the organization).AMBER called out sick the next day after the public meltdown, claiming she’d fallen down the stairs. The veteran female sycophant made everyone sign a “get well” card. The new people weren’t fond of AMBER, a couple noting, “She doesn’t look like she fell down any stairs,” after she’d returned.Narcs are power-hungry and always looking for ways to:“look good” even if they aren’t “good.” They must maintain the facade of being special, worthy of great esteem from underlings and their bosses, even if they do not live up to standards that would appoint them with such respect or praise.coerce results through threats and use their position to do so.consolidate or increase their power or stature by any means necessary.destroy you if you do anything that threatens them (that can be anything — narcs flit from relationship to relationship because 100% of people cannot please them 100% of the damn-wearying time. Why do you think they are ever on the prowl for new supply?).AMBER wanted to become the COR to remove any objective party to mediate the relationship in this business context, with the full 100% subjective power to make complaints with consequences. After many months of training to achieve this goal, she was certified and appointed the COR — she was in a position where she would be untouchable as both the mediator/custodian of the contract and the customer (the recipient of the services). As a government person with job security, great benefits, and almost impossible to fire, she already was invincible compared to someone like me who is considered “at will” and can be fired for any reason or no reason at all.As COR, AMBER could make peoples’ already difficult lives much more difficult because she had the direct power to modify or cancel the contract, complain about “performance,” as well as indirectly suggest team members be “fired” through complaints, highlight favorite people as exceptional, and subsequently force those she didn’t like out onto the street — people who threatened her.After AMBER was counseled by her government superiors for misconduct and unprofessionalism (I was not the only complainant), she worked on an ongoing basis to sabotage my work you can read about if you just google “bullying supervisor,” but she did so in stealthier ways. I was given assignments with deadlines that had to be met, with quality parameters to ensure, but I was not allowed to talk to anybody in the organization to get my work done, for example. The new people on the team remarked that they were not restricted in this way in private conversations. My PM, formerly supportive and who originally praised my work — perhaps under pressure from AMBER — told me I was just imagining things (“gas lighting”), and I learned he’d later undermined me to the new company’s leadership (I still do not know why) as well as to some of the new people. He would not give me any specific feedback, either, when I asked verbally and in writing. There’s another red flag. In my gut, I knew the problem wasn’t my work. The problem was that the Narc, AMBER, wanted me gone and was applying pressure to my company, my PM, to my team, and to others in the organization whom I needed to work with, in order to force me to resign again or set me up to be fired. My “personality” had been on trial throughout.10 Signs Your Boss / Manager is a NarcissistI started to fall ill again — the weight loss, hair loss, and was not able to sleep often for many nights in a row. I was forced onto unpaid medical leave due to a nervous breakdown that included a 3-day hospital stay. The medical leave produced a PTSD diagnosis, a flag on my clearance because I had to file ADA disability paperwork for the leave, and my recovery would require some doctor’s appointments for treatment, so I requested a slight adjustment to my hours on the days I had appointments (not an unreasonable accommodation — if you have a legal disability, you are allowed to request a reasonable accommodation, and accommodations were made for colleagues without any disability or special circumstance).This article also breaks down how bullying in the workplace can affect you, especially if you’re already a survivor of bullying (say, from school — like I was) or from previous narcissistic abuse (ditto):The Trauma of Workplace BullyingI just wouldn’t recommend writing a letter to the bully if they’re a narc (as the above article recommends, although it doesn’t explicitly recommend that you send it). Narcs have no empathy and they are notoriously incapable of self-reflection, admitting they’re flawed and getting professional help, and your words could be used against you if you ever choose to litigate. In fact, count on it.Right before I went on the medical leave, I had complained about the hostile work environment to my PM, to his boss at corporate, and documented specific instances to HR regarding discrimination/harassment, retaliation, and libel. Never trust HR.Three days after I returned to work after my company requested that my doctor and I file the ADA paperwork, etc., to cover my 3.5 weeks of unpaid medical leave because none of us were FMLA-eligble, I was fired by my company at the soonest opportunity for an “attendance infraction.” I’d called out sick citing lack of sleep after 3 consecutive nights (insomnia is a signature PTSD symptom, in addition to avoidance of people, things, and places that remind you of whatever trauma you’re resistant to accept), and even though the company had a flextime policy that should’ve afforded me the ability to make up the time until the end of the pay period, I was not allowed to exercise that option similar to my colleagues who simply had shitty commutes, for example. My company, well-groomed by AMBER’s antics and complaints about me at this point (one of the only two women on the team, and the most junior), was eager to push me out. “The customer is always right,” goes the trope.How narcissistic CEOs put companies at riskThe irony of being fired for that reason (“attendance infraction”) blows me away, considering the former coworker from the last contract who routinely worked truncated days of 5–6 hours (that I wrote about earlier above) was never disciplined or fired in spite of poor performance and no improvement — a big reason for my first departure, because I could not keep up with her bullshit and AMBER breathing down my neck about my work or ethic being inadequate/questionable/untrustworthy, even if my PM valued me and defended his subordinate for so long.You can litigate by filing a complaint with the EEOC. For this reason, I recommend everyone clearly document what happens to you at work beginning from Day 1 on any job you ever start even if things start off great, you’re doing well, and people like you. If you keep getting feedback about good work, but you’re being negatively evaluated for your personality without getting specific feedback over time regarding a standard you, personally, are failing to meet without knowing why (a common problem for women that is discriminatory) — and you’ve had a good track record at multiple positions, you’ll need this documentation for anything from a downgrade to your role, a negative performance review, or a wrongful termination. The pattern of someone’s behavior over time — plus any witnesses present or any medical diagnoses related to poor treatment — will go a long way in helping your case, which will be hard to win, if you win at all (do the math about whether it’s really worth it).Every day, document everything that happened, however innocuous: what was said in meetings, the times and locations, witnesses present, and if you requested any feedback or received it. Save all evidence of work you turned in, all attempts you made to comply with original direction and then later changes you were forced to make, and ask for documentation that defines your specific role (that you had to qualify for before the job, and that you had to adhere to on the job). Send yourself a copy of this working log every single day — I am fucking serious.Unfortunately, underhanded smear campaigns can make all of the above difficult. You wouldn’t even realize you were the butt of the whole joke until it was too late and everyone was manipulated against you. You’d only feel crazy and rightfully so.If you suspect you’ve uncovered a narc — and even worse, if they know that you know who they are and you expose them — YOU will be the one to pay dearly. Abandon your notions about justice, universal karma, and what not. You are assuming you’re being rational and fair, but you’re not playing cards with someone operating by the same set of rules. Most of all, you want to protect your pride, making you equal to the narc if you think about it— it’s a hard pill to swallow. But, you will not win, even if you are right.In hindsight, I realized I exposed AMBER the Narc as a manager to her government peers and bosses as someone who mistreats her subordinates, lies in public, and bends the rules, all starting with the fatal words “you could thank the team for the hard work” — I believe the source of my crime. Seriously — that shit echoes in my head some nights when I can’t sleep, even though I didn’t mean anything nasty.I ultimately decided not to litigate because I am already broken and in bad shape from the experience and the damages caused. Although a lawyer I consulted with said I had numerous compelling points to file complaints related to discrimination/harassment, retaliation, and libel, my family advised me to reconsider if litigating — even if I was treated unjustly and incurred a lot of damage as a result — was good for my ongoing mental health when I need to heal and free myself up for a brighter future. After much reflection, and choosing not to operate from a place of ego or pride (because this was unfair/unjust), I agreed that it would not be best to litigate if I wanted to move forward with repairing my mind, body, and spirit. It hurts: I want people like this to fucking pay for what they do.Once you know someone is a narc — especially if you’ve exposed them to people they’re trying to impress — it’s best to leave and move on. The American legal landscape, especially — with regard to workers rights — won't favor you. YOU HAVE NO FUCKING RIGHTS. Didn’t George Carlin state this once but in a stomach-aching, concise way?I don’t know if any of this helps to read about, but the scary thing about malignant narcs is that you don’t always know you’re dealing with one, even if you’ve dealt with one before. It’s hard to protect yourself in a labor environment (where you cannot choose whom you associate with and in what manner) from these people. In fact, these people actively seek out various ways to obtain more power and wield it against others. They lack empathy. They lack humility. They can make you sick and destroy your life. You can’t believe what’s happening to you in a situation like mine. You wonder if you’ve been wrong, if you can do some magical something that makes all the difference. At least if you’re wrong, you can do something about it if you’re motivated. You can’t control other people (or you can try, like a narc — and even get away with it — but how would you sleep at night?).I don’t know what advice to offer. I thought I had this subject figured out, but I’m learning that I do not. And, I wonder how I’m going to be able to recover now that my career was ended; I am sick without insurance and proper treatment, as a result; and after years of trying to close myself down after the last run-in with a malignant Narc (while everyone I love dearly urged me to “open back up” and “trust” — myself and others), I don’t feel any wiser after this experience. Am I becoming a paranoid narc as a result? My head spins. I have done so much navel-gazing, time in therapy, reading about this topic, etc., and I don’t feel any wiser in terms of avoiding these folks in settings where I don’t get a choice to avoid them like I would in my personal life.A key difference between a narc and an empath is that the narc can’t question him-/herself, seek counsel, admit to any fault, or adjust behavior. That would require admitting they’re fallible, sometimes wrong, or that they need to change.More than ever, I wish I could find a way to subsist and live while doing so in a manner that doesn’t put me at the mercy of others’ expectations and all the politics surrounding interpersonal bullshit. I’m one of those workers (a former manager myself who gladly returned to being an individual contributor) who isn’t motivated to climb the ladder, get an important title, or tell others what to do. It’s a tough world for an introvert or someone who’s survived narcissistic abuse and had their professional, financial, or social lives negatively impacted, along with their health. I’m exploring ways I can become my own boss now, instead. I know that not even that would insulate me from problematic customers.If you made it to the end, thank you for reading. The only thing I can say — even though the economy is not great and employment is tenuous since most American workers are “at will” employees — is to pay attention to the red flags. If you have the means to bypass an opportunity of which you are warned (“micromanager,” “must look good no matter what,” etc.), really pay attention to the signs during the interview. In hindsight, I would’ve asked more probing questions during my interview, like “Can you give me specific examples of this person’s micromanagement style or needing to look good? What is your recommendation for responding to this person’s needs?” If you are looking for another job, ask good questions about team dynamics, listen, and observe carefully. Ask about team turnover rate and why people departed if the turnover rate is high like it was on my team (10 people came and went in a little over a year on a 10-people team — it started as 3 people, expanding to 8, losing some gains, expanding to 10 on the new contract, and then losing new gains for a total of 10 in the time frame between both companies that had the contract). I was fired in April. My onsite PM, on the previous and current contract — who originally was an advocate of mine — resigned and left within weeks after I did (I don’t know why, but he confided in me many times on both contracts, venting his frustration about dealing with AMBER. I bet she lost her goddamn mind when he gave notice because he held the whole operation together with a flimsy bandage and he had a hell of a job — well paid, but it cost him, too). They’d hired a new IT architect to replace another one hired with the brand new contract; the latter lasted only 1 month (hired a couple days before I was fired) and the former lasted about 6 months.I sent a very long email to the commander, the COL, with all the documentation I collected (that I’ve advised you’d start and maintain since Day 1 of any new job) that is much more detailed and granular than my account here — times, places, witnesses, what was said — to show the pattern of abuse over time because on any given day, someone might just be having a bad day. I kept it fact-based but called out how this has affected my life for the worst:An except to the COL, our commander: “The companies mostly care about the bottom line and making sure the customer is ‘happy’ and ‘looks good to her bosses’ because employees are all ‘replaceable"’ in the business world. (Imagine if the military ran itself openly that way -- nobody would join or stay.) It all sounds very reasonable on paper, I'll admit, as our culture adopted this ‘profit at all costs’ mentality over the years which everyone's had to accept, especially since most American workers (across most industries) have little to no power or rights these days. But,[AMBER] is the sort of person that will send a soldier into battle without the right equipment, weapons, or training; burden you with a rucksack stocked with boulders (BFRs); demand you run at a high speed without tripping while throwing up obstacles on the path; and command and control from the watch tower, putting you in the line of enemy AND friendly fire -- that's the best way I can paint a picture to describe how it feels to work for her (from my experience).”A narcissistic bully will use a variety of means with persistence over time, singling you out specifically. The COL, our CMDR, acknowledged the feedback and thanked me for it, but the process of transferring or firing a government civilian is much more complicated vs contractors, who you can just terminate on the spot. AMBER’s bosses are now accountable for having some kind of response to her behavior. I tied the detailed examples I provided to the commander and supported them with examples of toxic leadership behaviors cited in Army Regulation (AR) 600-100 Army Profession and Leadership Policy:"Army professionals are required to uphold the Army Ethic and model the core leader competencies described above. They must remain vigilant to guard against counterproductive leadership behaviors from themselves as well as in the units with which they serve. Counterproductive leadership can take different forms, from incompetence to abusiveness, all of which have detrimental impacts on individuals, the unit, and the accomplishment of the mission. Counterproductive leadership behaviors can span a range of behaviors to include bullying, distorting information, refusing to listen to subordinates, abusing authority, retaliating, blaming others, poor self-control (loses temper), withholding encouragement, dishonesty, unfairness, unjustness, showing little or no respect, talking down to others, behaving erratically, and taking credit for others’ work. One such type of counterproductive leadership is toxic leadership, which is defined as a combination of selfcentered attitudes, motivations, and behaviors that have adverse effects on subordinates, the organization, and mission performance. To be classified as toxic, the counterproductive behaviors must be recurrent and have a deleterious impact on the organization’s performance or the welfare of subordinates. An exacerbating factor may be if the behaviors demonstrate selfish reasons such as elevating one’s own status, grabbing power, or otherwise obtaining personal gain. Counterproductive leadership behaviors prevent the establishment of a positive organizational climate, preclude other leaders from fulfilling their requirements, and may prevent the unit from achieving its mission. They will lead to investigations and, potentially, removal from position or other punitive actions. Army leaders are required to utilize self-awareness programs (MSAF, CDR360, and others) to ensure they receive feedback indicating whether they exhibit appropriate behaviors for an Army leader. Army leaders are required to provide performance and professional growth counseling to subordinate leaders to prevent or remedy counterproductive leadership." [pgph. 1–11]Also, really examine yourself from the inside out about your strengths, weaknesses, wishes, and goals — crack that open to examine your own behavior and how it informs your actions. One of my weaknesses, for example, is that I’m very honest and open. I also tend to speak the truth, and narcs (or their enablers) will not like that. A smear campaign will be underway quickly to discredit anything you say in advance, so that if you speak up, you won't be believed. To them, the truth is malleable and a matter of optics. Careful what you say. I wear my heart on my sleeve and I’m eager to please or take on more work when my boss is counting on me because a coworker isn’t doing his/her job. Don’t be approval-seeking, don’t be a doormat. I still believe it’s always wise to stand up for yourself, but just be warned: the narc will try harder to pound you down, and if they’re a “leader” you exposed, you’ll pay.I hope you will not have your life, health, and career destroyed by someone like AMBER and the people who enable those like her. I’ve come to believe that narcs are highly miserable people incapable of any true connection to themselves or others. Unfortunately, the capitalist, hierarchical structure within our society — that informs many interactions, relationships, and business activities — rewards narcissism.