Swedish sign for an officially designated secure compound
Inmilitary science, acompound is a type offortification made up of walls or fences surrounding several buildings in the center of a large piece of land. The walls can either serve the purpose of being tall, thick, and impenetrable, in which case they would be made of wood, stone, or some other like substance; or dangerous to attempt to scale, in which case they could be made ofbarbed wire or electrified. Compounds can be designed to double as living spaces and military structures in the middle of hostile territory or as a military area within a country's territory; they are also used by civilians and government officials (IE:Embassies) and those who want to protect against threats to themselves or their property.
A number ofsurvivalists ownfortified compound-like structures as a means of protection in case civilization breaks down or their government becomes abusive.
The termcompound is also used to refer to an unfortified enclosure, especially inAfrica andAsia. Seecompound (enclosure).
Largeoutlaw motorcycle clubs will typically use a compound for a particular chapter's headquarters. In motorcycle subculture, these are commonly referred to as "clubhouses".[10][11][12][13][14]
Many new religious movement organizations and cults have used compounds to facilitate their own privatized practices or activities. Additionally, they can serve as a residency for followers of that particular commune.Mount Carmel Center,Tama-Re,YFZ Ranch, andGold Base are some of the most notable of these.[15][16]
