Reconnaissance

Reconnaissance: Units, Equipment and Methods of Employment

This guide describes the strategic picture of military reconnaissance intelligence gathering efforts. It does not cover tactical applications...that is for another guide.

Definition and Core Tasks

Military observation of a region to locate an enemy or ascertain strategic features.

The exploration outside an area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about natural features and other activities in the area.

Primary:

• Surveillance

• Area recon

• Zone recon

• Target acquisition/interdiction (indirect fire/sniper)

Secondary:

• Route recon (an Engineer primary tasking)

• Pathfinder operations

• Combat Search And Rescue (CSAR)

• Direct Action (DA)

Overview

Reconnaissance can occur via:

Land based forces


Aerial assets (fixed/rotary A/C; satellite, UAV etc.)


Waterborne forces


Unit specialties:

Light Infantry (dismounted)



Cavalry (mounted)



Heavy (IFVs)

Orientation

Reconnaissance objectives are characterized in several manners:

Terrain oriented - site survey of key terrain/weather


Force oriented - recon of Enemy forces, capabilities and disposition


Civil oriented - ASCOPE (areas, structures, capabilities, organizations, people and events)

Types

Types:

• Recon In Force (RIF) - used to elicit an Enemy reaction to better understand their strength, disposition etc

• Recon Push - when a Commander chooses a COA and wants intelligence on Enemy forces in that area

• Recon Pull - based first on the recon intelligence, a Commander then chooses the best COA

• Recon by fire - engaging known/suspected Enemy positions so that they will expose their position, disposition and equipment

Troop Leading Procedures

Troop Leading Procedures (TLP) are used to prepare for a mission


To better survey the area METT-TC is used

METT-TC tells us what to analyze during the planning phase of any operation

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Unit Structure

Reconnaissance units vary in their structure.

However, most units have a similar structure:
Headquarters section



The Command and Control (C2) element of the unit. Has the OIC/NCOIC (Officer In Charge/Non-Commissioned Officer In Charge). Also has administrative support personnel.

Line units can have several sections
A Support section (weapons, sensors, UAV etc)
Actual units widely vary in structure

Light Infantry - Dismounted units with limited infil/exfil means

• SL/HALO (Static Line/High Altitude Low Opening)

• Air Assault/FRIES (Fast Rope Insertion/Extraction System)

• Waterborne (ZODIAC)

• GMVs (Ground Mobility Vehicle)

Mounted (Cavalry)



3 Line units

• 2 mounted

• 1 dismounted

• UAV/ZODIAC section

Armour
IFVs (Infantry Fighting Vehicles) provide recon for MBT (Main Battle Tanks)




Intelligence



Military Intel support informs recon units on which targets to exploit and interprets the collected intelligence

Operations

Command and Control, fire support, infil/exfil assets and mission planning

Communication



Supporting commo with a base station and relay stations in the field

Sustainment







Supplies, medical support personnel and administrative support

Command and Control (C2)

Recon units can be controlled in several manners.

Command Posts (CP)

Company Command Post

• If part of a larger unit (Battalion or higher), the Company CP is located with that unit's TOC

Inside of the TOC, recon units need:

• Headquarter section

• Operations section

• Communication section

AOB (Alternate Operating Base)
An AOB can be used to give additional communication support to recon elements in the field

MSS (Mission Support Sire)
A MSS site is used to provide recon teams additional support in the field (operation, communication, support etc.)

Primary/Secondary Task List

Area Recon - to gather intelligence on a specific target/OBJ
Multiple OP (Observation Post)
Soldiers move from one OP to another to gain a different vantage point


Zone Recon - to gather intelligence on ALL aspects of a given area
Fan Method
The Leader selects an ORP and small groups of Soldiers recon their sector in a "loop" fashion back to the ORP


Converging Method
Similar to the Fan method where separate recon teams follow a given route and conduct their recon until the entire unit meets at a planned ORP (Objective Rally Point)


Successive Method
Similar to the Converging method, this method continues the recon after the first ORP is reached and continues until the recon is completed.


Target acquisition/interdiction - Target identification with ability to provide terminal control of air, sea and land based fires. Precision delivery of first-round rifle hits to HVTs (High Value Targets) in support of SOFs (Special Operation Forces)




Route Recon - to gather data and intelligence on serviceability of roads and key terrain






Pathfinder Ops - DZ/LZ recon, survey, set-up and operations


CSAR (Combat Search And Rescue) - Personnel recovery operations behind Enemy lines


DA (Direct Action) - Raids, ambushes, sabotage or other actions carried out by SOFs (Special Operation Forces) when precision targeting and specialized training are required

Infil/Exfil Methods

Air Assault/Fast Rope/FRIES (Fast Rope Insertion Extraction System)



Waterborne



MFF (Military Free Fall)


Ground Mobility


Stay Behind Operations - When Friendly forces retreat but a section remains behind Enemy lines

Observation Reports

SALUTE Report
S - Size
A - Activity
L - Location
U - Unit
T - Time
E - Equipment


Sector Sketch


Engineer recon

Combat Assessment

Combat Assessment include:

• Battle Damage Assessment (BDA)

• Munition Effect Assessment

• Re-attack consideration

Recon elements focus primarily on BDAs and try to answer these questions:

• Was the target a "good hit" or not ?

• Was the right type of ordinance used ? If not, what type should be used ?

• What is the physical and functional damage level of the target ?

• Were the goals of the attack met, partly met or not met ? If not, why ?

• Should the target be re-attacked ?

Damage categories and levels

• Physical - the level of physical damage to Enemy equipment, infrastructure and weapons
  
  • No/Light/Moderate/Severe/Destruction

• Functional - the level of a degraded/destroyed military objective and it's new ability to perform
  • No/Light/Moderate/Severe/Destruction
  • Abandoned
  • Unknown damage

Special Cases

• Rail - "Cut" (for crated/destroyed tracks)

• Roads - "Crated" roads that limit traffic

• Runways - "Interdicted" for destroyed runway strips

BDAs are NOT a separate task but rather inherent to every mission.

A simplified BDA can also be given as:

• Firepower (F) - Damage to firing/aiming mechanisms

• Mobility (M) - Vehicle has no freedom of movement

• Catastrophic (K) - Total target destruction

Combat Patrols

Recon elements do not typically conduct Combat Patrols. However, due to their terminal guidance capabilities they may be called to conduct such a patrol.

3 elements to a Recon Combat Patrol

• Acquiring (intel/target/HVTs etc)

• Communicating

• Providing security

Image Labels

Recon teams must be able to properly label their acquired intelligence images/sketches.

Legend

• DTG (Date/Time/Group)

• North seeking arrow

• Target Identifiers (alpha-numerical lettering)

• Remarks section

• Target sketch

Priority Information Requirements

There are several vital Enemy intelligence questions that Commanders need answered to better prepare their overall plan/objective. To a lesser count, there is also Friendly intelligence/information that must remain out of the hands of the Enemy. These questions need to be addressed by recon units in the field and reported back to higher.

PIR - Priority Infomation Requirements

Unit Types

Scout Platoon - Offers limited intelligence gathering and target interdiction for an infantry Battalion

Cavalry Squadron - Allows for both mounted/dismounted recon for a Brigade

BFSB (Battlefield Surveillance Brigade) - Closest unit that resembles the traditional LRS duties. Offers dismounted/mounted recon teams with SOF capable abilities (FRIES/HALO/SCUBA etc.). Has UAV, communication, support, logistics and a military intelligence section organic to its unit. The ONLY conventional Army unit that has SOF capabilities.




Pathfinder Platoon - Sets up and maintains DZ/LZ, conducts CSAR (Combat Search And Rescue) for downed pilots and is now under the CAB (Combat Aviation Brigade). Can also offer limited intelligence gathering.

Conclusion

Recon units vary based on Nation and service branch but ultimately serve to better inform the Commander of the tactical/strategic/operational picture.

[krainex - ByczeqUnchained]

i approve

[J. Wright]

great guide and a topic many people and even the "commanders" of these arma games need to understand to utilize people that want to bring real time recon to the table. thanks for the time and effort!

[sun shangxiang]

not good we lost because of you!!