Reconnaissance

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Mixed reconnaissance patrol of the Polish Home Army and the Soviet Red Army during Operation Tempest, 1944

Reconnaissance (also scouting) is a military and medical term denoting exploration conducted to gain information. Militarily, its shorthand Australian, Canadian, and British form is recce (pronounced /ˈrɛki/), its American usage form is recon (pronounced /ˈriːkɒn/). The associated, linguistic forms are the verb reconnoitre in British spelling, and reconnoiter in American spelling; informally, recce and recon are used as a verb.

Militarily, reconnaissance is the active seeking to determine a foe's intentions by collecting and gathering information about an enemy's composition and capabilities along with pertinent environmental conditions, via direct observation, usually by scouts or military intelligence soldiers especially trained in critical surveillance.

Reconnaissance is part of combat intelligence, and contributes to, and is managed by, the government-level intelligence cycle management. Compare to counterintelligence and surveillance, which are the passive gathering of data and information. Special reconnaissance is the reconnaissance sub-activity of clandestinely collecting data and information by people and with technology behind enemy lines.

Civil uses of the term reconnaissance occur in geology, the "examination or survey of the general geological characteristics of a region", ^[1] and in computer networking and security it is an "exploration or enumeration of network infrastructure including network addresses, available communication ports, and available services."

[edit] Military reconnaissance

Examples of military reconnaissance include patrolling by troops, ships, submarines, or aircraft, or by setting up covert observation posts. Reconnaissance may also be carried out by satellites or unmanned aircraft.

Espionage normally is not reconnaissance, because reconnaissance is a military force's operating ahead of its main forces; spies are non-combatants operating behind enemy lines.

U.S. military reconnaissance acronyms are: SALT (size, activity, location, and time), SALUTE (size, activity, location, unit, time, equipment), SAM & DOC (strength, armament, movement, deployment, organization, communications).

Soviet truck convoy deploying missiles near San Cristobal, Cuba, on Oct. 14, 1962. Taken by Maj. Steve Heyser's U-2, it was the first picture proving Soviet missiles were being emplaced in Cuba.

Aerial reconnaissance photographs of Utah Beach prior to the D-Day landings on 6th June 1944.

[edit] Types of Reconnaissance

Reconnaissance mission are characterized by accordance to the depth of penetration they are required in having an impact, in terms of time, risk coordination, and its support requirements.

• Close (FEBA) - conducted in the area extending forward of the 'forward edge of the battle area' or FEBA) to the 'Fire Support Coordination Line' (or FSCL ).
• Distant (FSCL) - concerned in location, disposition, composition and movement of enemy forces, beyond the limits of the FSCL. Both the FEBA and FSCL are in the Area of Influence, within the range of friendly artillery.
• Deep - conducted beyond the commander's Area of Influence to the limits of the commander's Area of Interest. Usually directed toward in ascertaining the disposition of enemy reinforcements.

The United States Marine Corps' doctrine recognizes four types of reconnaissance in acquiring the collection of military intelligence:

1. Route - specific routes and terrain that the enemy could use for movement and communications, to include roads, railways and waterways. Route Reconnaissance is also employed for friendly forces.
2. Area - terrain or enemy activity with a prescribed, specific area (towns, ridges, forest, and structures).
3. Zone - total breadth area of a battlefield depending on the adversaries' force, terrain and weather pertaining to the zone. Such parameters are established by determining the intelligence value available.
4. Force-Oriented - is tasked in focusing on a specific enemy organization or target; its locations and possible movement, shadowing the enemy, moving and stopping when the enemy does, observing and reporting all information that deems pertinent to the MEF Commander.

[edit] Reconnaissance in force

Some military elements tasked with reconnaissance are armed only for self-defence, and rely on stealth to gather information. Others are well-enough armed to also deny information to the enemy by destroying their reconnaissance elements.

Reconnaissance in force (RIF) is a type of military operation used specifically to probe an enemy's disposition. By mounting an offensive with considerable (but not decisive) force, the commander hopes to elicit a strong reaction by the enemy that reveals its own strength, deployment, and other tactical data. In modern warfare, key weapon systems such as surface-to-air missile batteries, radar sites, artillery, and so forth can give their location away to everyone for miles around when actively fighting. The RIF commander retains the option to fall back with the data or expand the conflict into a full engagement.

Reconnaissance by fire (or speculative fire, 'spec fire') is a tactic which applies a similar principle. When not trying to be stealthy, reconnaissance units may fire on likely enemy positions to provoke a reaction. In the Iraq war, the irregular forces use a similar tactic, in which they brandish weapons or purposely draw suspicion, in order to learn about the rules of engagement of opposing forces.

[edit] Ground reconnaissance by regular or special forces

Ground reconnaissance is carried out by a variety of troops from different Arms and Services for different purpose. This type of reconnaissance is related to the need for knowledge of the enemy by different echelons of command. The rank superiority in the military hierarchy is related to the distance from the FEBA (Forward Edge of Battle Area) that the information about the enemy usually needs to come from as the officer seeks to find and understand the decisions and actions of their opposites.

Special reconnaissance (SR) is defined, by the US, to be conducted by special operations troops, most commonly United States Army Special Forces, United States Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance, United States Air Force Special Tactics and Navy SEALs, who operate deep behind enemy lines, usually but not always in uniform. The British equivalents, including the Special Air Service, Special Boat Service, and Special Reconnaissance Regiment. Soviet and Russian equivalents include Spetsnaz. Israeli "reconnaissance units" such as Sayeret Matkal are often more associated with direct action than reconnaissance, but they obviously have that capability. SR units can reach the area of operations by numerous means, including parachuting, infiltration by foot or tactical vehicles, helicopters, and surface and subsurface access from water.

SR is a strategic mission, responsible to regional or national commands. In both cases, the reconnaissance asset, to the maximum extent possible, remains clandestine, in enemy territory, or, when long-range sensors can be used, outside it. SR does have a Direct Action capability if required. It is not unusual for their troops to operate 250km forward of FEBA.^[2]

Long-range reconnaissance, also called Long Range Surveillance (LRS), is defined as in small groups, in uniform, moderately far behind the enemy lines. While LRS units may direct air or artillery strikes against enemy positions, they strive to be unobserved, and have only self-defense, not DA, capability. They may use unorthodox means of entry, such as swimming in from a submarine or specialized parachuting techniques (e.g., HAHO and HALO, High-Altitude High-Opening and High-Altitude Low-Opening, respectively). These troops may operate 100km forward of FEBA. Units designated to carry out this role include: LRSU^[3] (US Army); 4/73 Sphinx Special Observation Battery^[4] and the Honourable Artillery Company^[5](UK Army); and Fernspähkompanie German Army.

Dedicated ground reconnaissance units (known in the US Army as Cavalry) provide both an information gathering and a screening force service to the other Arms and Services engaged in combat. Specialist scout units may operate as far as 25-50km forward of the FEBA.

While almost every frontline military unit is sometimes assigned to do limited patrolling or surveillance of one kind or another, this kind of stealthy scouting far from friendly bases is a particularly dangerous mission. Light cavalry often served this purpose in the past, and modern militaries make this a special forces mission. When the recon team is unfamiliar with the terrain, recruitment of local guides can be very desirable for these kind of missions.

In US practice, combat battalions have reconnaissance or scouting platoons, forces typically of 20-40 men, but sometimes twice that size, that can probe beyond the main line of the unit ^[6]. Brigades and divisions have separate Long Range Surveillance units ^[7], which can go deeper beyond the front line; the structure of such units is changing as the US Army reorganizes into a Brigade combat team model with enhanced reconnaissance. As of 2007 though the Scout specialists were being removed from some US brigades such as the Stryker Brigade Team. Dedicated scouts serving with infantry, tank, artillery, engineer, or logistics units will generally position themselves about 5km in advance of the forward units where possible. Different Arms and Service scouts have different tasks to perform for their higher echelons of command. For example the engineer reconnaissance detachments will try to identify difficult terrain in the path of their formation, and attempt to reduce the time it takes to transit the terrain using specialist engineering equipment such as a pontoon bridge for crossing water obstacles.

[edit] Deep reconnaissance

Deep reconnaissance, also known as long range reconnaissance, in US military usage, is the depth of reconnaissance that pertains to battlespace. Deep recon is conducted mainly in deep operations; this usually means 120-200 miles from any friendly ground forces, behind enemy lines. United States Marine Corps and Joint Force commanders primarily employ deep reconnaissance teams (such as Air Force Special Operations Special Tactic Teams, Army Special Forces and reconnaissance teams, Navy Special Operations Forces, etc.) into the commander's Area of Interest to 'shape' and describe the battlespace, allowing him to adjust or plan missions for future operations.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Armoured Reconnaissance
• Formation Reconnaissance Regiment
• Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance
• Special Reconnaissance Regiment
• Særlig Støtte og Rekognoscering SSR - Special Support & Reconnaissance Coy (Danish)
• U.S. Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance
• U.S. Marine Corps Radio Reconnaissance
• U.S. Army Long Range Surveillance
• Joint Functional Component Command for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance
• The South Alberta Light Horse
• The Queen's York Rangers (1st American Regiment) (RCAC)
• The Ontario Regiment (RCAC)
• United States Cavalry
• Surveillance aircraft
• Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Studies and Observations Group
• Rogers' Rangers
• Traditional Apache scouts and U.S. Army Indian Scouts
• Airborne pathfinders
• Reconnaissance Corps
• 4th Reconnaissance Regiment (4th Princess Louise Dragoon Guards)
• 7th Reconnaissance Regiment (17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars)
• 8th Reconnaissance Regiment (14th Canadian Hussars)
• 3rd Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment (The Governor General's Horse Guards)
• 29th Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment (The South Alberta Regiment)

[edit] External links

Look up reconnaissance in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Air Surveillance and Reconnaissance 2009
• U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission: "Military Use of Balloons During the Napoleonic Era". Accessed April 1, 2007.
• "A Tale of Two Airplanes" by Ltc. Kingdon R. Hawes
• United States Air Force Special Tactics http://www.specialtactics.com