United States Marine Corps Reconnaissance Battalions


A United States Marine Corps Reconnaissance Battalion is a reconnaissance unit within the Ground Combat Element of a Marine Air-Ground Task Force that conducts amphibious reconnaissance, underwater reconnaissance, advanced force operations, battlespace shaping, ground reconnaissance, surveillance, raids and direct action in support of the Marine division, subordinate division elements, or a designated MAGTF.
Although reconnaissance companies are conventional forces they do share many of the same tactics, techniques, procedures and equipment of special operations forces.

Role

Reconnaissance forces are an asset of the MAGTF that provides military intelligence to command and control for battlespace, allowing the MAGTF to act, and react, to changes in the battlefield. While Marine reconnaissance assets may operate in specialized missions, they are unlike their United States Special Operations Forces counterparts. Both division and force are solely reserved for supporting the infantry, which are directly involved in the commander's force of action in the battlefield, or battlespace shaping.
Many of the types of reconnaissance missions that are conducted by Marine Recon units are characterized by its degree in depth of penetration. This greatly increases the mission time, risk, and support coordination needs. Division reconnaissance are in charge of the commander's Area of Influence, the close and distant battlespace; the force reconnaissance platoons are employed farther in the deep battlespace, or the Area of Interest.
These are the main missions that are outlined to some, or all of, the reconnaissance assets in the Marine Corps:
  • Plan, coordinate, and conduct amphibious reconnaissance-ground reconnaissance and surveillance to observe, identify, and report enemy activity, and collect other information of military significance.
  • Conduct specialized surveying to include: hydrographic survey reconnaissance and/or demolitions, beach permeability and topography, routes, bridges, structures, urban/rural areas, helicopter landing zones, parachute drop zones, aircraft Forward operating base, and mechanized reconnaissance missions.
  • When properly task organized with other forces, equipment or personnel, assist in specialized engineer reconnaissance, radio, mobile, and other special reconnaissance missions.
  • Infiltrate mission areas by necessary means to include: air assault and airborne operations, surface, and subsurface.
  • Conduct counter reconnaissance.
  • Conduct Initial Terminal Guidance for helicopters, landing craft, parachutists, air-delivery, and re-supply.
  • Designate and engage selected targets with organic weapons and force fires to support battlespace shaping. This includes designation and terminal guidance of precision-guided munitions.
  • Conduct post-strike reconnaissance to determine and report battle damage assessment on a specified target or area.
  • Conduct limited scale ambushes, commando style raids, and irregular warfare.

    History

The Marine Corps's division-level reconnaissance was first conceived in 1941 by Lieutenant Colonel William J. Whaling. He needed a group of specialized scouts and skilled marksmen to form a "Scout and Sniper Company". Two of the newly established Marine divisions, 1st and 2nd Marine Division contained their own scout company. Larger infantry regiments called for more recon, scouts and sniper assets. By 1945, the divisions had instituted and organized their own scout-sniper, light armored reconnaissance, and division reconnaissance assets.
As a result of MCO 5401.5, dated 24 August 1952, the USMC Force Restructure and Implementation Plan, the Marine Corps shrunk its forces and as a result reconnaissance battalions were eliminated and reconnaissance companies became a part of infantry regiments.
2nd Reconnaissance Battalion was formed on 22 January 1958. 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion was formed on 15 April 1958. 1st Reconnaissance Battalion was formed on 1 May 1958. 4th Reconnaissance Battalion was formed on 1 July 1962. 5th Reconnaissance Battalion was formed in 1966.
In July 1974, Force Reconnaissance was downsized to one active duty company. As a result, in March 1975 both 1st and 3rd Reconnaissance Battalions received a 23-man Force Reconnaissance platoon.
In February 2006, the Marine Special Operations Command was formed. In August 2006, 2nd FORECON company was deactivated with the majority of its personnel transferred to MARSOC with two platoons reassigned to 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion to establish D Company. Two months later in October, 1st FORECON met the same fate, with the majority of its personnel transferred to MARSOC with two platoons reassigned to 1st Reconnaissance Battalion to establish D Company. The D companies in the Division Reconnaissance Battalions were designed to maintain and preserve a deep reconnaissance capability for the Marine Expeditionary Force. In 2007, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion deactivated its D Company.
In 2008, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, directed that Force Reconnaissance companies be re-established from Division Reconnaissance Battalion personnel to support the three MEFs: I MEF, II MEF and III MEF. The companies were placed under the operational command of the MEF and under the administrative control of the Division Reconnaissance Battalion. In December 2008, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion activated its Force Reconnaissance Company.

Organization

Active

LogoNameParent divisionLocation
1st Reconnaissance Battalion1st Marine DivisionCamp Pendleton, California
2nd Reconnaissance Battalion2nd Marine DivisionCamp Lejeune, North Carolina
3rd Reconnaissance Battalion3rd Marine DivisionCamp Schwab, Okinawa, Japan
4th Reconnaissance Battalion4th Marine Division
Marine Forces Reserve		San Antonio, Texas

Deactivated

5th Reconnaissance Battalion5th Marine DivisionCamp Pendleton, California

Structure

Each active duty reconnaissance battalion consists of five companies: a headquarters and service company, three reconnaissance companies and one force reconnaissance company. Each reconnaissance company has a company headquarters section and four reconnaissance platoons.
The reserve duty 4th Reconnaissance Battalion consists of six companies: a headquarters and service company and five reconnaissance companies. Each reconnaissance company has a company headquarters and three reconnaissance platoons.
Platoons normally consist of three reconnaissance teams and a headquarters team. A reconnaissance platoon is composed of 1 officer, 21 enlisted Marines, and 1 Navy corpsman for a total strength of 23 personnel. The platoon commander is a first lieutenant, the team leaders are sergeants and the platoon sergeant is a gunnery sergeant.

Training

Table of equipment

All amphibious recon Marines and Corpsmen are provided general issued equipment, these are the weapons that are generally used by both MAGTF Recon assets. These weapons are generally used by most other Marines in the infantry, except with minor modifications. Although Force Recon units receive the same equipment as their division recon counterparts, they also have equipment similar to that issued to comparable USSOCOM units. Force Recon are assigned to missions remote from any available fire support and fully rely on specialized weapons that are versatile enough to be flexible in the commander's area of interest.
The combative and protective gear is used by both recon assets of MAFTF. However, again, there are 'additional' equipment in the Force Recon's T/E to meet their assignments in deep operations and/or direct action missions. And to include FORECON's necessary equipment that are capable of being jumped out of aircraft; and long-range communications due to their operability at greater distances than Division Recon geographically-assigned boundaries.
  • Utility uniform – Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform, with MARPAT camouflage digital pixelated pattern in woodland and desert variants.
  • Load Bearing Vest – The vest could be the current standard-issue, second-generation, MOLLE fighting load carrier vest or the late 1980s to early 1990s IIFS non-modular load bearing vest. The latter is more popular for durability. An operator may also use a third-party LBV, and chestrigs are popular.
  • Rucksack – A large backpack for items accessed less often. Marines have publicly voiced a preference for ALICE packs, introduced in 1974, over the newer MOLLE packs, but individual operators may buy third-party packs which surpass both products in durability. The MOLLE packs were replaced by the Arc'teryx-designed ILBE.
  • First aid kit – A personal-sized first aid kit that is carried usually fastened onto webbing of the rucksack or personal vest carrying system.
  • Tactical knee pads and elbow pads – For protection and comfort as Marines move into various firing positions.
  • Boots – Equipment-bearing hiking boots or specialized hiking shoes.
  • Combat Helmet and tactical goggles – Lightweight Helmet or other Kevlar helmets
  • Nomex balaclava – A hood with a large opening for the eyes. NOMEX is a flame retardant fabric that was developed during post-Korean War era for use by aircraft pilots that has since been found useful for many other applications.
  • Ballistic vest – Interceptor body armor. Marine Corps's Modular Tactical Vest