What are the fundamentals of recon?
GODRDRE
Gain and maintain enemy contact
Orient on the recon objective
Do not keep recon assets in reserve
Retain freedom of manuever
Develop the situation rapidly
Report all information timely and accurately
Ensure continuous recon
Where can I learn about recon?
ATP 3-04.1
What are the 5 forms of recon?
RAZRS
Recon in force
Area
Zone
Route
Special
What is a recon in force?
A MTC where the objective is to answer PIRs
What is an area recon?
Recon of a small, tactically, significant area with permissive boundaries
What is a zone recon?
Recon of a large area with non permissive boundaries
Do we perform special recon?
No, SOF task
What are the elemnt of commanders recon guidance?
FTED
Focus
Tempo
Engagement/Disengagement Criteria
Displacement/Bypass Criteria
What is Focus?
The purpose of the recon, split into threat, terrain, Wx, societal.
What is Tempo?
The level of detail and covertness required during a recon
What are the levels of detail and levels of covertness?
Levels of detail - Rapid and Deliberate
Levels of covertness - Stealthy and Forceful
What is engagement criteria?
When a crew should engage the enemy
What is disengagement criteria?
When a crew must break contact to avoid decisive engagement.
What is displacement criteria?
A trigger for a planned withdraw
What is bypass criteria?
When a crew is instructucted to bypass an enemy usually due to tactical insignificance.
What are the recon techniques and when did I use each one?
- Pull - Commander understanding of situation is limited, recon elements pull commander to positions of tactical advantage
- Push - Commander understanding of situation is robust, commander pushes recon elements to confirm a COA
What are the different forms of recon management? Describe each one.
Cueing - One asset calls on another asset to provide increased detail
Mixing - Two different assets collect on the same intel requirement
Redundancy - Two like assets collect on the same intel requirement
What are the eight forms of contact? Describe each one
DINOCAVE
Direct- Interaction with LOS weapon systems (i.e Small Arms, Tanks, etc)
Indirect- Interaction with non LOS weapons systems (i.e. Artillery)
Non-Hostile/Civilian- Interaction with non hostile actors that affect the battlefield (i.e. civilians on the battlefield)
Obstacle- Interaction with manmade or natural obstacles
CBRN- Interaction with CBRN elements (i.e. gas attack)
Aerial- Interaction with aviation assets
Visual- Observation with eyes or a sensor
EW- Interaction with EW assets (i.e. radar sites, jamming, etc.)
Simply, what is contact?
An interaction between 2 forces
What is decisive engagment?
When a unit is fully committed to an engagement and cannot maneuver
