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United States Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance
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United States Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance
Force Reconnaissance (FORECON) are United States Marine Corps reconnaissance units that provide amphibious reconnaissance, deep ground reconnaissance, surveillance, battle-space shaping and limited scale raids in support of a Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), other Marine air-ground task forces or a joint force. Although FORECON companies are conventional forces they share many of the same tactics, techniques, procedures and equipment of special operations forces. During large-scale operations, Force Reconnaissance companies report to the Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) and provide direct action and deep reconnaissance. Though commonly misunderstood to refer to reconnaissance-in-force, the name "Force Recon" refers to the unit's relationship with the Marine Expeditionary Force or Marine Air-Ground Task Force. Force reconnaissance platoons formed the core composition of the initial creation of the Marine Special Operations Teams (MSOTs) found in Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) Raider battalions, though Marine Raiders now have their own separate and direct training pipeline.
A force recon detachment has, since the mid-1980s, formed part of a specialized sub-unit, of either a Marine expeditionary unit (special operations capable) (MEU(SOC)) or a Marine expeditionary unit (MEU), known as the Maritime Special Purpose Force (MSPF) for a MEU(SOC) and as the Maritime Raid Force (MRF) for a MEU.
The mission of Force Reconnaissance is to conduct amphibious reconnaissance, deep ground reconnaissance, surveillance, battle-space shaping and limited scale raids in support of the Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), other Marine air-ground task forces or a joint force. These responsibilities can generally be divided into two operational mission sets: "green" operations (reconnaissance) and "black" operations (direct action). Force Recon is not part of the United States Special Operations Command, and are conventional forces, not special operations forces. The Force Recon platoons operate farther inland than their Division Recon counterparts, penetrating deeper into enemy territory from their assigned littoral (coastal) region within a force commander's tactical area of responsibility (TAOR), often at ranges beyond the support of friendly artillery and/or naval gunfire support (NGFS).
Two mission sets emerged during the Vietnam War: Key Hole (deep reconnaissance) and Sting Ray (direct action).[citation needed] Key Hole patrols were designed purely around reconnaissance and surveillance. Usually lightly equipped and armed with defensive weapons, they employ evasive techniques to break away from the enemy should the need arise; avoiding enemy contact is paramount.[citation needed] Conversely, Sting Ray operations had goals more closely aligned with offensive strikes. In a Sting Ray operation, the FORECON operators were heavily armed and use artillery and/or naval gunfire support, if available.[citation needed] However, what began as a "keyhole" patrol could become a "stingray" patrol with little warning.[citation needed] The versatility of FORECON is demonstrated through switching between deep reconnaissance patrols to direct action engagements in certain situations.
Green operations are the principal mission of Force Recon to collect any pertinent intelligence of military importance, observe, identify, and report adversaries to MAGTF commanders. Like Division Recon (also known as the Marine Recon Battalions), they employ a mixed element of amphibious reconnaissance and ground reconnaissance. This practice fundamentally covers a wide spectrum of reconnaissance but primarily the FORECON operators conduct deep reconnaissance. Their reconnaissance missions include preliminary (or "pre–D-Day") and post-assault reconnaissance. Some examples are:
Black operations are the missions that require direct action (DA). They are the opposite of green operations missions, where the Force Recon operators "look for trouble."
Examples are the seizures and occupation of gas/oil platforms (GOPLAT) and the visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) of ships during Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIO).
They provide personal security detail (PSD) for critically important personnel within the MAGTF. They were formerly capable of performing In-Extremis Hostage Rescue (IHR), but this is no longer a Force Recon mission task.
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United States Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance AI simulator
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United States Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance
Force Reconnaissance (FORECON) are United States Marine Corps reconnaissance units that provide amphibious reconnaissance, deep ground reconnaissance, surveillance, battle-space shaping and limited scale raids in support of a Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), other Marine air-ground task forces or a joint force. Although FORECON companies are conventional forces they share many of the same tactics, techniques, procedures and equipment of special operations forces. During large-scale operations, Force Reconnaissance companies report to the Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) and provide direct action and deep reconnaissance. Though commonly misunderstood to refer to reconnaissance-in-force, the name "Force Recon" refers to the unit's relationship with the Marine Expeditionary Force or Marine Air-Ground Task Force. Force reconnaissance platoons formed the core composition of the initial creation of the Marine Special Operations Teams (MSOTs) found in Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) Raider battalions, though Marine Raiders now have their own separate and direct training pipeline.
A force recon detachment has, since the mid-1980s, formed part of a specialized sub-unit, of either a Marine expeditionary unit (special operations capable) (MEU(SOC)) or a Marine expeditionary unit (MEU), known as the Maritime Special Purpose Force (MSPF) for a MEU(SOC) and as the Maritime Raid Force (MRF) for a MEU.
The mission of Force Reconnaissance is to conduct amphibious reconnaissance, deep ground reconnaissance, surveillance, battle-space shaping and limited scale raids in support of the Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), other Marine air-ground task forces or a joint force. These responsibilities can generally be divided into two operational mission sets: "green" operations (reconnaissance) and "black" operations (direct action). Force Recon is not part of the United States Special Operations Command, and are conventional forces, not special operations forces. The Force Recon platoons operate farther inland than their Division Recon counterparts, penetrating deeper into enemy territory from their assigned littoral (coastal) region within a force commander's tactical area of responsibility (TAOR), often at ranges beyond the support of friendly artillery and/or naval gunfire support (NGFS).
Two mission sets emerged during the Vietnam War: Key Hole (deep reconnaissance) and Sting Ray (direct action).[citation needed] Key Hole patrols were designed purely around reconnaissance and surveillance. Usually lightly equipped and armed with defensive weapons, they employ evasive techniques to break away from the enemy should the need arise; avoiding enemy contact is paramount.[citation needed] Conversely, Sting Ray operations had goals more closely aligned with offensive strikes. In a Sting Ray operation, the FORECON operators were heavily armed and use artillery and/or naval gunfire support, if available.[citation needed] However, what began as a "keyhole" patrol could become a "stingray" patrol with little warning.[citation needed] The versatility of FORECON is demonstrated through switching between deep reconnaissance patrols to direct action engagements in certain situations.
Green operations are the principal mission of Force Recon to collect any pertinent intelligence of military importance, observe, identify, and report adversaries to MAGTF commanders. Like Division Recon (also known as the Marine Recon Battalions), they employ a mixed element of amphibious reconnaissance and ground reconnaissance. This practice fundamentally covers a wide spectrum of reconnaissance but primarily the FORECON operators conduct deep reconnaissance. Their reconnaissance missions include preliminary (or "pre–D-Day") and post-assault reconnaissance. Some examples are:
Black operations are the missions that require direct action (DA). They are the opposite of green operations missions, where the Force Recon operators "look for trouble."
Examples are the seizures and occupation of gas/oil platforms (GOPLAT) and the visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) of ships during Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIO).
They provide personal security detail (PSD) for critically important personnel within the MAGTF. They were formerly capable of performing In-Extremis Hostage Rescue (IHR), but this is no longer a Force Recon mission task.
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