A reconnaissance and surveillance squadron is a specialized unit within the US Army's battlefield surveillance brigade (BfSB) that blends ground cavalry troops with an elite long-range surveillance (LRS) airborne infantry company, continuing the US Army's march toward a modular force.
The reconnaissance and surveillance squadron (R&S squadron) consists of a headquarters troop, (Company C) LRS unit (Airborne Infantry Company) for strategic-level long-range reconnaissance and surveillance missions (the backbone of the R&S units and the BfSB), two ground (Troops A and B) cavalry troops for basic tactical reconnaissance taskings and the R&S squadron mounted quick reaction force (QRF) and ready reaction force (RRF) security force (SECFOR), dismounted QRF and RRF SECFOR, and one line infantry company responsible for the R&S squadron Base SECFOR.
Lieutenant Colonel James Gaylord and Command Sergeant Major Eric Dostie present the company guidon at the 38th Cavalry Regiment's activation ceremony Thursday. Fort Bragg's newest unit unfurled its flag Thursday. The activation of the 1st Squadron of the 38th Cavalry Regiment added about 300 Soldiers to Fort Bragg. They included Staff Sergeant Roch Schenk, who sat on horseback in an Army uniform from the Indian wars of the late 1800s on the parade field. Squadron officers wore black Stetson hats at the ceremony in honor of their horse cavalry heritage. Each troop stood in formation with its red-and-white cavalry guidon. "Based on lessons learned from combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army leaders saw a need for a very special unit", Colonel Joe Cox said. Cox is commander of the 525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, the host for the ceremony and the squadron's parent organization. The parade field is in the brigade area at Jackson and Letterman streets. The squadron is designed to conduct Reconnaissance and Surveillance operations for divisions, corps and joint task forces, Cox said. The commanders of those large units have a "near-insatiable appetite for persistent surveillance during the day and night, in all weather conditions", he said. "Army architects developed a blueprint for a multifunctional organization that blends ground cavalry troops with a Long Range Surveillance company, which is Airborne", Cox said. The long-range surveillance company's soldiers stood in the formation wearing the elite Maroon beret of sirborne soldiers. Other soldiers wore the Army's standard black beret. The newly activated unit is the Army's first Reconnaissance & Surveillance Squadron (R&S Squadron) within the newly formed battlefield surveillance brigade (BfSB)s, Cox said. "Scouts, snipers, paratroopers, artillerymen, tactical air controllers, combat medics, coupled with communications and intelligence personnel, can just about accomplish any mission", Cox said. The squadron soon will add unmanned aerial vehicles, Cox said. The commander is Lieutenant Colonel Jim Gaylord, who graduated from West Point in 1992 and was commissioned as an armor officer. Earlier this month, he made his first parachute jump in more than 17 years, Cox said. "So he is no longer referred to as the item attached to the back of a chicken, that being a dirty, nasty leg", Cox said. "Leg" is a disparaging term used by some Paratroopers for non-airborne personnel. "Although we are activating a new unit, we have a wealth of experience in the ranks", Gaylord said. Of the squadron's Soldiers, 128 have been deployed and served a combined 1,560 months in combat zones, he said. Four have Purple Hearts for combat wounds, and four have valor awards. "I'd also like to point out we have at least one cavalryman who can ride a horse", Gaylord said. Command Sgt. Maj. Eric Dostie, who was trained as a cavalry scout, is the senior noncommissioned officer. He was a Sheridan tank gunner in the 194th Separate Armored Brigade at Fort Knox, Ky. The 282nd Army Band from Fort Jackson, SC, played "Gary Owen", a traditional cavalry tune, as the Soldiers marched off the parade field.
Former units consisted of one active component [ broken anchor ] and two inactive detachments, there are now both Active-duty and National Guard Surveillance Brigades, each having a specific Table of Organization and Equipment.
The changes made were all part of an Army-wide transition to the Army modular force, future-concept ("Grow The Army Plan" of modernization) proposed by US Army Chief of Staff General Peter Schoomaker in 2007. [1] The plan calls for ten Surveillance Brigades, three of which are active units: the 504th BfSB at Fort Hood, Texas; [2] [3] the 525th BfSB at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and the 201st BfSB at Fort Lewis, Washington. [4] [5] The planned fourth active BfSB to have been stationed at Ft. Polk, Louisiana, had its activation cancelled. The remaining seven BfSB's are designated to the Army National Guard: the 58th BfSB from Maryland, the 67th BFSB from Nebraska, the 71st BfSB from Texas, the 142nd BfSB from Alabama, the 219th BfSB from Indiana, the 297th BfSB from Alaska, and the 560th BfSB from Georgia, all of which are moving to the objective designs by the scheduled completion of the Grow The Army Plan by fiscal year 2013.
The BfSB's R&S Squadron and specifically its elite LRS unit (Airborne Infantry "Recon" Company) are not to be confused with the new Army concept of elite reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition (RSTA) units (a non-airborne capable cavalry basic tactical reconnaissance unit). RSTA units are a part of the Army-wide transfer to brigade combat teams, all combat divisions and separate brigades are transitioning to the RSTA format, the Reconnaissance & Surveillance Squadron is a specialized unit within the US Army's new Battlefield Surveillance Brigade (BfSB) that blends ground cavalry troops with an elite Long Range Surveillance (LRS) Airborne Infantry Company for the purpose of executing strategic level long range surveillance missions deep within enemy lines.
RSTA units are not airborne capable, whereas all LRS units are (exceptions being the RSTA squadron of the 4th BCT (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division; the 173rd Airborne BCT; and the four in the 82nd Airborne Division).
By doctrine, RSTA units do not require their leadership positions to be filled by Ranger qualified officers and NCOs as LRSU units do in addition to many more specialized skill qualifications through extensive training.
LRSUs are Airborne Forces and most leadership positions are filled by Ranger qualified officers and NCOs. LRS leaders typically undergo the Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leaders Course (RSLC) at Fort Benning, where they learn long-range land navigation, communications, intelligence, vehicle identification, survival, and operational techniques.
LRS troopers are often graduates of other specialized schools including: the U.S. Army Sniper School, Special Operations Target Interdiction Course (SOITC), US Army Ranger School, Waterborne Infiltration Course (WIC), Special Forces Combat Diver Qualification Course, HALO, Reconnaissance Surveillance Leaders Course RSLC (Formerly designated as the Long Range Surveillance Leaders Course (LRSLC)), Pathfinder, Air Assault School, Jumpmaster, Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE). Long Range Surveillance Combat Medics, similar to the 75th Ranger Regiment are required to graduate the Special Operations Medicine Course and many US Army LRS Troopers attend the International Special Training Center (ISTC)'s, the ISTC trains NATO Special Operations Forces, and similar type units, in advanced individual Patrolling, Battlefield Medicine, Close Quarter Battle, Sniper, Survival, Planning, and Recognition Skills. It was established in 1979, and first called the International Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol School (ILRRPS) formerly located in Weingarten, Germany and later move to Pfullendorf, Germany.
US Army LRS-Us conduct training exercises and exchange programs with various US allies. In recent years these exercises have included deployments to England, Germany, France, Hungary, and Italy. Joint training exercises have involved units from British TA SAS, France's 13 RDP, Belgium's ESR, Italy's 9 Para Assault Regiment, and Germany's Fernspählehrkompanie 200 Long Range Scout Companies or FSLK200 (roughly translated: Surveillance and Reconnaissance Instruction Company 200).
A long-range reconnaissance patrol, or LRRP, is a small, well-armed reconnaissance team that patrols deep in enemy-held territory.
Long-range surveillance (LRS) teams were elite, specially-trained surveillance units of the United States Army employed for clandestine operation by Military Intelligence for gathering direct human intelligence information deep within enemy territory. Classic LRS employment is to infiltrate deep into enemy territory, construct hide and surveillance sites, and provide continuous surveillance/special reconnaissance of an intelligence target of key interest.
Reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition (RSTA) squadrons are a type of unit in the United States Army. These are cavalry squadrons, and act at the squadron (battalion) level as a reconnaissance unit for their parent brigade combat teams. These RSTA squadrons continue on the Recondo legacy of the Vietnam era Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols (LRRP), however, compared to the LRRPs they are often assigned additional non-reconnaissance responsibilities such as battlespace ownership.
United States Army Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leaders Course (RSLC) is a 29-day school designed on mastering reconnaissance fundamentals of officers and non-commissioned officers eligible for assignments to those units whose primary mission is to conduct reconnaissance and surveillance, target acquisition, and combat assessment operations. RSLC is taught by the 4th Ranger Training Battalion, Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade. The school is open to Soldiers, Marines, Sailors and Airmen to train them to expert levels in reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition, battle damage assessment, communications, planning, foreign vehicle identification, and other skills. The school was originally created to serve leaders from Long Range Surveillance Units (LRSU's), but now provides the specific reconnaissance training needed to ensure the effectiveness of small unit reconnaissance elements for the U.S. Army and joint force. Given the training focus and difficulty of the RSLC, the school is still commonly attended by operators from U.S. Army Special Forces, the 75th Ranger Regiment's Regimental Reconnaissance Company, U.S. Army Civil Affairs, Navy SEALs, and Marine reconnaissance units; today's students also come from more conventional infantry, Stryker and armored Brigade Combat Teams (BCT). Following the US Army decision to disband US Army LRS companies, the reconnaissance fundamentals taught in the course also provides U.S. military commanders the ability to preserve key LRS skills and abilities within the conventional force.
The 58th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade is a military intelligence brigade of the United States Army National Guard in Maryland. It was largely formed from the personnel and equipment of the 58th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade and officially stood up in its present configuration on 1 August 2015. Most recently, members of the brigade joined state efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 in Maryland and constituted one of the last U.S. Army National Guard units to serve in the War in Afghanistan, returning to Maryland in February, 2021.
The battlefield surveillance brigade (BfSB) was a United States Army surveillance/reconnaissance formation introduced from 2006 to 2015. The United States Army planned for the creation and transformation of nine intelligence brigades to a 'battlefield surveillance' role in 2007. The first battlefield surveillance brigade was deployed the same year conducting Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) operations.
The United States Army long range surveillance detachment (LRSD) is organized as a detachment organic to the military intelligence battalion at division level for the purpose of long-range surveillance. The LRSD's are organized into a headquarters section, communications section (two base radio stations), and six surveillance teams. (Light division LRS detachments only have four surveillance teams.) The leaders are airborne and Ranger qualified. All other personnel in the detachment are airborne qualified. Most active Army LRSDs were inactivated in September 2005, with the notable exceptions 173rd Airborne's LRSD which was deactivated in 2006 and the 82nd Airborne's LRSD, which was converted to Pathfinders in 2008, and most Army National Guard units were inactivated in September 2008; some were transferred to battlefield surveillance brigades and were reflagged and redesignated as Troop C within the brigade's cavalry squadron (reconnaissance and surveillance). For example, the 151st Infantry Detachment (LRS) of the 38th Infantry Division became Troop C (LRS), 2d Squadron, 152d Cavalry Regiment, 219th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade. Two new National Guard Long Range Surveillance Companies were stood up in September 2009.
Company F, 425th Infantry was a long range surveillance unit of the Michigan National Guard that was inactivated on 12 June 2011. The company came into being in the mid-1960s when the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 225th Infantry was reflagged as Companies E and F (Ranger), 425th Infantry, and organized as Ranger companies. During this period these two companies were assigned to division and higher level commands to perform long range reconnaissance patrol missions, as opposed to the Ranger companies of today which comprise the four battalions of the 75th Ranger Regiment. According to the United States Army Center of Military History, it was reorganized and redesignated as the 425th Infantry Detachment (LRS) effective 1 September 2008 and was relocated from the State of Michigan Pontiac Armory to the Selfridge Air National Guard Base near Mount Clemens, 15 miles northeast of Detroit.
The 73rd Cavalry Regiment is a Cavalry Regiment in the United States Army, first formed in 1941. The three squadrons of the 73rd Cavalry Regiment provide reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition (RSTA) to the Brigade Combat Teams of the 82nd Airborne Division. 3rd Squadron is assigned to 1st Brigade, 1st Squadron is assigned to 2nd Brigade, and 5th Squadron is assigned to 3rd Brigade.
The 1st Squadron, 75th Cavalry Regiment is an inactive United States Army cavalry squadron established in 2004. It was the Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition Squadron (RSTA) squadron of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team "Strike" ♥, 101st Airborne Division. It performed reconnaissance and cavalry missions in support of that brigade.
In the United States (US) military, a beret flash is a shield-shaped embroidered cloth that is typically 2.25 in (5.72 cm) tall and 1.875 in (4.76 cm) wide with a semi–circular base that is attached to a stiffener backing of a military beret. These flashes—a British English word for a colorful cloth patch attached to military headgear—are worn over the left eye with the excess cloth of the beret shaped, folded, and pulled over the right ear giving it a distinctive appearance.
The 201st Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade is located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. The 201st was originally named the 201st Military Intelligence Brigade and on 3 July 2008 it became the Army's third active duty battlefield surveillance brigade and was renamed the 201st Battlefield Surveillance Brigade (BfSB). The US Army decided to get rid of its BfSBs and the 201st was realigned into a new expeditionary military intelligence brigade.
The 151st Cavalry Regiment was a United States Army cavalry regiment represented in the Arkansas Army National Guard by 1st Squadron, 151st Cavalry Regiment, headquartered in Warren, Arkansas, an element of the 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
The 504th Military Intelligence Brigade is located at Fort Cavazos, Texas. The brigade is tasked to improve the situational awareness for commanders at division level or higher, so they can adapt their units combat power for the current operations. For this the Military Intelligence Brigades can deploy unmanned aerial vehicles, signals gathering equipment, human intelligence collectors and long range surveillance patrols. From 2007 to 2015 the 504th served as an expeditionary military intelligence brigade (EMIB) becoming one of three active duty Surveillance Brigades of the United States Army. In 2015, the brigade returned to its original name and mission as the 504th Military Intelligence Brigade conducting intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance in support of III Armored Corps.
The 51st Infantry Regiment is a regiment of the United States Army first established in 1917.
The 219th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade was part of the United States Army Surveillance/reconnaissance formation introduced from c.2006-2011. The United States Army planned for the creation and transformation of nine intelligence brigades to a 'Battlefield Surveillance' role in 2007. The first Battlefield Surveillance Brigade (BfSB) was deployed the same year conducting Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Intelligence operations. However, gathering information is only half the challenge it faced. Along with the structural changes and intelligence capabilities, the sustainment capabilities of the brigade also changed.[2] The United States Army reorganized it’s intelligence formations into Battlefield Surveillance Brigades (BfSB). The brigades were self-sufficient Army Modular Forces. Army doctrine changed the name of the BfSB to Reconnaissance and Surveillance Brigade in 2011. In 2016, the 219th BfSB was redesignated to the 219th Engineer Brigade.
The 3rd Squadron (R&S), 108th Cavalry Regiment was the reconnaissance and surveillance element of the 560th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade of the Georgia Army National Guard. The squadron was headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Nicknamed Renegades, it consisted of:
The 71st Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade (EMIB) is a unit of the Texas Army National Guard.
The 525th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade (Expeditionary) is a unit of the United States Army specializing in the acquisition and analysis of information with potential military value. On 28 October 2014, the unit was reflagged from the "525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade" to an expeditionary military intelligence brigade, the first of its kind.
The 142nd Battlefield Surveillance Brigade was located at Decatur, Alabama. The 142nd BfSB was a Major Command (MACOM) of the Alabama Army National Guard.