4-1. Reconnaissance and security forces, through effective information collection (specifically reconnaissance, surveillance, and security operations) help develop and sustain the BCT’s understanding of the operational environment to defeat adaptive and determined enemies and set conditions to consolidate tactical gains. Reconnaissance employs many tactics, techniques, and procedures throughout the course of an operation, one of which may include an extended period of surveillance. Surveillance—is the systematic observation of aerospace, surface, or subsurface areas, places, persons, or things, by visual, aural, electronic, photographic, or other means (JP 3-0). Both reconnaissance and surveillance produce raw data and information, some of which may be combat information that meets one or more of the commander’s critical information requirements or intelligence requirements. A key difference between surveillance missions and reconnaissance is that surveillance is systematic, usually passive in collection of information, and may be continuous while reconnaissance may be limited in duration of the assigned mission, is active in collection of information, and usually includes human participation. Security operations keep or inhibit the enemy from acquiring accurate information about friendly forces, provide early warning and early and continuous disrupt enemy actions. This section addresses the employment of reconnaissance and security forces within the BCT.
RECONNAISSANCE AND SECURITY OPERATIONS
4-2. BCTs conduct reconnaissance and security operations through combined arms from scout and infantry squad through BCT subordinate cavalry squadron and maneuver battalion. By employing reconnaissance and security forces, in the context of the mission variables of mission, enemy, terrain and weather, troops and support available, time available, and civil considerations (METT-TC), the BCT commander can fight, collect, and exploit information and develop the situation against a broad range of threats. The resulting tactical effects of these combined arms provide the BCT commander with tactical depth, freedom to maneuver, and flexibility. As the eyes and ears of the BCT commander, reconnaissance and security forces can also better enable decisions by confirming or denying the commander’s critical information requirements, as well as identify and develop opportunities to seize, retain, and exploit the initiative. Reconnaissance and security operations enable the BCT commander to—
z Understand the tactical, human, and political dynamics within an area of operations. z Visualize operations in the context of mission variables.
z Develop the situation through action in close contact with enemy and civilian populations. z Execute decisive operations with higher degrees of flexibility, adaptability, synchronization,
and integration.
z Identify or create options to seize, retain, and exploit the initiative.
4-3. The BCT commander and maneuver battalion commanders use reconnaissance and security forces, specifically the BCT’s cavalry squadron and the maneuver battalion’s scout platoon, respectively, to develop the situation under conditions of uncertainty in close contact with the enemy and civilian populations. The BCT fights to gain a position of relative advantage over the enemy to win in combat and accomplish the mission. The BCT commander must strike the enemy in a time, manner, and place where the enemy is not prepared. Leaders must then prevent the enemy’s recovery by rapidly following up with a series of actions that destroy enemy capabilities, seize decisive terrain, protect populations and critical infrastructure, and degrade the integrity of the enemy force, and then defeat or destroy him before he can recover.
4-4. Reconnaissance and security operations are essential in providing the BCT commander with the freedom of action required to conduct decisive action. Knowing when, where, and how to conduct decisive action, as well as protecting fleeting opportunities to do so, is a result of effective reconnaissance and security operations. Additionally, BCT reconnaissance and security forces accomplish a secondary mission to defeat enemy reconnaissance and surveillance efforts through counterreconnaissance. Counterreconnaissance is a tactical mission task that encompasses all measures taken by a commander to counter enemy reconnaissance and surveillance efforts. Counterreconnaissance is not a distinct mission, but a component of all forms of security operations (FM 3-90-1). Counterreconnaissance prevents hostile observation of a force or area and is an element of most local security measures. Counterreconnaissance involves both active and passive elements and includes combat action to destroy or repel enemy reconnaissance units and surveillance assets. 4-5. During decisive action, reconnaissance and security forces must develop an accurate understanding of the tactical situation. Effective reconnaissance and security operations assist the BCT to ease transitions and mitigate information gaps between units. In other words, if the BCT is to conduct operations characterized by flexibility, lethality, adaptability, depth, and synchronization, then the BCT commander must have the combat information on the enemy, the terrain, and indigenous populations to do so. With this information, the commander can maneuver to positions of relative advantage, and apply effective firepower against enemies to accomplish the mission. Effective reconnaissance and security operations allow the commander to direct friendly strengths against enemy weaknesses, while simultaneously protecting friendly forces, infrastructure, and populations. In the end, reconnaissance and security operations allows the commander to confirm information requirements, identify or create options, and employ the most appropriate forms of maneuver to defeat enemy forces.
4-6. The BCT commander uses reconnaissance fundamentals and the fundamental of security operations to provide for mission command, fill gaps in information, determine if the friendly plan is still valid, locate gaps or weaknesses in the enemy’s defense, cover gaps for stationary or moving forces, and maintain contact with the enemy. Reconnaissance operations answer priority intelligence requirements and enable the commander to make decisions and direct forces to achieve mission success. Reconnaissance and security operations enable offensive and defensive tasks and operations focused on stability tasks. The BCT commander and staff identify information gaps during the military decisionmaking process and continuously assess, adapt, add, and delete requirements throughout the operation. The BCT staff identifies specified, implied, and essential tasks necessary for mission success during mission analysis, while reviewing available assets and when identifying resource and information shortfalls. During mission analysis, the staff identifies certain critical facts and assumptions that aid in the development of initial commander’s critical information requirements. The commander’s critical information requirements include priority intelligence requirements and friendly force information requirements. Commander’s critical information requirements facilitate timely decisionmaking. Priority intelligence requirements are information requirements necessary to understand an adversary or enemy and the operational environment. Priority intelligence requirements identify information about the threat, terrain, weather, and civil considerations that the commander considers most important. Priority intelligence requirements have an impact upon future decisions. Friendly force information requirements identify information about friendly forces and supporting capabilities and information that affects future courses of action and decisions from a friendly perspective. The BCT staff assigns tasks to prioritize, manage, and develop collection of information requirements based upon identified information
requirements leading to future decisions. As the staff identifies requirements necessary for successful execution, they recommend and assign tasks for reconnaissance forces so the commander can make decisions and capitalize on opportunities.