United States Army Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leaders Course
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United States Army Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leaders Course (RSLC) (formerly known as the Long Range Surveillance Leaders Course, or LRSLCCourse History, Long Range Surveillance Leaders Course
benning.army.mil, last accessed 28 November 2017
) is a 29-day (four weeks and one day) school designed on mastering reconnaissance fundamentals of
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and
non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...
s 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.U.S. Army Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leaders Course
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, last accessed 5 July 2019
The school is open to
Soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...
s,
Marines Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...
,
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s and
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to train them to expert levels in reconnaissance, surveillance,
target acquisition Target acquisition is the detection and identification of the location of a target in sufficient detail to permit the effective employment of lethal and non-lethal means. The term is used for a broad area of applications. A "target" here is an e ...
,
battle damage assessment Bomb damage assessment (BDA), also known as battle damage assessment, is the practice of assessing damage inflicted on a target from a stand-off weapon, most typically a bomb or air launched missile. It is part of the larger discipline of combat ...
, communications, planning, foreign vehicle identification, and other skills.U.S. Army Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leaders Course (official website)
benning.army.mil, last accessed 28 November 2017
The school was originally created to serve leaders from
Long Range Surveillance Long-range surveillance (LRS) teams (pronounced "lurse") were elite, specially-trained surveillance units of the United States Army employed for clandestine operation by Military Intelligence for gathering direct human intelligence information dee ...
Units (LRSU's), but now provides the specific reconnaissance training needed to ensure the effectiveness of small unit reconnaissance elements (teams and squads) 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
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, the 75th Ranger Regiment's Regimental Reconnaissance Company, U.S. Army Civil Affairs (95th Civil Affairs Brigade (Special Operations) (Airborne) and 83d Civil Affairs Battalion),
Navy SEALs The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the United States Navy, U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the United States Naval Special Warfare Command, Naval Special Wa ...
, and Marine reconnaissance units; today's students also come from more conventional
infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...
,
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and
armor Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or fr ...
ed
Brigade Combat Team The brigade combat team (BCT) is the basic deployable unit of maneuver in the U.S. Army. A brigade combat team consists of one combat arms branch maneuver brigade, and its assigned support and fire units. A brigade is normally commanded by a ...
s (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. Given the importance of timely, accurate and relevant battlefield information, U.S. Military commanders require reconnaissance professionals be well-trained, highly skilled and disciplined, and capable of operating forward of BCTs. The course curriculum is primarily designed to train small unit leaders assigned to reconnaissance formations to include infantry, Stryker and armored BCT cavalry squadrons; infantry, Stryker, and Combined Arms Battalion (CAB) scout platoons; and
special operations forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...
. The RSLC program of Instruction (PoI) is continuously assessed and refined to ensure it meets these needs, the needs of reconnaissance units, and those of a U.S. Joint force at war.


History

In 1958, the commanding general of the
101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operati ...
,
Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
William Westmoreland William Childs Westmoreland (March 26, 1914 – July 18, 2005) was a United States Army general, most notably commander of United States forces during the Vietnam War from 1964 to 1968. He served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army from ...
, noticed a failing of proficiency and initiative in
squad In military terminology, a squad is among the smallest of military organizations and is led by a non-commissioned officer. NATO and US doctrine define a squad as an organization "larger than a team, but smaller than a section." while US Army do ...
,
fireteam A fireteam or fire team is a small military sub-subunit of infantry designed to optimize "bounding overwatch" and "fire and movement" tactical doctrine in combat. Depending on mission requirements, a typical fireteam consists of four or fewe ...
, and
patrol A patrol is commonly a group of personnel, such as Law enforcement officer, law enforcement officers, military personnel, or Security guard, security personnel, that are assigned to monitor or secure a specific geographic area. Etymology Fro ...
leaders during an exercise code named White Cloud.
General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
(GEN) Westmoreland was a veteran of the
Invasion of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...
and realized the importance of small unit leaders and individuals who had been separated from their parent units to take action against superior enemy forces. GEN Westmoreland decided that his division needed relevant training to rectify their deficiencies before their deployment.Recondo School - Vietnam
Office of the Chief of Information, U.S. Army Pictorial Center, Joe Doakes'
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Channel, posted 22 January 2015, last accessed 28 November 2017
Special Ops, Recondo School
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, via алексей фисенко
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
Channel, posted 18 April 2013, last accessed 9 December 2017
The U.S. Army sent many of their officers and senior non-commissioned officers to
Ranger School The United States Army Ranger School is a 62-day small unit tactics and leadership course that develops functional skills directly related to units whose mission is to engage the enemy in close combat and direct fire battles. Ranger training wa ...
. However, not every unit leader could be sent to the course.
Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
Donald Bernstein suggested that some of the 101st Airborne's Ranger trained personnel start a school for the entire division in small unit tactics. When the idea was brought to GEN Westmoreland he recommended that
Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
Lewis L. Millett Lewis Lee Millett Sr. (December 15, 1920 – November 14, 2009) was a United States Army officer who received the Medal of Honor during the Korean War for leading the last major American bayonet charge. He enlisted in the U.S. National Gu ...
command the two-week school. The course was named the
Recondo Recondo is an American military acronym (from RECONnaissance commanDO, or RECONnaissance DOughboy) for a highly specialized infantry training or a graduate of a Recondo School who leads a small, heavily armed long-range reconnaissance team that patr ...
School, a combination of the words "reconnaissance" and " doughboy" or " commando."25th Infantry Division Vietnam CRIPS Recon
25thinfantrycrips.com, last accessed 10 December 2017
From the early 1960s through the mid 1980s, there was more than one Recondo School in the U.S. Army. The
U.S. Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...
, the
Military Assistance Command, Vietnam U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) was a joint-service command of the United States Department of Defense. MACV was created on 8 February 1962, in response to the increase in United States military assistance to South Vietnam. MACV ...
(MACV), the 5th Infantry Division, the 25th Infantry Division, the
82nd Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry division (military), division of the United States Army specializing in Paratrooper, parachute assault operations into denied areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops ...
, the 101st Airborne Division, and the
XVIII Airborne Corps The XVIII Airborne Corps is a corps of the United States Army that has been in existence since 1942 and saw extensive service during World War II. The corps is designed for rapid deployment anywhere in the world and is referred to as "America ...
all had their own Recondo Schools with their own course of instruction.82nd/XVIII Airborne Recondo School
Facebook, last accessed 10 December 2017
MACV's Recondo School was a three-week course conducted in
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
and was taught by members of the
5th Special Forces Group The 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) (5th SFG (A)) is one of the most decorated active duty United States Army Special Forces groups in the U.S. armed forces. The 5th SFG (A) saw extensive action in the Vietnam War and played a pivotal role i ...
. The first week of training focused on classroom instruction, the second week on air operations, and the third week used real reconnaissance missions to teach students the critical skills needed to successfully infiltrate, observer, report, evade, and extract using small unit tactics in a jungle environment. This real-world training endeared the MACV Recondo School with the nickname, "The deadliest school on Earth." The other U.S. Army Recondo Schools had a two or three week curriculum conducted at the home garrison of the perspective unit and focused on training students in the fundamentals of: *
Communications Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inquir ...
*
Land navigation Land navigation is the discipline of following a route through unfamiliar terrain on foot or by vehicle, using maps with reference to terrain, a compass, and other navigational tools. It is distinguished from travel by traditional groups, such as ...
*
Mountaineering Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, a ...
*
Patrolling Patrolling is a military tactic. Small groups or individual units are deployed from a larger formation to achieve a specific objective and then return. The tactic of patrolling may be applied to ground troops, armored units, naval units, and co ...
*
Tracking Tracking may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Tracking, in computer graphics, in match moving (insertion of graphics into footage) * Tracking, composing music with music tracker software * Eye tracking, measuring the position of t ...
* Pathfinder techniques * Call for
indirect fire Indirect fire is aiming and firing a projectile without relying on a direct line of sight between the gun and its target, as in the case of direct fire. Aiming is performed by calculating azimuth and inclination, and may include correcting aim by ...
* Combat demolition *
Hand-to-hand combat Hand-to-hand combat (sometimes abbreviated as HTH or H2H) is a physical confrontation between two or more persons at short range (grappling distance or within the physical reach of a handheld weapon) that does not involve the use of weapons.Huns ...
* Survival and evasion The insignia of the Recondo Schools, which was also worn as a patch on the right pocket of Recondo graduates, was an
arrowhead An arrowhead or point is the usually sharpened and hardened tip of an arrow, which contributes a majority of the projectile mass and is responsible for impacting and penetrating a target, as well as to fulfill some special purposes such as sign ...
pointing downwards to symbolize assault from the sky to the ground in the colors of black and white to signify operations by day and night. Although each Recondo School had its own insignia and patch, the downward-facing arrowhead and black and white theme remained the same. The MACV Recondo School officially closed on 31 December 1970. The other U.S. Army
division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...
and
corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...
Recondo Schools either carried-on with their curriculum or disbanded throughout the 1970s and '80s. In 1986, the Long Range Surveillance Leaders Course was established to fill a void that existed in Ranger training when LRSUs were reactivated that same year. To fulfill this requirement, the course was initially designed to emphasize the mission essential tasks drawn from lessons learned from previous long-range reconnaissance patrol operations in the jungles of
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
. In 2002, the course was renamed the Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course (RSLC) and was taught by the 4th Ranger Training Battalion prior to unit reorganization at the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning.Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leaders Course, Executive Summary
4th Ranger Training Battalion, last accessed 28 November 2017
In 2019, the
US Army Training and Doctrine Command The United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) is a major command of the United States Army headquartered at Fort Eustis, Virginia. It is charged with overseeing training of Army forces and the development of operational doctrine. ...
decided to move RSLC back under the control of the 4th Ranger Training Battalion.


Training

The RSLC is designed to provide instruction to students through resident instruction at Fort Benning, Georgia. Located on Camp Cornett at Fort Benning's Harmony Church cantonment area, the RSLC PoI is tailored to train and test the fundamentals of reconnaissance operations for Soldiers and leaders assigned to reconnaissance teams and squads. Therefore, priority for training is to team leaders and above (pay grades of E-4s and above) assigned oversight of small unit reconnaissance operations without prior reconnaissance training and experience. In addition to resident course instruction, the RSLC PoI provides opportunities to deliver menu-based training through mobile training teams at a requesting unit's home station location. Menu-based training enables unit commanders to meet specific reconnaissance focused training priorities without sacrificing other training needs in support of a unit's operational mission requirements. While resident course instruction has priority over menu-based MTT instruction, the RSLC cadre will work to meet every unit's training needs.


Phase 1

During the first week, students execute a seven-hour land navigation course in which they move under load, cross-country, during daylight and limited visibility, covering approximately 15 kilometers. They receive an introduction to the fundamentals of reconnaissance and surveillance and are taught how to maximize the capabilities of the equipment in the Army’s inventory such as optics, thermals, and cameras. Students learn how to camouflage themselves and equipment, stalking, and selection, occupation, and concealment of surveillance sites. The first week ends with an
airborne operation Airborne forces, airborne troops, or airborne infantry are ground combat units carried by aircraft and airdropped into battle zones, typically by parachute drop or air assault. Parachute-qualified infantry and support personnel serving in ai ...
that can accommodate both
static line A static line is a fixed cord attached to a large, stable object. It is used to open parachutes automatically for paratroopers and novice parachutists. Design and use A static line is a cord attached at one end to the aircraft and at the oth ...
and Military Free-Fall qualified
paratrooper A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during World ...
s.


Phase 2

Week two begins with a two-day communications class that teaches students how to send messages and data across the frequency spectrum, utilizing
High Frequency High frequency (HF) is the ITU designation for the range of radio frequency electromagnetic waves (radio waves) between 3 and 30 megahertz (MHz). It is also known as the decameter band or decameter wave as its wavelengths range from one to ten ...
(HF),
Very High Frequency Very high frequency (VHF) is the ITU designation for the range of radio frequency electromagnetic waves ( radio waves) from 30 to 300 megahertz (MHz), with corresponding wavelengths of ten meters to one meter. Frequencies immediately below VHF ...
(VHF), and
Ultra High Frequency Ultra high frequency (UHF) is the ITU designation for radio frequency, radio frequencies in the range between 300 megahertz (MHz) and 3 gigahertz (GHz), also known as the decimetre band as the wavelengths range from one meter to one ten ...
(UHF) radios. This skill enables students to send reports and pictures to their maneuver commander in near real time. Building on the training from the previous week, students conduct area and zone reconnaissance practical exercises to hone their field craft and improve their reporting formats. Students are also introduced to insertion and extraction techniques by conducting Fast Rope Insertion/Extraction System (FRIES) and Special Patrol Insertion/Extraction System (SPIES) training.


Phase 3

The final two weeks are spent with students learning how to plan an operation using the Troop Leading Procedures (TLPs) and incorporating air movement, fires, and evasion and recovery planning. Following the orders process, students conduct a 48-hour non-graded Situational Training Exercise (STX) where they will execute the mission they just planned under the watchful eye of RSLC instructors, allowing the students to ask questions and receive assistance along the way. Once this mission is complete and After-Action Reviews (AARs) are conducted, the students go into isolation planning for their graded culminating
Field Training Exercise A field training exercise, generally shortened to the acronym "FTX", is a coordinated training exercise conducted by military units for training purposes. These are often military simulations conducted in open areas instead of training faciliti ...
(FTX). Throughout the FTX, students will execute and be graded on all the skills they learned from planning, reconnaissance and surveillance operations, intelligence reporting techniques, communications, fires, evasion and recovery, and small unit tactics to name a few. The end result is a graduate with the skill to plan and conduct a myriad of reconnaissance and surveillance operations, enhancing the ability of any brigade combat team. Upon successful completion of the RSLC course, U.S. Army graduates are awarded the Six Bravo (6B) additional skill identifier.


See also

*
Aerial reconnaissance Aerial reconnaissance is reconnaissance for a military or strategic purpose that is conducted using reconnaissance aircraft. The role of reconnaissance can fulfil a variety of requirements including artillery spotting, the collection of ima ...
*
Battlefield surveillance brigades in the United States Army 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 'battl ...
*
Reconnaissance & Surveillance Squadron The Reconnaissance & 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 ...
*
Reconnaissance vehicle A reconnaissance vehicle, also known as a scout vehicle, is a military vehicle used for forward reconnaissance. Both tracked and wheeled reconnaissance vehicles are in service. In some nations, light tanks such as the M551 Sheridan and AMX-13 have ...
*
Reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition (United States) Reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition (RSTA) refers to a joint doctrine of reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition conducted by the United States Armed Forces. RSTA operations are designed to support military operation ...
* U.S. Army Reconnaissance Course * U.S. Army Sniper Course


References

{{TRADOC Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leaders Course