Route Reconnaissance is the investigation of the operational environment in reconnaissance operations of routes for military use, including methods of reconnoitering and classifying them for other troops. In a k during ll the primary purpose of conducting route reconnaissance is to find and report all enemy forces that can interfere with movement along a route, and to identify the limit of direct-fire range and terrain that dominates the route.

Route reconnaissance process

Preparation

Route reconnaissance includes creation of reconnaissance overlays to identify land and water features, bridge reconnaissance and

classification Classification is the activity of assigning objects to some pre-existing classes or categories. This is distinct from the task of establishing the classes themselves (for example through cluster analysis). Examples include diagnostic tests, identif ...

, road reconnaissance and

, special terrain reconnaissance such as that used during cross-country movement, at the landing areas, on the

inland waterway A waterway is any navigable body of water. Broad distinctions are useful to avoid ambiguity, and disambiguation will be of varying importance depending on the nuance of the equivalent word in other ways. A first distinction is necessary bet ...

s, or when using footpaths and

trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or a small paved road (though it can also be a route along a navigable waterways) generally not intended for usage by motorized vehicles, usually passing through a natural area. Ho ...

s, engineer reconnaissance, and use of military route signs (standard signs, sign lighting, bridge signs). A significant part of route reconnaissance is the ability to identify

choke point In military strategy, a choke point (or chokepoint), or sometimes bottleneck, is a geographical feature on land such as a valley, defile or bridge, or maritime passage through a critical waterway such as a strait, which an armed force is for ...

s that prohibit military traffic by using conversion factors and tables to identify non-standard surfaces or inadequate load bearing in structure. To do so, Military Load Classifications are used for standard vehicles of a given

armed force A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily Weapon, armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable ...

Execution

Route reconnaissance is typically conducted by a foot, horse or vehicle-mounted route reconnaissance patrol, sometimes with aid of aerial reconnaissance aircraft. The patrol would include regular

reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...

elements and a

combat engineering A combat engineer (also called pioneer or sapper) is a type of soldier who performs military engineering tasks in support of land forces combat operations. Combat engineers perform a variety of military engineering, tunnel and mine warfare tas ...

team.

Consequences

Consequence of little or no route reconnaissance and engineer reconnaissance leads to hurdles in

operational mobility In the field of military theory, the operational level of war (also called operational art, as derived from , or operational warfare) represents the level of command that connects the details of tactics with the goals of strategy. In U.S. ...

and tactical

frontal assault A frontal assault is a military tactic which involves a direct, full-force attack on the front line of an enemy force, rather than to the flanks or rear of the enemy. It allows for a quick and decisive victory, but at the cost of subjecting the a ...

, leading to defeat or wipe out as it happened to Pakistan in the Battle of Longewala against India.

References

{{reflist Military engineering Maneuver tactics Reconnaissance

Route reconnaissance process

Preparation

Execution

Consequences

See also

References