The purpose of this manual is to provide a compendium of techniques and procedures used by reconnaissance teams (RTs). The success of any recon operation depends on the ability of the unit to develop its own procedures and to adapt and exploit those which prove successful. Ultimately, success depends on the motivation and training of the RT. This manual will provide an introduction to the required training and a basis for continuation of training. While no technique represents the final answer, those described here have been proven successful in several years of Recondo-style operations. To the beginner, this manual will serve as a summary of the techniques he must master; to the "old timer," it will be a refresher and review. There is only one type of recon man that has stopped learning recon - the dead type. This manual is directed only towards RT employment. Therefore, always keep in mind that the tactics and techniques described are directed towards one goal - the collection of intelligence. The patrolling tactics, insertion techniques, communications, etc. are only a means to accomplish that end. Developed for use at Recondo (Recon Commando) schools by the US Army Institute for Military Assistance in 1970 as a means to capture the operational knowledge of Studies and Observation Group Recon Teams from Command & Control North, Central and South. It contains information very difficult to find elsewhere, much of it presented in the form of "lessons learned" from operations in Vietnam. Presented in Special Operations Press' distinctive ERDL camouflage cover, denoting a Vietnam-era publication, this edition is an easy-to-read 6 x 9 inch perfect-bound paperback printed on first quality paper in the USA.
Project Delta - Origins of LRRP, Recondo in Vietnam This document collection includes the original 1970 Combat Recon Manual by Project Delta. It also includes the Special Forces updated version from 1995, and a third book on WW2 Jungle Fighting. Project DELTA was the first of the four Special reconnaissance (SR) units with a Greek letter formed by the U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) during the Vietnam War to collect operational intelligence in remote areas of South Vietnam. Project DELTA was established at Nha Trang in 1964 and consisted of six reconnaissance hunter-killer teams each composed of two United States Special Forces (USSF) and four Army of the Republic of Vietnam Special Forces (LLDB) and later supported by the 91st Ranger battalion. It was designated Detachment B-52, 5th Special Forces Group. DELTA's mission included operational and strategic reconnaissance into long-held Viet Cong areas and the direction of air strikes on them. They were also to conduct bomb damage assessment, conduct small scale reconnaissance and hunter-killer operations, capture and interrogate VC / NVA, tap communications, bug compounds and offices, rescue downed aircrew and prisoners of war, emplace point minefields and other booby traps, conduct psychological operations, and perform counter intelligence operations. They were to focus on base areas and infiltration routes in the border areas. During its storied history, Project DELTA captured or destroyed numerous major enemy installations and supply routes. It was awarded numerous honors including the Valorous Unit Award, RVN Cross of Gallantry, RVN Civil Actions Honor Medal (PC) and the Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon. Project DELTA was deactivated in June of 1970. The successful Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) training program was originally established by Detachment B-52 of the 5th Special Forces Group (Project Delta). The Project Delta course was first established in May 1964 and would eventually evolve into the famous Vietnam RECONDO school. BONUS book: This ebook collection also contains a historical report on Jungle Warfare, written in 1942 just months into the Guadalcanal campaign during World War II. Via interviews with front lines Marines and Army soldiers it goes into great details of how the Japanese fought, weapons and tactical reports with specifics on what worked and what didn't. This no holds-barred feedback help U.S. military adapt and supply what our troops needed to succeed in the jungle of the Pacific war. Of note is comments from a one, Lt. Col. L.B. Fuller, the legendary 'Chesty' Fuller of Marine Corp fame to this very day.
Field Manual (FM) 5-170 describes how engineer recon teams support and augment a maneuver battalion or brigade's recon effort. It is designed as an engineer extension of FMs 17-95 and 17-98. This manual serves as a guide for both brigade and task force (TF) engineers, as well as for subordinate leaders (especially recon team leaders) in planning, integrating, and conducting recon operations. It also serves as a guide for the brigade and TF staffs and subordinate maneuver commanders on the organization, capabilities, and employment of engineer recon teams.
Project DELTA was formed in October of 1964 with headquarters in Nha Trang. They conducted the most hazardous and critical missions inside South Vietnam. Project DELTA would prove to be one of the most successful Special Operations units in the Vietnam War. In August of 1970, The B-52 Tips were published as a series of memos and annexes for the use of B-52 team leaders and their troops as a means of capturing lessons learned. The Tips are broken down into the following sections: A - General B - M-16 / CAR 15 C - Load Bearing equipment D - Recon part E- Forward air controller (FAC) F- Remain overnight (RON) G - Breaking out of encirclement H - PW snatch I - Movement Techniques J - Infiltration / exfiltration Long considered a classic, Special Forces trainees were still being given handout copies of the B-52 tips in the mid 1990s. Presented in Special Operations Press' distinctive ERDL camouflage cover, denoting a Vietnam-era publication, this edition is an easy-to-read 6 x 9 inch perfect-bound paperback printed on first quality paper in the USA.
This manual is based on the premise that although the unit organization, weapon systems, and conditions have changed, section and platoon maneuver, movement, reconnaissance, and surveillance have not. This manual describes the doctrinal and tactical employment principles for the Stryker reconnaissance vehicle (RV)-equipped infantry battalion reconnaissance platoon, which is an element of the Stryker brigade combat team (SBCT). It provides emerging doctrine, tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP) for the SBCT infantry battalion reconnaissance platoon and its teams and sections. This manual provides the platoon and team leaders with tactics, techniques, and procedures to exploit reconnaissance platoon capabilities through situational understanding (SU), which will reduce vulnerabilities and enable the parent unit to obtain the required information to defeat the enemy on the battlefield. Although this manual reemphasizes critical information from other manuals, the user must continue to refer to other manuals for in-depth discussions of particular subjects.
Filled with entertaining anecdotes and an insider's knowledge, Ranger Knowledge is a must-read for prospective rangers and armchair military enthusiasts everywhere. Written by a former 75th Ranger Regiment soldier, "Marty" will take you inside the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program and the Special Forces Assessment and Selection Program to teach prospective Special Operations soldiers the ins and outs of each unit's selection program. As someone who also runs a train-up program for soldiers going into the military on Ranger and Special Forces contracts, Marty is uniquely suited to write a program of instruction which walks would-be Special Operations troops through the course and tells them how to get from A to B and achieve their goals in the Special Operations community.
This publication, Field Manual FM 3-98 Reconnaissance and Security Operations July 2015, provides doctrinal guidance and direction for Cavalry organizations, as well as reconnaissance and security organizations. This FM establishes the foundation for the development of tactics and procedures in subordinate doctrine publications. This publication applies across the range of military operations. While the main focus of this field manual is Cavalry formations within the units listed below, all maneuver formations must be able to conduct reconnaissance and security tasks. - Armored brigade combat team (ABCT) Cavalry squadron. - Infantry brigade combat team (IBCT) Cavalry squadron. - Stryker brigade combat team (SBCT) Cavalry squadron. - Battlefield surveillance brigade (BFSB) Cavalry squadron. - It is applicable to the- - Scout platoon of maneuver battalions. - Combat aviation brigade air squadron. The principal audiences for FM 3-98 are commanders, leaders, and staffs responsible for the planning, execution, or support of reconnaissance and security operations as well as instructors charged with teaching reconnaissance and security operations. Doctrine consists of fundamental principles that describe how to fight. At the tactical level, doctrine consists of authoritative principles concerning how to execute reconnaissance and security operations as part of Army and joint operations that require professional military judgment in their application. Importantly, our doctrine must describe how brigade combat teams (BCT) and subordinate units combine the capabilities of various arms into cohesive, combined arms, air-ground teams and provide a clear description of how to execute reconnaissance and security operations. This publication provides the commander and staff of Cavalry formations with doctrine relevant to Army and joint operations. This publication explains how effective reconnaissance and security operations generate depth, allow commanders reaction time and maneuver space, fight for information and collect information through stealth, protect against surprise, ease the forward movement of follow-on forces, and provide commanders with flexibility and adaptability. The doctrine described in this publication is applicable across unified land operations. The previous proponent manual for Cavalry Operations was FM 3-20.96, published 12 March 2010, which included operational considerations. This publication provides doctrinal guidance for all formations assigned to the ABCT, the IBCT, and SBCT. The following is a summary of each chapter in the manual: Chapter 1 addresses the role of Cavalry in unified land operations and Cavalry organizations. Chapter 2 discusses understanding the threat, potential threat groups and threat characteristics. Chapter 3 addresses the operational environment, shaping, engaging, and influencing outcomes, and consolidating gains. Chapter 4 highlights the updated concepts of mission command in relation to commander's reconnaissance and security guidance, the operations process and information collection. Chapter 5 begins with an overview, followed by a detailed discussion of the fundamentals of reconnaissance, forms of reconnaissance, and reconnaissance handover. Chapter 6 begins with an overview, followed with the fundamentals of security operations, counterreconnaissance, and the forms of security. Chapter 7 provides a short overview and then devotes a section to reconnaissance and security stability planning, stability principles and frameworks, and stability tasks. Chapter 8 describes sustainment for reconnaissance and security tasks, sustainment planning considerations for reconnaissance and security, sustainment considerations for reconnaissance and security and special sustainment consideration.
