Army Reconnaissance Development Perspectives: Insights Gleaned from a Marine Corps Operation in the Mojave Wilderness
Multidomain Reconnaissance Troop Enhances US Military's Large-Scale Operations
In a bid to adapt to the complex and networked modern battlefield, the US military is experimenting with specialized units known as multidomain reconnaissance troops. These troops are designed to provide intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities across multiple domains, including land, air, cyber, space, and electronic warfare.
The multidomain reconnaissance troop, a key component of the Army's divisional restructure, played a significant role in a large-scale force-on-force exercise recently. The scenario pitted the 3rd Marine Division against the 7th Marine Regiment, with the enemy having a preponderance of air assets to replicate an asymmetric threat.
During the exercise, the multidomain reconnaissance troop, commanded by Captain Sean Parrott of the 25th Infantry Division, operated in the division's battlespace at the start. However, it was later retasked to work for 3/5 and the Marine Littoral Regiment during various periods.
One of the key advantages of the multidomain reconnaissance troop is its ability to expand ISR reach and integration. It collects actionable intelligence that helps commanders operate effectively across the deep, close, and rear operational areas, particularly in the "deep area" where long-range enemy capabilities reside.
The troop also enhances targeting and fires coordination by providing precise and real-time reconnaissance. This enables precision targeting and long-range fires to disrupt adversary anti-access and area denial (A2/AD) networks across multiple domains, extending operational reach and joint force lethality.
Moreover, the reconnaissance troop supports maneuver and sustainment operations. It uses unmanned aerial and ground systems to bridge intelligence collection with maneuver planning and sustainment logistics, improving route reconnaissance, protection of supply lines, and ensuring operational mobility and resilience.
The multidomain reconnaissance troop also enables integrated deterrence and multi-domain synchronization. It operates in coordination with multidomain task forces and within joint commands to create dilemmas for adversaries by connecting space, cyber, electronic warfare, and conventional fires, thus supporting multidomain operational concepts and doctrine.
The reconnaissance complex in the 25th Infantry Division is composed of a combination of antiarmor weapon systems, small unmanned aircraft systems, and loitering munitions. Even when unmanned aircraft systems are grounded, the troop can still destroy armored reconnaissance with Javelin missiles, direct indirect fire missions, and report on enemy movements.
The Army's force restructuring should aim to centralize as many cross-domain sensing capabilities as possible and push them down to the lowest practical level. This decentralized approach facilitates sensing, targeting, and destruction of enemy systems at a rapid pace.
Meanwhile, the US Marine Corps is testing the Stand-In force concept, envisioning an agile, pervasive force deployed in the first island chain. This concept aligns with the multidomain reconnaissance troop's decentralized and agile nature, making it a valuable asset in the modern battlefield.
Sergeant First Class Anthony Perez, a reconnaissance platoon sergeant in the 25th Infantry Division with experience in various reconnaissance formations, underscores the importance of these units. "The multidomain reconnaissance troop is a game-changer," he said. "It provides us with the ability to operate independently and adapt to any situation, giving us a significant edge on the battlefield."
As the US military continues to experiment and innovate in the operational environment of the future, the multidomain reconnaissance troop is expected to play a crucial role in large-scale, force-on-force exercises and operations.
- The multidomain reconnaissance troop, operating across multiple domains (land, air, cyber, space, and electronic warfare), is a key element of the US military's strategy to adapt to complex, networked modern warfare.
- In a large-scale exercise, the multidomain reconnaissance troop, commanded by Captain Sean Parrott, provided actionable intelligence, expanded ISR reach, enhanced targeting and fires coordination, and supported maneuver and sustainment operations.
- The multidomain reconnaissance troop's ability to operate independently and adapt to any situation gives it a significant edge on the modern battlefield, as highlighted by Sergeant First Class Anthony Perez.
- The US military anticipates that the multidomain reconnaissance troop will play a crucial role in large-scale operations, both in exercises and real-life scenarios, as they continue to adapt and innovate in the operational environment of the future.
