Military

Because an engineer battalion has limited assets to draw from, the formation of engineer recon teams can subsequently degrade the capabilities of the organization from which they are drawn. The battalion commander must understand the trade-offs between using engineer assets in a recon role versus using them in a maneuver-support role.

Regardless of where the personnel come from to create the engineer recon teams, units will have to dedicate a large amount of training time toward developing an effective recon team. This training includes--

• Understanding how to apply the fundamentals of recon operations (see Chapter 3).
• Operating with brigade assets and the TF scouts in a habitual relationship to develop the trust and familiarity necessary to succeed on the battlefield.
• Reporting, calling for fires, first aid, land navigation, demolitions, minefield indicators, foreign-mine recognition, dismounted-movement techniques, vehicle and equipment maintenance, heliborne insertion, resupply, extraction, and relay and retrans procedures.
• Noise, light, and litter discipline and the using NVDs and camouflage.
• Rigorous physical training to meet mission requirements.

If the battalion leaders want to develop OBSTINTEL by using engineer scouts, adequate resources must be provided to ensure success.

As with personnel, a decision must be made as to what equipment (vehicles, communications equipment, and weapon systems) the engineer recon teams will use.

The most common recon vehicles used are the HMMWV or the M113A3 APC. Both vehicles have distinct advantages and disadvantages and can be used effectively by trained recon teams. The choice of vehicles must best support the teams in the environment for which they are expected to operate. Advantages of the HMMWV are that it is much more stealthy, is less maintenance intensive, and can travel in more restricted terrain than the M113A3. However, the M113A3 can carry more personnel and equipment (such as marking materials and mine detectors) and is more survivable. Both vehicles can mount a weapon system such as the MK19 or the M2 machine gun. Another option available to engineer scouts is to ride in the back of a vehicle from the supported unit. This limits the engineer recon team's flexibility and control over what recons it can conduct.

The radio configuration in a recon team's vehicle depends on the availability of radio equipment and the radio nets the recon team will operate/monitor. The recon team should have a minimum of two radios in the vehicles; each vehicle should have the necessary equipment to act as a retrans vehicle to further extend the range of the dismounted element's radio system. In addition to the vehicle-mounted radio systems, each recon team should be resourced with one manpack radio specifically designated for use by the dismounted element. Since a large amount of data is passed when reporting OBSTINTEL, an effort should be made to establish connectivity to recon teams through the use of mobile subscriber equipment (MSE) or the Enhanced Position Location Reporting System (EPLRS) (as the system is fielded).

The M2 and the MK19 machine guns are available for mounting on an M113A3. The M2 provides greater range and rate of fire while the MK19 is an area-fire weapon and may produce better effects on targets. Each recon team should also have at least one M203 and one squad automatic weapon (SAW) or M60 (as well as antiarmor weapons) available to it.

Each recon team should be supplied with night-vision capability, a GPS, a hand-held laser range finder, and a digital camera.

An engineer recon team is the base engineer recon element. The team normally recons one NAI or multiple NAIs within the same vicinity on the battlefield. The battalion may employ more than one recon team if multiple NAIs need to be observed in dispersed locations. In most instances, the recon team will conduct its recon dismounted. However, the team may arrive in the vicinity of the recon objective in many ways, including dismounted or by air or ground transportation. If the team travels dismounted or is air-inserted, it should consist of at least three personnel. If the team uses an organic vehicle to arrive in the vicinity of its recon objective, it should consist of at least five personnel--three with the dismounted element and two with the team's vehicle as the mounted element.

A dismounted element consists of three or more personnel and is commanded by a recon team leader. The dismounted element's mission is to locate and report all necessary information required by the supported commander according to the R & S plan. This information can be transmitted directly to the supported unit's headquarters on the appropriate net (according to the SOP or the R & S order) or relayed through the mounted element.

A mounted element consists of at least two personnel per vehicle--the vehicle operator and an assistant recon team leader. The mounted element's mission is to maintain communication with both the dismounted element and the supported unit. The mounted element is responsible for relaying any intelligence collected by the dismounted element to the appropriate C² node and ensures that the team's vehicle is not discovered by the enemy. (All OBSTINTEL collected by a recon team is sent to the engineer battalion, if possible. A mobile subscriber radio telephone (MSRT) is normally the best method.) The mounted element's secondary mission is to be prepared to go forward and conduct the recon if the dismounted element is unsuccessful.

One of the high-frequency tasks associated with recon missions is locating and reconning obstacles and restrictions that may affect the trafficability along a route or an axis. The purpose of this recon is to determine how best to overcome the effects of the obstacle: reduction or bypass. Tasks associated with this recon may be to estimate the reduction assets necessary to reduce the obstacle, to mark the best location to reduce, or to bypass the obstacle. If the obstacle is to be bypassed, the recon team should be prepared to provide guides. Obstacles and restrictions are either existing or reinforcing. Doctrine associated with the former Soviet Union emphasizes the use of man-made obstacles to reinforce natural obstacles and restrictions to slow, impede, and canalize friendly forces. These obstacles and restrictions include the following:

• Minefields.
• Bridges.
• Log obstacles.
• AT ditches.
• Wire entanglements.
• Defiles.
• Persistent agent contamination.

Although engineer recon teams have the capability to clear or reduce small obstacles that are not covered by fire or observation, an engineer recon team's primary task is reconning tactical and protective obstacles. The recon should include supporting enemy positions and possible reduction sites. Another important task is locating and marking bypasses around obstacles and restrictions.

During recon operations, engineers must help locate and evaluate obstacles and man-made and natural restrictions to support the supported unit's movement. Detecting obstacles and restrictions begins at the operation's planning phase when the S2 and the engineer conduct the IPB. The scouts combine the S2's work with the recon conducted during the troop-leading process (normally a map recon only) to identify all possible obstacles and restrictions within their AO. A recon team plans its recon based on the orders it receives, the IPB, and its own map recon.

While assisting in a recon mission, engineers will use visual and physical means to detect mines and obstacles. They visually inspect terrain for signs of emplaced minefields and other reinforcing obstacles. They must be alert to dangerous battlefield debris such as bomblets from cluster-bomb units (CBUs) or dual-purpose, improved conventional munitions (DPICM) and other unexploded ordnances (UXOs). Minefields and other obstacles can be difficult to detect while mounted. Most obstacle detection occurs dismounted. The engineer may dismount long distances from a suspected obstacle before conducting a recon. Engineer recon teams must carefully choose their dismount point. Dismount points should be covered and concealed locations out of direct-fire range of suspected enemy locations. Characteristics of dismount points are that they--

• Afford cover and concealment.
• Are easy to defend for a short period of time.
• Are away from natural traffic flow.
• Are easy to locate.
• Are within close proximity to the objective to ease C².
• Are out of sight, sound, and direct-fire range of the objective.

The engineer recon team should look for disturbed earth, unusual or out-of-place features, surface-laid mines, tilt rods, and trip wires. Maneuver units and scouts may assist in detecting mines by using the thermal sights in their vehicles. Recon elements should conduct additional visual inspections to ensure that the true extent of the obstacle is known.

Enemy forces will cover their obstacles with observation and fire. When scouts and engineer recon teams encounter an obstacle, they must assume the enemy can observe and engage them. The scout or engineer recon team that detects the obstacle establishes overwatch before it proceeds with the recon. The overwatching element looks for signs of enemy forces in and around the obstacle. The element visually searches the dominant terrain on the obstacle's far side for evidence of enemy positions or ambushes. Once it confirms the enemy situation from the near side, the engineers and scouts (not in overwatch) move mounted or dismounted to find bypasses around the obstacle and to establish OPs on the far side to provide 360-degree security of the obstacle. If the scouts and engineers are unable to find a bypass, they conduct their recon from the near side under the security of the overwatch elements.

Once security is established, scouts and engineers move dismounted to the obstacle using great caution. Trip wires and other wire may indicate that the enemy is using booby traps or command-detonated mines to prevent friendly forces from determining the--

• Obstacle's location and orientation.
• Types of mines in the minefield or the type of obstacle.
• Obstacle's length and width.
• Existence of enemy coverage, including enemy strength, equipment, and fire support.
• Equipment necessary to reduce the obstacle.

The engineer recon team reconning the obstacle prepares an obstacle report with this information and forwards the report through the established channels to the supported unit's TOC.

After collecting the facts, the scout platoon/engineer recon team leader analyzes the situation and the METT-T factors to select a COA. There are four COAs: bypass, obstacle reduction, support of a deliberate breach, or continuing the mission.

A bypass is the preferred method when it offers a quick, an easy, and a tactically sound means of avoiding the obstacle. A good bypass must allow an entire force to avoid the primary obstacle without risking further exposure to enemy fires and without diverting the force from its objective. Bypassing conserves reduction assets and maintains the supported unit's momentum. If a recon team locates a bypass and the commander approves its use, the scouts and engineers must mark it according to the supported unit's tactical SOP (TACSOP) and report it to their commander. At a minimum, this report should include the grid location to the far recognition marker and information on how the obstacle is marked even if it is just to confirm that the bypass is marked according to the TACSOP. If the recon team is tasked to mark a bypass, the team must emplace markers so they are not visible to the defending enemy. Engineers and scouts may be required to provide guides for the main body, especially if the bypass is difficult to locate or visibility conditions are poor.

Bypassing is not always possible, and breaching may be the best, or only, solution (such as in the following situations):

• The obstacle is integrated into a prepared defensive position, and the only available bypass moves friendly forces into the fire sack or ambush.
• The recon mission specifically tasks the recon team to clear the original route for follow-on forces.
• The best available bypass route will not allow follow-on forces to maintain their desired rate of movement, or it diverts the force from the objective.
• Improvements to the bypass may require more time and assets than breaching the primary obstacles.

Reducing an obstacle significantly degrades a recon team's ability to maintain the momentum of either the recon or the follow-on forces. Obstacles within the scout and engineer's ability to reduce include small minefields, simple wire obstacles, small roadblocks, and other similar obstacles. The supported commander should make the decision to have the recon team reduce an obstacle. The commander must consider the risk to the recon team and the potential for prematurely identifying the force's route. Obstacle reduction should not be attempted if the obstacle is part of an integrated defensive position.

When a large obstacle is located and cannot be easily bypassed, the alternative is to support a breaching operation. Scouts and engineers perform additional recon tasks in support of the breaching operation. These tasks include determining the assets and time needed to reduce the obstacle and the location of the best reduction sites. Scout and engineer recon effort focuses on the following:

• Trafficable routes to the reduction site and routes from the far side leading to the objective.
• Proposed locations for positioning the support force.
• Dispersed, covered, and concealed areas near the reduction site.
• The best locations at the obstacle for reduction effort. It is imperative that the reduction plan be sent to the recon teams once the scheme of maneuver is finalized. Information such as the number of lanes required and the distance between lanes will be needed for the recon forces to conduct the necessary recon.
• Positions on both sides of the obstacle that could provide enemy observation of the reduction site.
• Trafficability and soil conditions near the reduction site. This is especially important for minefield reduction because mine-clearing blades (MCBs) will not work properly in all soil conditions. This is also important information in support of river crossings. (See FM 90-13 for further details.)
• Soil type (loam, rocky, sandy, and so forth).
• The width, depth, and bottom conditions of wet and dry gaps and fords.
• The bank's height and slope and soil stability of wet and dry gaps.
• The water velocity and direction of flow of wet gaps and fords.
• The wind direction for using smoke to obscure the enemy's vision.
• The location of the forward edge of minefields to support MICLIC and MCB use.

This information can be obtained much easier if an engineer works closely with the other recon elements, especially the TF scouts. An engineer recon team must provide timely and valuable advice when large obstacles are encountered during a mission. The information is used by all elements of the breaching operation to finalize the suppression, obscuration, security, and reduction (SOSR) plans for the breaching operation. The scouts help maintain security and may call for and adjust indirect fires, as necessary, in support of the breaching operation.

Once the scouts and engineer recon teams have determined the best COA for a situation, they execute it or recommend it to higher headquarters for approval. Generally, the recon team will execute a particular COA without specific approval if it is addressed in the OPORD received from higher headquarters or in the unit's SOP. If the situation discovered is not covered by previous guidance, the recon team determines the best COA and recommends it to the commander before execution.

The following examples illustrate the recon of obstacles and restrictions in two tactical situations. They are organized using the five-step process (detection, area security and recon, obstacle recon, COA selection, and COA recommendation/execution).

An engineer recon team can be employed using several methods. Each method has advantages and disadvantages.

In this method, an engineer recon team is integrated into a brigade's collection effort. This effort normally includes other assets (such as COLTs) and receives the same CS and CSS as the rest of the brigade's recon assets. It is imperative that the engineer battalion understands all aspects of the team's plan. As a minimum, the recon team leader should attend the brigade's R & S rehearsal. The battalion should track the recon team at all times. Resources (including maintenance and personnel status, verification of the recon team's position, and activation of no-fire areas [NFAs]) must be closely monitored. The efficient dissemination of the intelligence collected by the recon team is also a critical task of the battalion staff. This employment concept may be used when--

• Engineer scouts are not expected to work close to the TF scouts.
• There are distinct advantages to moving the recon team across the LD before the TF scouts are ready to move (for example, to observe the enemy as he is emplacing his obstacles).

In the defense, the recon team may be--

• Employed to screen if the engineer battalion is required to occupy a battle position (BP) as an engineer TF.
• Positioned to overwatch a friendly emplaced scatterable minefield and to call fires as necessary.
• Positioned to overwatch NAIs where enemy scatterable minefields are templated.
• Positioned forward to identify and help target enemy engineer equipment.

Under this method, a recon team receives its recon objectives from a brigade through an engineer battalion. The recon team leader should link up with the appropriate TF scout platoon leader upon receiving the mission from the engineer battalion. The engineer battalion must ensure that the necessary instructions to the appropriate TFs are included in the brigade's OPORD, especially if the TFs are expected to provide logistical support to the engineer recon team (including casualty evacuation and vehicle recovery support). The team leader should be present at the scout platoon leader's OPORD and rehearsals to ensure understanding of the scout platoon's plan. To reduce the risk of fratricide, the recon team leader must provide his plan to the scout platoon leader. The recon team should report all checkpoints/locations on the same net that the TF scouts are operating on (for example, the TF operations and intelligence [O/I] net). All intelligence reports should be sent to both the TF and the engineer battalion. The battalion should then pass the information to the brigade and its subordinate elements. This employment concept should be used anytime the recon team works close to the TF scouts.

In this method, engineer recon teams are placed under the TF's control to look at NAIs that the brigade--

• Has tasked to the TF.
• Expects the TF to develop requiring engineer expertise (possibly a TF breaching operation).

This method involves the least amount of coordination and planning for the engineer battalion. However, the responsibility to plan and monitor the recon team's activities now falls to the TF engineer. Although the TF decides how to use the engineer recon teams, the TF engineer must be involved in the planning details to ensure that the team is properly used, is integrated into a sound R & S plan, and receives all necessary support. The TF engineer must track the status of the recon team at all times, including--

• Reviewing maintenance and personnel statuses.
• Verifying that the recon team's position is plotted on the TF TOC's situation map (SITMAP).
• Ensuring that NFAs have been established around the recon team.
• Ensuring that any intelligence that the recon team collects is sent to the engineer TOC (in addition to the reporting requirements placed on them by the TF). The engineer TOC must forward all intelligence reports immediately to the engineer battalion.

An engineer battalion can only provide a limited amount of logistical support to an engineer recon team, especially after it crosses the LD. For this reason it is essential that the engineer battalion understands the recon team's requirements. The engineer battalion must coordinate closely with the brigade or TF for support that the battalion cannot provide or that can be provided more timely by the maneuver units. Examples include casualty evacuation, vehicle recovery, and maintenance support (including vehicle, communications, and weapon repair). See Chapter 7 for a detailed discussion of CSS.

The following example of an engineer recon team assigned a brigade's NAI and operating in a TF's AO illustrates the use of an engineer recon team in a tactical situation.

The following paragraphs outline the responsibilities of an engineer commander, an engineer staff, and a recon team leader:

An engineer commander--

• Ensures that the acquisition of information on enemy obstacles is one of the maneuver commander's PIR or IR.
• Understands exactly how an engineer recon team will be employed. This includes which vehicles the team will travel with or in, its routes, how its vehicles/casualties will be evacuated, the indirect-fire plan to support it, and how acquired OBSTINTEL will be reported and disseminated.
• Provides and fully supports well-trained and motivated soldiers and leaders as part of the engineer recon team.
• Develops a scheme of engineer operations (SOEO) that considers engineer recon integration into the supported unit's R & S effort.
• Recommends the appropriate command or support relationship for the recon team.

An engineer staff--

• Assists in developing NAIs to acquire OBSTINTEL for the appropriate areas of the battlefield (based on the SITEMP, current intelligence, and the commander's guidance) and provides this information to the brigade's/TF's S2.
• Ensures that the engineer recon team is tasked with the appropriate type and quantity of NAIs.
• Develops a feasible CSS plan for the team. It conducts staff coordination with the maneuver units, as required.
• Coordinates for fire support for the team.
• Issues a complete OPORD to the recon team leader. The OPORD should include instructions on what the recon team should do if communications are lost, actions if templated obstacles are not at the assigned NAI, and recon requirements for unexpected obstacles discovered en route.
• Tracks the location and activities of the recon team at all times.
• Ensures that NFAs are established around the recon team when they become stationary for an extended period of time (for example, in the team's hide position).
• Ensures that the team's location is plotted on the engineer and maneuver map board at all times.
• Tracks, analyzes, and disseminates all reported OBSTINTEL (see Figure 4-14).
• Refocuses the R & S plan when required.