A Practical Guide to the Recon Patrol

7/28/2019 A Practical Guide to the Recon Patrol

1/7

A Practical Guide to the Recon Patrol, by TMC

from The Survival Blog.com

Okay, the stuff has hit the fan, you have made it to your retreat, and you aregeared up, stocked up and ready to survive. Inner security has been

established, with LP/OPs located at likely avenues of approach. You at some

point will start to wonder what else is out there, how far away it is, and what

it means for your group. You might want to start implementing the recon

patrol. While I could write what may very well be a small manual on the

subject, I will just put out the basics that will point you in the right direction to

successfully run a patrol. As most retreats will not be in the desert, I am using

the normal type terrain expected in a well selected retreat. Your mileage may

vary. I will also not go into detail on certain subjects that can easily be

researched. If I did, I would surely exceed any limit on how large a documenton the subject should be. Rather I will concentrate on things learned in the

field, not in any manual.

What exactly is a recon patrol?

Field reconnaissance is the gathering of information of your surroundings in a

stealthy manner. You will use this information to determine the safety of your

current position and it will most likely be a determining factor for your daily

operations planning. Information gathered can give you an idea of opposing

force (OPFOR) strength, intentions, direction they are traveling and the

likelihood of them coming in contact with your base element.

While much of the doctrine is the same a standard patrol, the recon patrol is

a bit different than a regular patrol. The recon patrol is to gather information

on your surroundings without making contact with other elements. That being

said, I have on occasion been ordered to use harassing techniques to slow

down or try to change the course of an element, which I will touch upon later.

Patrol Size

The size of a recon patrol is going to be smaller than the standard squad

patrol. You are trying to be invisible and the more boots you have on the

ground the more noise you will make. In my experience, a four person team is

the size limit which I would recommend. Three is the optimal number, and


2/7

two being the least that should go out. This is in comparison with the

standard squad patrol size of nine (if you are lucky enough to have that many

in your squad. [Even active duty military units are often short of manpower

versus their authorized strength under their table of organization.]).

Patrol Equipment

Travel light, flee the fight. Unless you come across a solo element, you will

most likely be outnumbered and if compromised you will need to hastily

retreat. The preferred engagement ratio is 3:1, so bear that in mind.

Weapons

Take light carbines such as the M4 or Mini-14. I choose the AK-47 for myselfas I believe it has a lot to offer for this type of mission. Should you get

compromised, you will need to lay down a furious wall of fire to make the

enemy think they just encountered a platoon or a least squad sized element

so semi-auto is in my opinion a bare minimum. Larger weapons such as the

M1 Garand or long barreled assault rifles will slow you down as they are

heavy and cumbersome, but if that is what you have you will have to make

do. Even though I sometimes carried a sidearm, it would be better just to take

a couple of extra mags for your primary. This is much better added value

weight. You should pack two reloads for your combat load just in case you

keep getting paralleled by OPFOR and have time to refresh magazines.

The light part seems to be getting to be a stretch with this type prep, which

is why I stress lighter ammo such as 5.56 or 7.62x39. The 7.62 NATO ammo

gets pretty heavy with this type of packing and does not add much value in a

reconnaissance mission. If you do have a mule in your team (a human one)

and he has skills with a sniper rifle, you may want to consider taking it along

in an appropriate style carrier as a target of opportunity may come up that

may be just way too good to pass up. This does violate the "no contact"

premise of the recon patrol, but proper escape route planning can be

implemented to help with this scenario. Just a thought and should only be

done by experienced personnel.

Optics

Optics such as binoculars or [spotting] scope are pretty much necessities.


3/7

The further that you can stand off and observe your objective the better off

you are. Binoculars with some type of "flash kill" device are recommended.

Also make these quality optics that you are comfortable using. I dont mean

you have to buy a $1,000 pair of Steiners. For under $40 at WalMart you can

get Bushnells 10x42 hunting binoculars that are clear as a bell and very

rugged. You can use a sheer sniper veil over them as a kill flash. Rifle scopesare okay, but require that you expose yourself a little more than with

binoculars. Generally, you also have a better field of view with binoculars. In

my opinion binoculars are a better choice.

Food

You need to travel light, so try to keep this to a minimum. A recon patrol

should be fairly short, a day or two probably at most. If it is going to be

extended,then pack 2-1/2 times the food you think you will need. Utilizinglight foods like jerky that you can carry a lot of will go a long way. I learned

that one the hard way. When a two day patrol turns into six days that extra

little bit of "Pogey bait" is worth it and can be rationed. Also learn what is

edible in your surroundings as this can help sustain your mission without

being a burden on your supplies. Take foods that need little or no preparation.

Jerky, trail mix, MREs and foods of that nature are recommended.

Try to avoid foods that are particularly aromatic, such as curry, onion, garlic,

etc. I cant tell you how many times I have found an OPFOR elements area ofoperations (AO) just by smell. While in Korea, I could find Korean [troop]

elements by their body odor due to their diet of kimchi sometimes up to 400

meters away, depending on the wind and how long they had been out. This

odor discipline also includes cigarettes, No smoking! Obviously colognes and

other smelly goods have no place on a recon patrol.

Communications

Radios should be carried but utilized only when absolutely necessary.

Chances are your patrol might take you out of radio communication reception

distance especially if you dont have high power equipment. This is risky, but

sometimes necessary. You need to know the operating limitations of your

comms equipment and operate accordingly. Designate times and places to

transmit from if you cannot [continuous] maintain radio contact during the

patrol.


4/7

Uniforms

Camoflage should go without saying. The type will obviously be determinate

on your terrain and season. Burlap with proper color spray paint is a great

way to make cheap [outline] breakup for weapons. It can be manipulated to

just about any terrain out there. You can use [burlap strips] to throw off scent-

detecting animals such as dogs by using fox urine or other types of masking

scents. A very useful item indeed.

Helmets and body armor are optional, but I do not recommend them on a

recon patrol. The body armor is heavy and can impede your quick getaway. It

merits are known factors in the safety of soldiers, but in this mission you

need to be able to flat out run if compromised. The ballistic helmet is also

heavy, but its main downfall is the fact that it masks your environment. It can

impair your vision and it mostly covers your ears and keeps you from hearing

sounds that may be the enemy. A boonie cap is the first choice, patrol cap is

second for traditional headgear.

Plan the Route

Route planning is essential. Pick a route that will minimize danger area

crossings and contact with high traffic areas. Do not use roads, rivers, trails

or any other obvious routes of travel. You may skirt these areas to view them.Never plan a straight route. Use various patterns of travel such as zigzagging

or button hooking. This keeps the enemy off guard as to where you came

from. Also, should you think you are being trailed, do a wide 360 until you

come back on your own tracks. If you encounter more tracks than yours, then

you are being followed. React according to your [contact] SOPs.

Learn to use a compass and map. While GPS systems can be useful tools,

they are not always reliable and in a Grid Down situation may not even

function. Know this: the US Department of Defense owns all the GPS satellitesand merely provides data to GPS companies like Garmin so their GPS devices

will work. Should the government choose to, they can encrypt them at will

and leave your commercial GPS worthless. Learning how to use a compass

and map can be a fun experience for everyone. It can give kids and adults

alike a great sense of accomplishment and help get you or keep you in shape.

Map and compass skills can trump a GPS any day, and on many occasions I


5/7

have been right on the mark while the guy using the GPS has been wandering

around waiting for the satellites to give him a decent grid. Rely on basic

navigation skills. Technology is a crutch for the weak.

Plan Actions

Make sure to plan out the time you are leaving, time to be on the objective,

time you will transmit information if necessary, and time you expect to be

back. Plan for contingencies, such as what to do if you make contact, where

to meet if you get separated, and what frequencies to be on at what time of

the day. Most of these will be dictated by your groups prior established SOPs.

Follow them.

Preparing for the Patrol

If you follow proper procedure when you leave the base of ops you will

conduct "stop, look, listen, and smell" (SLLS). This is to get you oriented to

your environment. However, I have found that a short 10 minute halt like this

is not nearly as effective as having the recon team acclimate [to the natural

environment] over a day or so without distractions such as television, radio,

or any other man-made devices that are not essential to ops. In a grid down

situation this will most likely not be a problem. Your sense of smell, hearing,

and vision get better the longer you are out. If possible, do this and you will

be much more inclined to pick up on enemy positions and movement long

before they pick you up.

Make sure all equipment gets inspected, including weapons and optics. Make

sure all equipment is quiet and free of protruding gear or things that will snag

on foliage. This includes weapons that have a multitude of Mall Ninja gear

hanging off of them. While it may be value added in a MOUT situation, it is

just more junk to hang up on vegetation and obstacles. Have each patrol

member jump up and down and run in place with their gear on to identify

anything noisy and use 100 m.p.h. [olive drab duck] tape or 550 [parachute]

cord to lash it down. Make sure food and water are easily accessible as you

may be eating on the fly. Check for proper and complete camouflage. Get

ready to roll, get your mind right.

On the Patrol


6/7

Use your wits. Be aware of your environment, and anything that may not be

right. Learn to use nature to warn you of potential danger. Have you ever

been close to a squirrels nest in the woods? He will let you know you are too

close by making a lot of noise. This type of natural warning device can serve

you as well as hinder you. Be mindful of nature and learn to move in the

woods as part of your surroundings rather than against it. This takes time, isa learned behavior, but can be done by just about anyone. Avoid sandy

terrain where you will leave an obvious trail. Use rocks and other terrain to

move while minimizing [leaving] sign and making noise. Be mindful of how

loud your footsteps are. That is a common mistake I see soldiers make all the

time. They dont listen to how much noise they are making. Learn to roll your

feet. This can be practiced around the house while doing chores. Just learn to

walk quietly.

On the Objective

If you are doing an area recon, which is a specific area you want to check out,

make sure you spend the time you need on the objective to properly gather

intelligence. Walk a zigzag pattern to cover as much terrain as possible.

If you are doing a point recon, which is a recon of a specific target such as a

house or a point on a road, lay your team in collect as much info as you can.

Include info you would normally not consider important as later on down the

road you may find it useful. Remember, you can never collect too much intel,

but you can collect not enough. You can sort through what is important later

on when you have time to analyze the intel.

While glassing your objective, make sure only one member of each buddy

team is using binoculars, while the other keeps an eye out for anyone who

may be using a clandestine approach to your location. Use a notebook to

write down everything you see.

Departure

When the allotted time on the objective is complete, always leave the

objective in a different direction [than from which you approached]. Pick up

any trash or tell tale sign of you being there. Brush over where you were

laying, cover any foliage cuts you might have made. Try to leave no sign at all

that you were ever there. Maintain noise discipline on the way back just like

you did on the way in. You are in just as much danger going home as you

were going out. Dont get complacent.


7/7

Well, there you have it. You can research the patrol by using military manuals

and implement what I have written here for a successful mission. This will

give you a heads up on whats out there and give you an advantage over any

element that may be inbound on your location. Knowledge is power, and ifyou have solid intel on your enemy and surroundings, then you have the

tactical advantage. I hope this is of use to you.

Documents

A Practical Guide to the Recon Patrol