# LRRPs



## Ex-Dragoon (20 Jul 2004)

Are the Long Range Reconaissance Patrols still in operation and if so how are they organized?


----------



## MedCorps (20 Jul 2004)

Not too long ago, I was in a lecture given by the US Army on long range operations.   

One of the organizations doing LRRPs is the Long Range Surveillance Platoon (LRSP).   (Parent organization the Long Range Surveillance Company).   There is a variation on this called the Long Range Surveillance Detachment (LRSD) which is organic to the intelligence battalion at the Div level.   

For the LRSP -   Each platoon has a Headquarters Section and 6 Long Range Surveillance Teams.   Each LSR Team has: 
     - Team Leader 
     - Assistant Team Leader 
     - Observer x 3 
     - RADTELO

The team leader is Airborne and Ranger qualified and all members are Airborne qualified.

The goal of these organizations is to obtain and report information about the enemy in the Corps area of interest.   
   
These teams can be used in enemy held territory by stay behind methods, or delivered by land, water, air (incl parachute).   They are trained to ex-filtrate in the same manners (less the reverse parachute <smile>).   They are a light formation and have no vehicles.     The mandate is to operate for periods of up to 7 days with minimal external direction and/or support.   They can do tgt acquisition, damage assessment, recce and surveillance operations.   

I hope that is of some help.   If you need more information let me know and I can pull it up at work.   

The US Army also still maintains Pathfinder capability, Ranger capability, Light Infantry Recce, Airborne Infantry Recce and Air Assault Infantry Recce capabilities.     I always thought that these units had a LRRP task, but alas they do not.   That was interesting to learn. 

They also talked about Special Forces.   Again they were clear to indicate they will do LRRPs by not as a primary mission but rather as part of their "Special Reconnaissance" (SR) Mission.   I am not sure what SR exactly is, but the speaker made it sound a whole lot like LRRP'ing <smile>.   Special people do special stuff?   They gave an UNCLAS brief on USASOC, role and organization later that day.   If you are interested let me know and I can talk about it.   

The whole US Army Recce (Recon) organization (with respect to size and how they specialize tasks) are unreal.   That was the take home message for me (other than the medical lessons learnt).   

Cheers, 

MC 

Edit: Spelling


----------



## D-n-A (26 Jul 2004)

http://www.specwarnet.com/americas/lrsu.htm
LRSU Long Range Surveillance Units


----------

