No Longer Necessary: Long-Range Surveillance Units in Unified Land Operations
Abstract
The US Army created long range surveillance units during the cold war era to infiltrate far behind enemy lines to conduct surveillance and reconnaissance and provide commanders with intelligence. Lack of consistent employment across the Army since Viet Nam forces the question, do long-range surveillance units still perform a unique and necessary function for Unified Land Operations? Long-range surveillance units in Unified Land Operations face challenges associated with employment. They require high levels of training and selection, intensive oversight from parent headquarters, and take on high levels of risk to obtain the information they were designed to collect. Recent technological advancements provide similar information at a reduced risk. Disconnects exist between doctrinal and real world employment of long-range surveillance units. The Army lacks the institutional knowledge to employ long-range surveillance units for their namesake tasks, often employing them for either direct action missions or economy of force missions. Long-range surveillance units no longer perform a unique and necessary function. This monograph recommends how the Army should handle the future of long-range surveillance units and their place in Unified Land Operations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 26, 2016
- Accession Number
- AD1087892
Entities
People
- Jonathan T. Hartsock
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College