CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- Marine Raiders from Marine Forces Special Operations Command recently completed the U.S. Army Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leaders Course.
At the end of the course, Marine Raiders graduated with distinction, earning three of the four end-of-course awards for the class, Honor Graduate, Land Navigation Award, and Gung Ho Award.
The month-long course covers a variety of reconnaissance related tasks such as target acquisition, denied environment communications, and long-range surveillance. Additionally, students were challenged with problem sets that could impact a reconnaissance mission.
“Having to use land navigation techniques without the GPS and technology we have become accustomed to was great to shake the rust off,” said a critical skills operator. “Land navigation by yourself is one thing, but utilizing tactical movements in an element while doing land navigation adds a unique challenge.”
The Marine Raiders used the course to refine their skills.
“Anytime Raiders go to a course, we are going to work to pull the most out of it,” said a special operations officer. “This training helps us refine our SOPs, especially as it pertains to working in a denied environment, with communication and surveillance limitations.”
The Marine Raiders who completed it see it as a steppingstone for MARSOC as a whole.