Long Range Surveillance (LRS) (pronounced "lurse") units are specially trained elite Surveillance units of the United States Army that are employed by Military Intelligence Units for gathering information from deep within hostile territories.
Classic LRS employment is to infiltrate deep into enemy territory, construct a hide site, and provide continuous Surveillance / Special reconnaissance of an intelligence target of key interest. LRS teams allow 24 hour Surveillance and analysis coverage unlike Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), manned aircraft, and most satellites. Assuming there is no mission compromise, these teams typically remain in position for up to 5 days, as determined by the available food and water supplies.
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LRSUs operate up to 100 kilometres (62 mi) from the Forward Line Of Troops (FLOT) for a maximum of 5 days. Their five primary missions are reconnaissance, Surveillance, target acquisition, battle damage assessment, and force protection. They also have many secondary missions capabilities to include the conduct of emergency assaults or provide general battlefield information to military intelligence sources weather and light data, map data, etc.). Today's LRS units trace their origin to the US Army's Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol units LRRPs of Western Europe, later the Vietnam War, and to Army Rangers.
LRS team operations are characterized by the following:
LRS units (LRSU) are Infantry company-size elements that are assets within a Battlefield Surveillance Brigade's Reconnaissance & Surveillance Squadron (R&S Squadron) designated as US Army Cavalry but are functionally Airborne Infantry units. The LRSU is structured as an LRS troop (a "troop" is the Cavalry equivalent of an infantry company) comprising three LRS platoons, a communications Platoon, and a Troop Headquarters. Within the LRS troop the LRS platoons typically have designated specialties. For example, one platoon will specialize in Long Range Surveillance missions, another will specialize in Pathfinder missions and a third will specialize in sniper and target acquisition missions. (This informal arrangement is established by the commander of each LRS troop and varies from unit to unit.)
LRS platoons are organized as five unsupported LRS teams.
Each US Army LRS team is composed of six soldiers:
LRS units are being transferred into the United States Army's new Battlefield Surveillance Brigade (BfSB) organizations. These brigades contain a Brigade Headquarters & Headquarters Company (HHC), two Military Intelligence Battalions, and a Reconnaissance & Surveillance Squadron (R&S).
The Reconnaissance & Surveillance squadrons conduct the same reconnaissance missions as a RSTA but the R&S capabilities are vastly broader and encompass all aspects of basic reconnaissance. Additionally, LRS units have the added capability of conducting strategic level Long Range Surveillance missions deep behind enemy lines. Due to this specialized capability of strategic Long Range Surveillance, the LRS units' R&S capability is significantly more comprehensive than RSTAs. The US Army RSTA units' missions may require them to make and maintain contact with the enemy, forfeiting their ability to avoid detection. The only units within the US Army to specialize in the capability and skill of the Long Range Surveillance mission are those of the Long Range Surveillance units within the US Army's Battlefield Surveillance Brigades, Special Forces Operation Detachment Alphas (ODA) (also known as Special Forces A Teams that reside within the US Army's Special Forces Groups) and the Regimental Reconnaissance Company of the US Army's 75th Ranger Regiment. The BfSB's R&S squadron is composed one Long Range Surveillance unit (Troop C) with 15 LRS teams that conducts both tactical reconnaissance and strategic Long Range Surveillance missions. The R&S also has two Cavalry Troops (two platoons each) that conduct basic mounted and dismounted tactical reconnaissance and a Headquarters & Headquarters Troop (HHT).
The primary method of insertion behind enemy lines (for a 6-man LRS team) is by night helicopter or secondarily, by an Airborne Operation. In recent low-intensity conflicts, additional covert means have been added. Airborne reconnaissance missions are conducted by the previously mentioned three types of units in the Army: Long Range Surveillance (LRS) units, the Regimental Recon Company (formerly the Regimental Recon Detachment) of the 75th Ranger Regiment, and various Special Forces A-Teams.
LRS units (Airborne Infantry) are not to be confused with the new Army concept of Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition (RSTA) units (a non-Airborne capable Cavalry unit). As part of the Army-wide transfer to Brigade Combat Teams, all combat divisions and separate brigades are transitioning to the RSTA format.
RSTA units also have added light vehicle support in the form of Humvees and M3 Bradleys, due to being commissioned as cavalry. LRS units in contrast do not utilize a larger vehicle support element. RSTA units are not airborne capable, whereas all LRS units are (exceptions being the RSTA squadron of the 4th BCT (Abn), 25th Infantry Division; the 173rd Airborne BCT; and the four in the 82nd Airborne Division).
By doctrine, RSTA units do not require their leadership positions to be filled by Ranger qualified officers and NCOs as LRSU units do in addition to many more specialized skill qualifications.
LRS team members usually carry the M4 carbine, M203 grenade launcher, M9 pistol, and the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW) as well as the typical complement of specialized optics and communications gear.
LRSUs are Airborne Forces and most leadership positions are filled by Ranger qualified officers and NCOs. LRS leaders typically undergo the Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leaders Course (RSLC) at Fort Benning, where they learn long range land navigation, communications, intelligence, vehicle identification, survival, and operational techniques.
LRS troopers are often graduates of other specialized schools including:
US Army LRS-Us conduct training exercises and exchange programs with various US allies. In recent years these exercises have included deployments to England, Germany, France, Hungary, and Italy. Joint training exercises have involved units from British TA SAS, France's 13 RDP, Belgium's ESR, Italy's 9 Para Assault Regiment and Germany's Fernspählehrkompanie 200 |Long Range Scout Companies or FSLK200. (roughly translated: Surveillance and Reconnaissance Instruction Company 200)