Reserve Recon

[Schmidt3]

Hey guys, I did read the helpful list of topics relating to recon and force recon, but didn’t see anything that totally matched my question. I am hopefully going to ocs soon to be a reserve officer and want to eventually move into the SOF community, and am looking at both army SFAS as well as recon and force recon. Both Army Sf and recon have reserve opportunities, which is partly why I’m interested in those ones.

1) As a reserve Marine Officer, non-prior service, can I apply (when I become an O-2) to become a reserve Recon or reserve Force Recon Officer, or would I have had to have done some AD time prior?

2) do I apply for force recon separately from recon, or does everyone apply for recon first and only later in their career move to force recon? In other words, can I go straight to force recon or must I do battalion recon time first?

3) i am having trouble finding info about both recon and force recon. A lot of people really look up to recon guys, but with the lack of info available about these units I am not totally sure why! I’d like to learn more. Are there any good books, movies, or podcasts that help demonstrate what sets recon or force recon guys apart? And what their missions and responsibilities are?

4) do recon or force recon have more of a conventional unit lifestyle, or more of a SOF lifestyle, in terms of regulations and things like that? I just ask because they are sort of a hybrid between conventional and SOF. Although as a reservist, this may be somewhat a moot point.

Thank you!

 

[Kaldak]

3) i am having trouble finding info about both recon and force recon. A lot of people really look up to recon guys, but with the lack of info available about these units I am not totally sure why! I’d like to learn more. Are there any good books, movies, or podcasts that help demonstrate what sets recon or force recon guys apart? And what their missions and responsibilities are?

4) do recon or force recon have more of a conventional unit lifestyle, or more of a SOF lifestyle, in terms of regulations and things like that? I just ask because they are sort of a hybrid between conventional and SOF. Although as a reservist, this may be somewhat a moot point.

These can be answered by a simple Google search.

The first two I'll leave for a green tag.

 

[Teufel]

Where do you live? That plays a part in this conversation. There is honestly no measurable difference between Force Recon and battalion recon units in the reserves. It’s all recon. I believe the active duty force is trending this direction as well.

 

[Schmidt3]

Where do you live? That plays a part in this conversation. There is honestly no measurable difference between Force Recon and battalion recon units in the reserves. It’s all recon. I believe the active duty force is trending this direction as well.

I live in Illinois. Is there no measurable difference between reserve Recon and Force Recon in terms of being trained to the same standard, or in terms of mission set?

 

[LimaPanther]

I live in Illinois. Is there no measurable difference between reserve Recon and Force Recon in terms of being trained to the same standard, or in terms of mission set?

Why do you feel there should be a difference between the 2? Recon is recon and like other military branches specop units, everything isn't put out for the general public. As Teufel stated, where you live has a lot to do with your reserve choice. Since you live in Illinois, you do know that there is a recon company in your state. Why not contact them with questions you have. Contact me if you need info on them.

 

[Schmidt3]

T

Hey guys, I did read the helpful list of topics relating to recon and force recon, but didn’t see anything that totally matched my question. I am hopefully going to ocs soon to be a reserve officer and want to eventually move into the SOF community, and am looking at both army SFAS as well as recon and force recon. Both Army Sf and recon have reserve opportunities, which is partly why I’m interested in those ones.

1) As a reserve Marine Officer, non-prior service, can I apply (when I become an O-2) to become a reserve Recon or reserve Force Recon Officer, or would I have had to have done some AD time prior?

2) do I apply for force recon separately from recon, or does everyone apply for recon first and only later in their career move to force recon? In other words, can I go straight to force recon or must I do battalion recon time first?

3) i am having trouble finding info about both recon and force recon. A lot of people really look up to recon guys, but with the lack of info available about these units I am not totally sure why! I’d like to learn more. Are there any good books, movies, or podcasts that help demonstrate what sets recon or force recon guys apart? And what their missions and responsibilities are?

4) do recon or force recon have more of a conventional unit lifestyle, or more of a SOF lifestyle, in terms of regulations and things like that? I just ask because they are sort of a hybrid between conventional and SOF. Although as a reservist, this may be somewhat a moot point.

Thank you!

Thanks for the replies everyone. I’d still like to know, for either Force or Battalions Recon, what the process is like for a reserve Officer to move into a reserve Recon role. I ask because I did hear somewhere that they are more likely to only take prior AD Recon Officers, so I’m just afraid that I wouldn’t get chosen as someone who will (probably) never go AD.

And, how does one apply for Force Recon vs Battalion Recon? I realize that they are not that different, however, they sound different enough that I would be interested in at least looking into it!

 

[LimaPanther]

Your best bet is to talk to or visit the Recon Company in your state. See my response above.

Normally to go to Force you have to have been with the BN for at least 3 years or a couple of deployments. I have been a Marine Recon and Army SF. Each have their own roles in the military. Since you seem to be more interested in Marine Recon Reserves or Army SF National Guard a question you need to ask is how far are you willing to drive for meetings. I ask that because you have to understand that a Recon company only has 3 or 4 LTs and if they already have those then you may have to drive half half way across the US to attend drills. Also how long are you willing to be off work to attend qualification training because with SF you may be gone 2 years.

 

[Kaldak]

Seeing what you stated I wonder why you started another post Reserve Recon if you have no interest in it.

Given this accurate observation in another thread, and two Green Tags now repeating the same answers, I think we are done here.

If a vetted member of Marine Reconnaissance wants to add more, PM me and I'll reopen.

Staff, as always, reopen if you see fit.

-locked-