Force Recon

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07-30-2010
hart

Force Recon

I'm trying to get some good info on Force Recon. I know someone who has been in the MC for about 1 3/4 years. He graduated from college and then went to Quantico for officer training. I recently saw him for the first time since he joined the Corps and he says that he is now Force Recon. Another friend of mine says it's unlikely that the guy is actually Force Recon yet but is likely a member of a Recon Battalion which is a totally different thing. My questions to anybody here who would know:

1)does Force Recon have a patch/badge they wear like the SEAL's Trident or the Army SF and Ranger tabs? If not why not?

2)does Force Recon have a training pipeline like the Navy and Army do where each SF candidate must finish a "basic" SF training course before going through advanced SF training. The Navy has BUDS and the Army has the SF A course and Ranger school. If the Marine Corps doesn't have similar "basic" training (over and above Paris Island or Quantico) for their SF guys why not?

3)do you think it's possible that this guy could have completed officer training and Force Recon training in approximately 1 3/4 years?

Thanks in advance.
07-30-2010
Boot

Answers below each question

Quote:

Originally Posted by hart

I'm trying to get some good info on Force Recon. I know someone who has been in the MC for about 1 3/4 years. He graduated from college and then went to Quantico for officer training. I recently saw him for the first time since he joined the Corps and he says that he is now Force Recon. Another friend of mine says it's unlikely that the guy is actually Force Recon yet but is likely a member of a Recon Battalion which is a totally different thing. My questions to anybody here who would know:

Yes he could be in Force.

1)does Force Recon have a patch/badge they wear like the SEAL's Trident or the Army SF and Ranger tabs? If not why not?
No, neither does MARSOC Marines who have gone through their pipeline. What you may see them wearing is combat dive badge and jump wings (usually gold once they have their quals)

2)does Force Recon have a training pipeline like the Navy and Army do where each SF candidate must finish a "basic" SF training course before going through advanced SF training. The Navy has BUDS and the Army has the SF A course and Ranger school. If the Marine Corps doesn't have similar "basic" training (over and above Paris Island or Quantico) for their SF guys why not?
Yes. Typically (at least when I served in Force Recon), Basic Reconnaissance School, Jump, Combat Dive, Ranger, Military Free Fall, SERE. They aren't all in pipeline. Usually Basic Recon School, jump, dive. It use to be Jump after Ranger school because you are in Ft Benning already and jump at the end of Ranger is a norm.
3)do you think it's possible that this guy could have completed officer training and Force Recon training in approximately 1 3/4 years?

Yes.

Thanks in advance.

Another friend of mine says it's unlikely that the guy is actually Force Recon yet but is likely a member of a Recon Battalion which is a totally different thing. My questions to anybody here who would know:

Yes he could be in Force.

1)does Force Recon have a patch/badge they wear like the SEAL's Trident or the Army SF and Ranger tabs? If not why not?
No, neither does MARSOC Marines who have gone through their pipeline. What you may see them wearing is combat dive badge and jump wings (usually gold once they have their quals)

2)does Force Recon have a training pipeline like the Navy and Army do where each SF candidate must finish a "basic" SF training course before going through advanced SF training. The Navy has BUDS and the Army has the SF A course and Ranger school. If the Marine Corps doesn't have similar "basic" training (over and above Paris Island or Quantico) for their SF guys why not?
Yes. Typically (at least when I served in Force Recon), Basic Reconnaissance School, Jump, Combat Dive, Ranger, Military Free Fall, SERE. They aren't all in pipeline. Usually Basic Recon School, jump, dive. It use to be Jump after Ranger school because you are in Ft Benning already and jump at the end of Ranger is a norm.
3)do you think it's possible that this guy could have completed officer training and Force Recon training in approximately 1 3/4 years?

Yes.
07-31-2010
Maddog

Force in 1 1/34 years for an officer is highly, highly unlikely. Even getting to a recon battalion that quick is unlikely unless he's a staff officer (intel, log, supply, etc). If he's an infantry officer then he was at Quantico for a year assuming he went to OCS and not the Naval Academy. No way he left Quantico after a year and then ended up at Force as an infantry officer in 9 months. No chance in hell IMO.
07-31-2010
bikewrench8541

Highly, highly unlikely is more polite than I would probably be.

They've stood down both of the FR companies as far as I know anyway.
The reserve company is a possibility, but it's not a 'real' FR company
He's an Admin Officer probably.;)
07-31-2010
82redleg

I thought that they deactivated the FORCE RECON COs to form MARSOC, around 2006, and then stood them back up, originally (almost immediately) as Deep Recon companies in the DIV RECON BNs, and then, around 2008, as "new" FORCE RECON COs.

I have no idea what the pipeline for a new FORCE RECON officer is, but a US ARMY LRSC platoon leader, that used to be an experienced and senior LT (or maybe a junior CPT) getting his second or third platoon, can now be a brand new LT right out of OBC. If this same thing holds true for the USMC (based on the war and increased pace of deployments), it would be possible.
08-01-2010
Maddog

Quote:

Originally Posted by 82redleg

I thought that they deactivated the FORCE RECON COs to form MARSOC, around 2006, and then stood them back up, originally (almost immediately) as Deep Recon companies in the DIV RECON BNs, and then, around 2008, as "new" FORCE RECON COs.

I have no idea what the pipeline for a new FORCE RECON officer is, but a US ARMY LRSC platoon leader, that used to be an experienced and senior LT (or maybe a junior CPT) getting his second or third platoon, can now be a brand new LT right out of OBC. If this same thing holds true for the USMC (based on the war and increased pace of deployments), it would be possible.

More or less yes. Most Force Platoon Commanders are Captains which means they've done a couple deployments as a infantry platoon commander / recon platoon commander. No infantry officer in the Marine Corps goes straight to Force or even Recon - you've got to go to an infantry battalion first. Unless something has changed radically in the last two years I believe this is the way it still works. Does Force even exist? I'm not sure what the current deal is but I believe someone is doing deep recon right now for the MEF commanders. This has been a contentious issue for years because the focus of Force units was direct action and scuba diving not deep recon. I always thought this was a mistake but before OIF / OEF deep recon wasn't very sexy. Its too bad because Force Recon used to be the best deep recon guys in the world IMO.