Or is their surveillance role (still combined with sniping?), as apposed to their recon role, under the S2 still useful, as this part of the conclusion may suggest:
Snipers should snipe (along with employ long-range indirect fires) AND conduct surveillance. They should not attempt reconnaissance as a primary mission set...at least not snipers organized within a battalion.

USMC sniper platoons used to be uniformly referred to as STA Plts, (or Surveillance, Target, Acquisition). In that role, they are great for our MEU capabilities. I think we quickly learned that bad habits can crop up when you try to employ a sniper team in a thoroughly hostile environment of Iraq, while utilizing TTP best suited to a semi-permissive environment found in a peacekeeping/enforcement or non-combatant evacuation type op.

Ken was right when he talked about:

Old style heavy or standard infantry and mechanized infantry, all with vehicles should have, in addition to the Scouts, a mounted Reconnaissance or Cavalry Platoon able to fight for information.
Being able to fight for information is a key component of the doctrine...the "what you should do" aspect of doctrine. He is also right when he concurs with the contention that dedicated recce units typically become minor combat units. That's what I was getting at with the other thread that USMC LAR units are great at execution but could use work at planning. It was a light-hearted cut at the fact that we will always be glad to bite off more than we can realistically chew, while we are executing tasks that some might call reconnaissance, but we would refer to as a good old fashioned movement to contact, or vice versa.. It is bred into us, after all, despite the cavalry blood that also runs through our veins...having a 25mm cannon can be a intoxicating thing sometimes .

Successive OIF rotations have had an adverse impact on our core competencies though, since there has been a whole lotta commuting to work for several years, through the same terrain, villages, and road networks.

I've done both straight-legged infantry and light armored recon time, and though I haven't done specialized recon time the likes of Division or Force Recon (which are different beasts anyway), I don't think there is a need for any recon formation within a battalion. Companies can do it well enough alone, and are in fact supposed to do that as a functi0on of the types of combat patrols under RACES. Our doctrine says as much here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/18404280/U...ling-MCWP-3113

If it is a frontage or depth issue, than call in a specialized asset that can accomplish what you need. Surprisingly enough, collecting the information isn't what I think requires the advanced training, it is the reporting piece that requires the extra effort, because you have to report what you know, and add the assessment in only at the end (and sometimes only when specifically asked).

That's a tall order for the coy commander who has been bred to do just about everything with an eye towards recommending a course of action as soon as he makes contact. If he is a GP infantry guy, he may think more in terms of defend, attack, or fix so someone else can attack, whereas I might think more in terms of finding the seam, or bypassing. based on my bypass criteria.

Interesting thread though kiwigrunt. It'll be interesting to se how it pans out.