The Australian Infantry Magazine Oct14 – Apr15 issue has an article on the future of the Reconnaissance, Sniper and Surveillance (RSS) Platoon in the Standard Infantry Battalion (SIB). The SIB is a light infantry unit that is also intended for mounted (integral 4x4 Bushmaster IMVs) and mechanised (attached M113 APCs) operations each usually supported by cavalry with ASLAV-25s.

The article noted that the specialised surveillance trade in the current 49-man battalion-level RSS PL – 5-man HQ, 8-man surveillance det, four 5-man recce patrols, four 4-man sniper quads – is to be blended into both other trades to form a revised recce and sniping PL. It then proceeded to briefly examine options for that similar sized platoon to meet battalion level needs for mounted recce, dismounted recce and sniping by organising into various mixes of 4-man, 5-, 6- and 8-man squads.

Rifle companies were mentioned only once: “SIBs of three rifle companies, each with three platoons and integral manoeuvre support sections”. There was no mention of any associated need for company recce and/or sniping assets within the battalion, nor that sniper elements also have the vital functions of forward observation (FO) and fire direction (FD) in immediate support of battalion and company operations.

Recce and sniping certainly have a common need for covert movement. But in other respects they seem as fundamentally different as mounted and dismounted recce. On one hand it seems that specialised integral mounted recce has to be a battalion level role with (lightweight/basic) dismounted recce assigned to rifle companies. On the other hand sniping including FO and FD might be better met by company level sniper sections rather than being concentrated in and then detached from a battalion-level support company.

It is intriguing to speculate and to learn how other ground forces are organised to satisfy light infantry needs for recce, sniping and surveillance spanning FO and FD. Hence this post.