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Subject: Radio Reconnaissance Teams
SCCOMarine 12/21/2006 6:22:48 PM

The RRT of the 22d MEU-SOC, Tunisia, 1997. The Radio Reconnaissance Platoon is the special operations element of the United States Marine Corps Radio Battalion. In addition, a Radio Reconnaissance Team (RRT) is the tactical signals intelligence collection element of the Marine Corps Special Operations Command, Detachment One. Mission: The mission of the Radio Reconnaissance Platoon is to conduct tactical signals intelligence/electronic warfare operations in support of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) commander during advance force, pre-assault, and deep post-assault operations, as well as maritime special purpose operations. The Radio Reconnaissance Team (RRT) is used when the use of conventionally trained Radio Battalion elements is inappropriate or not feasible. While deployed with a Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), or MEU(SOC), the Radio Reconnaissance Team is also a part of the Maritime Special Purpose Force (MSPF) as a unit of the Reconnaissance & Surveillance Element. The MSPF is a sub-element of the MEU(SOC), as a whole, and is responsible for performing specialized maritime missions. These missions include, but are not limited to: Gas and Oil Platform Operations (GOPLAT) Direct Action Missions Demolitions Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIO) Deep Reconnaissance In-Extremis Hostage Rescue (IHR) Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel (TRAP) Capabilities Indications and Warnings Radio Direction Finding (RDF) Limited Electronic Warfare SIGINT Database Development Communications Support Reconnaissance and Surveillance via NATO format Initial Terminal Guidance (ITG) Insertion/Extraction Techniques A Radio Reconnaissance Marine fast roping from a CH-46 Sea Knight Helicopter Touchdown Helocast Personnel Small Boat (Hard Duck, Soft Duck, Rolled Duck) Rappel Fast Rope Special Patrol Insertion/Extraction (SPIE) Wet Dry Parachute Over-the-Horizon Combat Rubber Raiding Craft (CRRC) SCUBA Team Skills and Training SIGINT Foreign Language Arabic Russian Korean Spanish Farsi Morse Code Intercept (>20 GPM) Analysis and Reporting Reconnaissance Training Airborne Amphibious Reconnaissance/BRC Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape (SERE) Helicopter Rope Suspension Training (HRST) Ranger Mountain Survival/Mountain Leader Jumpmaster SCUBA High Risk Personnel (HRP) Radio Reconnaissance Indoctrination Program (RRIP): A Sergeant (center) encourages an RRP candidate (right) during the last few yards of the Ruck Run event of the Indoc. The Radio Reconnaissance Indoctrination Program is the in-house technical training tool used by the Radio Reconnaissace Platoons to ensure that its operators are not only tactically proficient in reconnaissance skills but technically adept in their respective areas of expertise. The RRIP has a duration of several weeks that can be dynamically determined to suit the needs of the platoon and its deployment tempo. During the RRIP, an RRP candidate can expect very long and strenuous days. The RRIP culminates in a series of field training exercises (FTX's) from 72-96 hours in length. Organization: There are currently three Radio Battalions, two with their own Radio Reconnaissance Platoons. 1st Radio Battalion, I MEF, is located at Camp Pendleton, CA. 2nd Radio Battalion, II MEF, is located at Camp Lejeune, NC. Owing to a restructuring of the entire Radio Battalion organization, the former 1st Radio Battalion, with its Radio Reconnaissance Platoon, moved from Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii to Camp Pendleton, California in October of 2004. To date, there has been no establishment of a Radio Reconnaissance Platoon at the new 3rd Radio Battalion at Kaneohe Bay. The Radio Reconnaissance Teams of 1st Radio Battalion still deploy in support of III MEF's 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit Alpha and Bravo cycles based in Okinawa. 1st Radio Battalion also deploys RRT's in support of I MEF's rotating 11th, 13th and 15th Marine Expeditionary Units. A six-man Radio Reconnaissance Team is typically composed of a Team Leader (Staff Sergeant or Sergeant), Assistant Team Leader (Sergeant or Corporal), Point Man, Navigator, Radio-Telegraph Operator (RTO), and Assistant RTO. History: General Alfred M. Gray: Lt. General Alfred M. Gray, Jr., Commanding General of FMFLant and future Commandant of the Marine Corps, and LtCol Bill Keller, Commanding Officer of 2d Radio Battalion, FMFLant, met at MCAS Cherry Point in the spring of 1984 to welcome home the returning members of the 2d Radio Battalion Detachment from Beirut, Lebanon. The Marines of 2d Radio Battalion had conducted tactical cryptologic operations in support of the entire deployment of the US peacekeeping force in Beirut since the initial landings at Beirut International Airport.During the wait, Gray and Keller were discussing the various problems faced

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SCCOMarine 12/21/2006 6:44:34 PM

The report requested by USSOCOM on the inherent special operations capabilities of the Marine Corps for USMC integration into USSOCOM was conducted by the Joint Special Operations University. It stated that the Radio Reconnaissance Teams offer capabilities not found in White/Tier II SOF (SEALs, SF, Ranger, AFSOC). The capabilities offered by RRTs are only found in Tier I National Asset/Special Mission Units (Combat Applications Group{Delta}and DevGru{SEAL Team 6}).

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Horsesoldier 12/25/2006 3:09:22 PM

Did Braddock decide he no longer wanted to be a Green Beret Ninja (sic) and liked the Marines better or something?

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GOP 12/25/2006 8:17:01 PM

Did Braddock decide he no longer wanted to be a Green Beret Ninja (sic) and liked the Marines better or something?

This guys is even more biased (but alot smarter) than Braddock.

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SCCOMarine 12/26/2006 8:19:17 PM

Marines reach for Radio Reconnaissance Platoons

Aug. 24, 2005 By Sgt. Stephen M. DeBoard, II Marine Expeditionary Force

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (Aug. 24, 2005) -- To Marines, certain tools of the trade are necessary to ensure victory: the rifles, bombs and knives of combat; the wrenches and hammers of fixing and building; the shovels and barbed wire of entrenchment and defense. The usefulness of these tools, the ability of Marines to employ them in defeat of an enemy or accomplishment of an objective, is amplified greatly by another tool: intelligence. Knowing where the enemy is and what he is doing allows the infantryman, mechanic and engineer to craft a strategy specific to the precise picture on the ground.

Gathering this intelligence usually falls to highly specialized units of reconnaissance Marines. The “recon” community is small and tightly knit. Parallel to this community, however, there is a smaller group of Marines who gather a specific brand of information called signals intelligence, or SIGINT. This mission falls to the leathernecks of radio reconnaissance platoons. One such platoon is here with 2nd Radio Battalion, II Marine Expeditionary Force.

Radio reconnaissance platoons, or RRPs, are units organic to radio battalions. They draw Marines from the SIGINT military occupational specialties, said 26-year-old Sgt. Jason D. Martinez, RRP platoon sergeant, 2nd Radio Battalion, II Marine Expeditionary Force.

“We’re basically signals intelligence Marines with recon training,” said Martinez.

RRP serves as the ears of the commander on the battlefield, said Martinez, gathering SIGINT to paint a picture of where the enemy is, what he is doing and how he is communicating.

“The mission is to basically provide a radio battalion asset where it’s not feasible for the entire battalion to go forward. We send in a six-man team that is capable of producing a view of the battlefield for the commander,” he said.

Not just anyone from the battalion can walk into RRP. Radio recon holds an intensive indoctrination for its Marines, on par with the indoctrinations held by battalion and force reconnaissance units, said Martinez. This intensity is designed to mentally and physically prepare the RRP Marines for the rigors of operating with other recon units, as well as readying the Marines for the RRP training pipeline, which includes some of the most difficult and highly-coveted schools in the military.

“We go through the amphibious reconnaissance school, jump and [Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape] school. From there they’ll go into more mission-specific stuff, to become analysts, or better qualified with language skills,” he said.

The indoctrination consists of five main events. On the first day of the indoctrination is a PFT. The candidate must achieve a first-class PFT. From the PFT course the candidates go directly to the pool, for a 500-meter swim in full camouflage utility uniform, a 25-meter underwater swim and retrieving and towing a 10-pound brick to simulate a rifle with full magazine.

The next day, Marines run a “boots and utes” run – running in camouflage trousers and boots -- to the obstacle course, which they must complete two times back-to-back in under six minutes. After a break, they do another boots and utes run, this time six miles, with mock rifles.

Directly from there is a strenuous 30-kilometer land navigation course. For the duration of the course, which can last up to three days, candidates will have on their back an 80-pound rucksack and a mock rifle. This course is an individual effort on the part of the Marine, who is sent out into the woods for the duration of the land navigation course alone, with only a two-way radio for use in an emergency.

“It’s a big judge of their character when they’re out there on their own,” said Sgt. Edward A. Tague, RRP operator, 2nd Radio Battalion, II MEF. “They’ll sit down to take a break and all kinds of crazy thoughts start running through their heads. It’s then they decide if they’re going to finish.”

Of the class of 8 Marines that began the indoctrination used in this story, only three remained one day into the land navigation course. All three were thoroughly exhausted from the days of physical effort exerted in completing the previous events.

One of those Marines, Cpl. Joshua N. Trigg, RRP candidate, reflected on the past four days’ events.

“Basically, everything wears you down befo

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SCCOMarine 12/26/2006 8:27:31 PM

The first story contains just info on the screening process. I can drag up more info on FR or ANGLICO who's screening is even more intense. I don't know who Braddock is but my intent isn't to be cocky but to dispell the false info thats spread on this site. If you don't know any info on Marine units or their history conducting special operations than look it up or ask don't talk this dumb s**t on these sites about units that you don't know about.

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SCCOMarine 12/27/2006 2:42:16 AM

Did Braddock decide he no longer wanted to be a Green Beret Ninja (sic) and liked the Marines better or something?

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KiloKilo Nice information.. 10/11/2007 3:30:24 AM

Thanks for the post SCCOMarine. It was very interesting. I do have one comment to add, however.

I was assigned to 2nd Radio Bn in the spring of 78. Over the summer I was assigned to a detachment to 2nd Recon Bn for a "training and familiarization" course. There were about 12 individuals from my Bn assigned to this temporary detachment, all operationals, no supports; and we were effectively run through the ringer. Hot LZ helo drops, rubber craft beach assaults, etc.. We finished our 'familiarization' training and returned to Camp Geiger rather worn out to be honest.

Several months later a new SSgt was assigned to my section, SSgt Henry. What I recall is that he was (at least) 2 tours nam, and he had always been Recon. I became good friends with him over the next two years and he continually worked on getting our Sigints side more aligned with his idea of being a Marine (Recon). We never had another direct inteface with Recon while I was there, but I think the Tehran embassy and Central America interruptions had alot to do with that. We were always scattered about on one mission or another and I think the Divisions focus was on preparing for a possible large scale action. I know all of us on the '79 NATO excercise thought we were really going in and I ate alot of sand that Fall.

The reason for this story is that it is obvious to me that this evolution started before the returning the of the Beirut detachment. Someone had it in their head to make this work as early as the summer of 78 when I was involved.

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GOP 10/12/2007 9:51:49 AM

The capabilities offered by RRTs are only found in Tier I National Asset/Special Mission Units (Combat Applications Group{Delta}and DevGru{SEAL Team 6}).

You always make claims like this, but it is very sketchy. I mean, RRT's are a very specialized unit. If they had to develope all of the the skill set that CAG or DEVGRU had to develope, then they would be very underwhelming. I mean come on, CAG and DEVGRU take only the VERY best guys this country has to offer. CAG selection has a 90% dropout rate. DEVGRU has around a 50% drop out rate, and they take only the most qualified SEALs. So, let's put this thing in perspective.

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