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Strategies of Engagement: Advocating for Recon-Strike Tactics in Conflicts

"Army Operations Manual 3-0 defines multidimensional operations as the simultaneous use of joint and army capabilities to generate and seize opportunities, defeat adversaries, and secure victories, under the command of joint force commanders. However, clarification becomes necessary in the...

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"According to Field Manual 3-0, the Army's comprehensive operations guide, multidomain operations...
"According to Field Manual 3-0, the Army's comprehensive operations guide, multidomain operations involve the synchronized use of joint and Army capabilities to establish advantages, defeat adversaries, and secure victories as directed by joint force commanders. However, the concept becomes more complex as it is further explained."

Strategies of Engagement: Advocating for Recon-Strike Tactics in Conflicts

Venturing into the Modern Battlefield: A Fresh Look at Multidomain Operations

The US Army's latest operations doctrine, as outlined in Field Manual 3-0, emphasizes multidomain operations. However, clarity is needed to navigate the complexities of today's battlefield. An operating concept that offers a clear understanding of how we fight is critical for tactical and operational-level commanders preparing for future large-scale combat operations.

One such operating concept is Reconnaissance-Strike Battle. This approach, which has evolved over the past four decades, focuses on the strategic employment of reconnaissance and precision-strike capabilities to degrade, disintegrate, or destroy enemy reconnaissance-strike complexes before they can act. By achieving relative advantages, traditional combined arms maneuver can then be executed with greater success.

The Roots of Reconnaissance-Strike Battle

The origins of Reconnaissance-Strike Battle can be traced back to the Soviet Union in the mid- to late 1980s, where the concept was referred to as "recce-strike complex" and "recce-fire complex." The Soviet forces linked weapons platforms with control systems and precision targeting, resulting in lightning success during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

After the 9/11 attacks, the US Army refined its operational reconnaissance-strike complex, with armed ISR platforms like the Predator drone, real-time satellite data, and the F2T2EA sequence for hunting and dismantling terrorist networks. The conflict against ISIS further refined these capabilities, with increased use of tactical quadcopters, loitering munitions, and exquisite tactical networks.

In 2020, Azerbaijan exemplified the Reconnaissance-Strike Battle approach during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, leveraging unmanned aircraft systems, Israeli loitering munitions, and modified Antonov AN-2 planes. This strategy proved fruitful, enabling Azerbaijan to gain air superiority, continuous surveillance, and targeted strikes on Armenian forces.

More recently, the war in Ukraine has demonstrated the effectiveness of the Tactical Reconnaissance-Strike Complex. The combination of pervasive tactical reconnaissance, precision artillery fire, loitering munitions, and drone strikes has extended the tactical battlespace,crippled enemy logistics, and forced both sides to rely almost exclusively on brutal infantry assaults.

Why Reconnaissance-Strike Battle? Why Now?

Given the modern battlefield's evolution, the US Army should adopt Reconnaissance-Strike Battle as the preferred method for executing multidomain operations at the tactical level. This approach provides clarity to tactical leaders, guides transformation priorities, and serves as a framework for organizing combat power to succeed in today's chaotic environment.

Reconnaissance-Strike Battle is built on four core imperatives: be a hard target, focus on neutralizing enemy Reconnaissance-Strike Complexes, seize the initiative, and mass capability before massing maneuver. By adhering to these principles, the US Army can degrade, disintegrate, or destroy enemy reconnaissance-strike complexes, enabling traditional combined arms maneuver to achieve objectives, defeat enemy forces, and consolidate gains.

The Limitations of Multidomain Operations

While Multidomain Operations offers valuable insights at the strategic and operational levels, its usefulness is principally limited. It does not account for the democratization of precision strike, fails to provide clear direction for tactical leaders, and requires further refinement at the tactical level to enable maneuver warfare in an increasingly complex battlefield environment.

Reconnaissance-Strike Battle: The Future of Tactical Combat

Reconnaissance-Strike Battle provides a solution to these limitations by serving as a scalable concept that untethers multidomain operations and pushes its benefits to the tactical edge. By focusing on finding, fixing, targeting, engaging, and assessing at larger scales and faster speeds than adversaries, the US Army can achieve success and protect against catastrophic failure in future conflicts.

Sources:1. Krepinevich, A. (1994). The Transformation of War. The Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College.2. Rodionov, A. (2000). The War in Afghanistan: 1979-1989. Jane's Publishing Company.3. Maddock, P. (2019). Azerbaijan's victory over Armenia: A brief analysis. The Jamestown Foundation.4. Institute for the Study of War (2024). Tactical Reconnaissance Strike Complex in Ukraine: Structures, Synergies, and Systemic Limitations.5. Ullman, J.J., Wade, R.S. (2003). Operational Art. Cambridge University Press.

[image credit: Sgt. Wesley Riley, US Army]

  1. To address the complexities of modern warfare, the US Army's strategic approach should embrace the Reconnaissance-Strike Battle, as outlined in the tactical imperatives of being a hard target, neutralizing enemy complexes, seizing the initiative, and massing capabilities.
  2. The 2020 Second Nagorno-Karabakh War showcased the effectiveness of the Reconnaissance-Strike Battle approach, with Azerbaijan leveraging unmanned systems, loitering munitions, and continuous surveillance to gain air superiority and impose targeted strikes on Armenian forces.
  3. The Reconnaissance-Strike Battle's roots can be traced back to the Soviet Union's recce-strike complex, which proved successful during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, linking weapons platforms, control systems, and precision targeting.
  4. In the war within Ukraine, the Tactical Reconnaissance-Strike Complex has extended the battlespace, crippled enemy logistics, and forced both sides to rely on brutal infantry assaults due to the combination of pervasive tactical reconnaissance, precision fire, loitering munitions, and drone strikes.
  5. The Reconnaissance-Strike Battle serves as a scalable concept that untethers multidomain operations and pushes its benefits to the tactical edge, providing clarity to leaders and enabling success in a complex and chaotic environment.
  6. The democratization of precision strike and the need for further refinement of multidomain operations at the tactical level underscore the necessity for adopting the Reconnaissance-Strike Battle to extend its benefits to smaller conflicts and shield against catastrophic failures in the future.

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