The Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader’s Course (RSLC) is a 25-day program conducted by US Army that teaches the fundamentals of dismounted reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition to, Noncommissioned Officers, and Officers.
This is the first time the course has been held outside the United States, and it is hosted by 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade in Lithuania featuring Paratroopers from 2nd Battalion, as well as soldiers from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia.
RSLC is physically and mentally challenging and focus on mastering reconnaissance fundamentals open to all military specialties. The course culminates in a multi-day, graded, field training exercise, executed in both urban and woodland environments.
During the first week, participants execute a seven hour land navigation course in which they move under load, cross-country, during day and limited visibility, covering approximately 15 kilometers. They receive an introduction to the fundamentals of reconnaissance and surveillance and are taught how to maximize the capabilities of the equipment such as optics, thermals, cameras and UAVs. They also learn how to camouflage themselves and equipment, stalking, and selection, occupation, and concealment of surveillance sites.
Week two begins with a two day communications class that teaches how to send messages and data across the frequency spectrum, utilizing High Frequency (HF), Very High Frequency (VHF), and Ultra High Frequency (UHF) radios. This skill enables soldiers to send reports and pictures to their commander in near real time. Students are also introduced to insertion and extraction techniques by conducting Fast Rope Insertion/Extraction System and Special Patrol Insertion/Extraction System training from helicopters.
The final two weeks students go into isolation planning for their graded culminating Field Training Exercise. Throughout the exercise, soldiers will execute and be graded on all the skills they learned from planning, reconnaissance and surveillance operations, intelligence reporting techniques, communications, fires, evasion and recovery, and small unit tactics. The end result is a graduate with the skill to plan and conduct a myriad of reconnaissance and surveillance operations, enhancing the ability of any military unit to fight.
