Do You Even RECCE, BRO?! – an AAR by Crusoe

Training is the key ingredient to the ultimate survivability of yourself and family.   Using a requirements-based approach to build my personal training calendar I look for courses that fill glaring holes.  Since I do not have a tactical military background it is important to me to find those instructors that do and who are grounded in the reality of our current situation.  Learning skills that have no practical use is both a waste of time and money.  This past week I had the opportunity to reconnect with Scout as an OPFOR member for the Scout Course as well as a student in his new(er) Recce Course.

The approach I take with after action reports (AAR) is not to rehash the fine nuances of the entire course curriculum, but instead focus in on key takeaways that are applicable to the new survivalist looking to build their own personal training evolution.  Hands down, the only way to learn these new skills is to take an immersive course from a qualified instructor.  The Recce Course is basically Scout Course 2.0 and builds upon the lessons learned in all Brushbeater’s training courses and serves as an incredible opportunity to practice and learn while working in a team environment.

The key takeaways from my AAR of the Scout Course are still applicable and have narrowed my aperture on what I believe are the next logical steps going into the new year.  The first key takeaway is that you are still not fit enough to do these types of things.  Fitness is the hinge that everything else connects to.  Over the course of three days we, as two separate teams, conducted at least three daytime and two nighttime reconnaissance training movements while ambushing each other at every given opportunity.  Moving across uneven terrain through briar thickets while carrying mission gear is both taxing mentally and physically.  Most of my classmates cycled through their mission gear and all of us at one time or another stepped off with mostly just a chest rig and rifle.

The second serious lesson learned is the value of communications.  A very high priority was placed upon both inter team comms as well as comms with a controlling element.  In previous courses SALUTE and SALT reports were conveyed through voice comms, but since this was a 2.0 course, we used data bursts via a Baofeng AR-152, K-1 APRS cable, and an inexpensive Wal-Mart tablet using FLdigi.  The use of this mode of communications is not immediately intuitive and requires some trigger time to work through the nuances.  On both teams there was a dedicated RTO that had been to Scout’s RTO series of courses, and both were the MVPs of the class.

Finally, technology is indeed an enabling asset that we all should be working towards to incorporating into our TTPs, but there are limitations to drones, night vision devices, and thermal imaging that we must experience to be able to mitigate.  Our team used a drone to try and locate the other team during one of their recce patrols and never saw them…despite flying directly over their heads.  Additionally, we were able to conduct a nighttime ambush using both thermal bloom and tarps to mask our position and the result was devastating. In a controlled academic environment, you can test your equipment to sort through both positives and negatives.  We all know someone who has all the “cool guy” stuff but has no idea how to use any of it.

I would be remiss if I did not touch on how much I personally value our community.  I have been in other courses with about 25% of the RECCE participants.  I use the analogy of hanging out with your cousins at a family reunion.  You may or may not keep up with them daily, but when together you are the best of friends.  On one of the evenings after we were finished with the day’s activities I sat in a philosophical discussion (there may have beers involved) about the true and misused quote “blood is thicker than water.” In our current society where it is trendy to pretend to be something you are not it is of vital importance to build community based upon shared values. Those who you can count on to come to your aid at 2 am are not the ones who have fallen into the trap of cultural destruction. Choose wisely and start building your tribe.  Collectively we have placed our trust in each another, and it is of vital importance that we continue to sharpen the saw.  Bottom line…. take that next step and sign up for training.  Both the Scout and Recce courses are musts haves.

The actual quote….

“The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb”.

What is next?  That is a solid question that I am still working through.  Mike from Von Steuben was an additional instructor, and I am very intrigued in his Jaeger course as an immersive experience that would put all the wilderness tactical pieces together while operating out of your pack.  If you get an opportunity, go and train with Mike!!!!  Also, I am looking at the Grey Bearded Green Beret’s Master Navigator course that would fill a much-needed hole in my skillsets.  Intelligence and the ability to operate within a semi-permissive to non-permissive environment and thus the February Intel course is also high on my list.

Crusoe is retired from the Air Force after 30-years of service as a flight crew member.  He spends most of his time thinking about the apocalypse and how to mitigate its effects.  When not immersed in academic pursuits, he is often on a trail hiking in the mountains of North Georgia or reading with a glass of Irish whiskey and a German Shepherd by his side.   Global travel enthusiast, history nerd, Appalachian Trail thru hiker, and recovering ultra-endurance athlete.  He can be reached at [email protected]