UNSC Marine Reconnaissance

UNSC Marine Reconnaissance (UNSCMARCON) is a special warfare division of the UNSC Special Operations Command and the UNSC Marine Corps, principally responsible for special reconnaissance (SR) in the close and deep battlespace. UNSCMARCON fulfills the requirement for a dedicated infantry or light mechanized reconnaissance force supporting Marine, Army, or Special Forces and providing advanced signals intelligence (SIGINT), image intelligence (IMINT), geological and terrain intelligence (GEOINT), and terminal guidance for friendly artillery fires and close air support.

Responsibiliites
UNSCMARCON is designated as a "tier-three" unit in UNSCSOCOM; that is, that it is a support unit, not a principal warfare unit. Despite this, Marine Recon operators are often seen as some of the most proficient operators in the UNSC armed forces, and Marine Reconnaissance and UNSC Office of Naval Intelligence teams are necessary in fielding reconnaissance information to friendly theater forces. Field intelligence that guides and directs UNSC special forces is primarily from UNSCMARCON or ONI field teams, and UNSCMARCON operatives are seen as the reconnaissance experts of the Marine Corps.

Marine Recon operators integratively support the friendly mission, providing advanced intelligence for the construction, strategic control, and post-mission assessment for friendly forces. UNSCMARCON operators may be covertly inserted thousands of kilometers behind enemy lines, and have earned significant distinction amongst the UNSC Defense Force — a robotic UAV will never understand the purpose of its mission, but UNSCMARCON operators will always fight and die to ensure their intelligence gets back home. UNSCMARCON operators understand the gravity of their operations and are always given a static charge and a cyanide tablet; in the event that they are about to be captured by hostile forces, Marine Recon operators are expected to wipe their electronic recon data and would always suicide before giving their intelligence to hostile forces. The selfless dedication of Marine Recon has earned them significant distinction, and assignment to UNSCMARCON is seen as equally prestigious to shock special forces divisions like the Army Ranger Corps and the Marine MARORBGRU.

Field Deployment
UNSCMARCON teams are typically small, typically consisting of anywhere between six to twelve highly-trained reconnaissance experts, and often, each individual recon team contains a team commander, a dedicated long-range communications specialist, a joint forward fire observer (FFO) / joint terminal air strike controller, a signals intelligence specialist, an image intelligence photographer, and a designated marksman. Optional UNSCMARCON core skills include point man / breacher, navigator, and explosive ordinance disposal (EOD). Mechanized UNSCMARCON teams typically travel in larger formations, and are equipped with variants of the M12 Warthog LRV or the M274 Mongoose ULATV, allowing for light and swift travel through enemy territory. For larger operations, UNSCMARCON may dispatch company-sized formations comprising of between eight to twelve field teams, for approximately one hundred operators. These larger Marine Recon companies are almost always equipped with vehicular assets. Recon Marines frequently operate with ONI special reconnaissance specialists, such as UNSC Naval Special Warfare. Because UNSCMARCON teams are principally for reconnaissance, reconnaissance-in-force (RIF) capability may be added by augmenting recon teams with FORCE RECON or Ranger infantry.

Behind the Scenes

 * UNSC Marine Reconnaissance is closely based on two real-world U.S. military reconnaissance divisions, the U.S. Marine Corps Radio Reconnaissance Platoon and the U.S. Marine Corps Reconnaissance Battalions.