Long Range Surveillance

Long-range surveillance (LRS) (pronounced "lurse") are elite, specially-trained surveillance units of the United States Army employed for clandestine military operations by the Military Intelligence for gathering direct human intelligence information deep within enemy territory. Classic LRS employment is to infiltrate deep into enemy territory, construct hide and surveillance sites, and provide continuous surveillance/special reconnaissance of an intelligence target of key interest.

LRS teams allow 24-hour surveillance and analysis coverage unlike unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), manned aircraft, and most satellites. Assuming there is no mission compromise, these teams typically remain in position for up to 6 days, as determined by the availability of food and water.

As a result of an evaluation conducted using computer-modelling the U.S. Army's senior leadership made the decision to deactivate all active-duty and National Guard LRS units. By the end January 2017 the three active-duty LRS companies had ceased to exist, with its personnel being reassigned to other units. It is planned that the remaining National Guard units will follow suit by 2018.

LRSUs operate up to 200 kilometres (120 mi) from the forward line of troops (FLOT) for a maximum of 6 days. Their five primary missions are reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition, battle damage assessment, and force protection. They also have many secondary missions capabilities to include enemy prisoner-snatch, wiretapping, field assassinations, emergency assaults, general battlefield information (weather and light data, map data, etc.) and enemy equipment/infrastructure sabotage.

LRS team operations are characterized by the following:

LRS units (LRSU) are infantry company-size elements that are assets within a battlefield surveillance brigade's Reconnaissance & Surveillance Squadron (R&S Squadron) designated as US Army Cavalry but are functionally Airborne infantry units. The LRSU is structured as an LRS Company comprising three LRS detachments, a communications Platoon, and a Troop Headquarters. Within the LRS company, the LRS detachments typically have designated specialties. Typically, there are three teams, also known as "DETs." 3rd DET typically specializes in mountain warfare. 2nd DET is the dive detachment, specializing in water-borne operations such as scuba diving and infiltrating harbors and ports as well as employing the Zodiac. 1st DET is HALO (High Altitude, Low Open), specializing in airborne operations. This means jumping from a high-performance military aircraft at an altitude in excess of ten thousand feet and deploying parachutes at one to two thousand feet. 3rd DET can also perform HAHO (High Altitude, High Open) operations. This means jumping from a high-performance military aircraft in excess of ten thousand feet and deploying parachutes shortly after leaving the aircraft. LRS detachments are organized as five unsupported LRS teams.

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