United States Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance
| Marine Force Reconnaissance | |
|---|---|
Force Recon insignia
|
|
| Active | June 19, 1957 – present |
| Country |
 United States of America
|
| Branch |
 United States Marine Corps
|
| Type | Special Operations Capable (SOC) Special Operations Joint Task Force |
| Role |
Direct support of Marine Air-Ground Task Force Joint Task Force |
| Size | 350~400 |
| Part of |
Fleet Marine Force (FMF) |
| Nickname(s) | Force Recon, FORECON |
| Patron |
Dion Williams James L. Jones, Sr. Bruce F. Meyers Joseph Z. Taylor |
| Motto(s) |
Celer, Silens, Mortalis ("Swift, Silent, Deadly") |
| Engagements |
Vietnam War Operation Urgent Fury Operation Just Cause Operation Desert Storm Operation Restore Hope Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom |
Direct support of Marine Air-Ground Task Force Joint Task Force
Fleet Marine Force (FMF)
The Force Reconnaissance companies, also known as Force Recon, are one of the United States Marine Corps's special operations capable forces (SOC) that provide essential elements of military intelligence to the command element of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF), by supporting their task force commanders, and their subordinate operating units of the Fleet Marine Force (FMF).
Historically, the Force Recon companies, detachments and platoons performed both deep reconnaissance and direct action (DA) operations. Some missions are now shared by the Marine Special Operations Teams (MSOT), due to the establishment of the U.S. Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC) in 2006. MARSOC was formed from Force Recon's direct action platoons, and now are capable of performing many of the same mission sets for USSOCOM. This dual existence now allows the FORECON companies to focus on excelling in their primary intelligence-gathering mission, as well as the Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) side of the specialized raid mission.
FORECON is responsible for operating independently behind enemy lines performing unconventional special operations, in support of conventional warfare. The unit's various methods of airborne, heliborne, submarine and waterborne insertions and extractions are similar to those of the Navy SEALs, Army Special Forces, 75th Ranger Regiment, or Air Force Combat Controllers, although Force Recon's missions and tasks do differ slightly with a focus on primarily supporting Marine expeditionary and amphibious operations.
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Wikipedia