Naval Reconnaissance

Tracing the history of U.S. Marine Force and Battalion Reconnaissance from its formation in 1898 through its operations during the Vietnam War (1963-1971), this book provides insight into Force Recon's selection, training and deployment. Emphasis on actions with the South Vietnamese ARVN highlights important lessons for today's Special Forces community, illustrating the inter-service cooperation of Recon operations. Firsthand accounts of Marines who served are included, along with photographs, maps and appendices.

An experienced reconnaissance Marine officer, Bruce Meyers paints a colorful and accurate picture of the special recon landings that preceded every major amphibious operation in the Pacific War. Credited with saving countless lives, these Marine scouts went in stealthily at night from submarines, PT boats, Catalinas, and high-speed transports. Swift, silent, and deadly, they landed on more than two hundred enemy beaches, from Tarawa to Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa to collect intelligence on potential landing sites. They measured water depths, charted coral heads, gathered soil samples, sought out enemy locations, and took photographs. In short, they obtained information vital to the success of American operations in the Pacific. This book represents the first time World War II Marine recon landings have been chronicled. Meyers explains that only the story of their contributions in later wars has been previously documented. His book describes the start of it all, letting readers join the men as they slip over the sides of their rubber boats and make their way inland. Only now can the public appreciate the accomplishments of these daring and intrepid Marines.

The first U.S. Navy aerial photographs were taken in 1913 in support of fleet exercises off Guantanamo, Cuba. Following WWI, a Navy Photographic expedition went north, making the first aerial mapping photos of the Alaskan territory. WWII found Navy shuttermen in the Pacific theatre, performing pre- and post-attack reconnaissance, along with "hitting the beach" to record the war as it unfolded. Shortly after, Navy photographic units were in the Pacific to record early atomic bomb tests. The Navy's aerial photo reconnaissance mission, both at the front end with the weaponless aircrews and the output of thousands of images and photo interpretation, continued to develop through the mid-20th century. The last aerial photo plane in the Navy's inventory was retired after flying to the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum Annex at Dulles International Airport in Fairfax County, Virginia. The 74 year odyssey of Navy and Marine Corps aerial reconnaissance photography was finished.

An experienced reconnaissance Marine officer, Bruce Meyers paints a colorful and accurate picture of the special recon landings that preceded every major amphibious operation in the Pacific War. Credited with saving countless lives, these Marine scouts went in stealthily at night from submarines, PT boats, Catalinas, and high-speed transports. Swift, silent, and deadly, they landed on more than two hundred enemy beaches, from Tarawa to Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa to collect intelligence on potential landing sites. They measured water depths, charted coral heads, gathered soil samples, sought out enemy locations, and took photographs. In short, they obtained information vital to the success of American operations in the Pacific. This book represents the first time World War II Marine recon landings have been chronicled. Meyers explains that only the story of their contributions in later wars has been previously documented. His book describes the start of it all, letting readers join the men as they slip over the sides of their rubber boats and make their way inland. Only now can the public appreciate the accomplishments of these daring and intrepid Marines.

The Navy has put forth a new construct for its strike forces that enables more effective forward deterrence and rapid response. A key aspect of this construct is the need for flexible, adaptive command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) systems. To assist development of this capability, the Navy asked the NRC to examine C4ISR for carrier, expeditionary, and strike and missile defense strike groups, and for expeditionary strike forces. This report provides an assessment of C4ISR capabilities for each type of strike group; recommendations for C4ISR architecture for use in major combat operations; promising technology trends; and an examination of organizational improvements that can enable the recommended architecture.