Here is also where close coordination with host nation police forces can be
of assistance. They are probably familiar with the route and can tell you
areas where there may be possible delays.
e.
If the personnel you have available are relatively inexperienced
at conducting a route reconnaissance, it is going to take longer than with
experienced personnel.
It also means that you will have to monitor them
more closely and provide more assistance to them. These actions will take
longer, and you must plan for it.
The important factor to remember is that it is of the utmost
importance to complete your mission in the time specified. Your ability to
plan and lead the mission will ensure that this is accomplished.
Information that is late can be almost as useless as no information at all.
4.
Monitor Collection of Information.
Even the simplest of route reconnaissance operations deals with a
wealth of information. The demands on the time of the patrol leader and his
responsibilities present a substantial challenge. In addition to monitoring
the progress of the mission to keep it on time, you must also be concerned
with ensuring the security of your patrol. While accomplishing those tasks,
you must also ensure that the information being gathered is correct, and is
as complete as time permits. This means you must constantly monitor what is
being done.
As with most actions, good planning facilitates your ability to
accomplish your objectives.
When you analyzed the mission, you created a
checklist (lesson 1). The more detailed that checklist was, the easier your
task will be. That analysis and checklist helps you determine which of your
personnel should be assigned which tasks.
Before you left, you will have
made sure that each member of the patrol understood his tasks and knew how
to perform them.
As the patrol proceeds, you constantly monitor the tasks being
accomplished by the patrol members and check the data they are gathering.
As you learned in lesson 1, the accuracy and completeness of the data is
critical. In most cases, you will not have the opportunity to go back once
you have moved on.
Monitoring also allows you to provide assistance if a
patrol member is having difficulty. Finally, since time is critical on most
reconnaissance operations, close monitoring will allow you to make
adjustments if you are beginning to get off schedule before it becomes
critical.
The purpose of having prepared the checklist is to assist in
making sure that no critical item of information is left out.
The precise information on your checklist will vary with each mission.
The situation and time available will determine how detailed such a list
should or can be. As a minimum, it should probably include the following:
Route Information.
The types of surface you expect.
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