The Engineer Scout Platoon: A Necessity

Engineer: The Professional Bulletin for Army Engineers, May, 2001 by First Lieutenant Jason Derstler, Captain Aaron Reisinger

"...three men behind the enemy are worth more than 50 in front of it."

Frederick the Great

Eighteenth-century Prussian king and military genius

I was 7 February 2000, and the entire 299th Engineer Battalion was deploying to the vast wilderness of Fort Hood, Texas, to begin the train-up for National Training Center (NTC) Rotation 00-10 in August. All line and assault-and-obstacle platoons prepared for combat-engineer missions such as task-force breaches, minefield emplacements, and demolitions under the task organization of two task forces. However, while five of the line platoons deployed to the field to operate as conventional engineers, one platoon began a different journey--1st Platoon, Charlie Company, deployed as an engineer scout platoon.

The requirement for engineer scouts is well documented. For example, the Sidewinder Team Situation Report in the July 1998 issue of Engineer reported that, historically, brigade-directed reconnaissance-and-surveillance (R&S) plans are centered around locating enemy combat power while looking passively at enemy countermobility efforts.

The engineer scout platoon is a critical enabler to the Force XXI brigade. As the force structure of the Force XXI engineer battalion has decreased, information requirements have increased. This platoon provides the brigade commander an additional set of eyes that focus on the mobility and countermobility aspects of the deep fight. As the Force XXI engineer battalion has decreased from three to two squads per platoon and from seven to four M9 armored combat earthmovers (ACEs) per company, our reliance on situational obstacles has increased. With Force XXI enablers, we are a much more agile force. Therefore, we require agile and dynamic obstacles throughout the width and depth of the battlespace. The engineer scout platoon provides the Force XXI brigade the ability to shape enemy maneuver deep with the effective and timely employment of situational obstacles such as the Modular Pack Mine System (MOPMS), the Hornet, the air- and ground-delivered Volcanos, and the aerial denial artillery munition/remote antiarm or mine (ADAM/RAAM). We no longer can depend on fixed conventional minefields to support a force that relies on its ability to reposition and mass at the critical point on the battlefield.

The engineer scout platoon also serves as a mobility enabler to the Force XXI brigade. Enemy obstacle intelligence is even more critical to the force than before. The loss of 30 percent of the engineer battalion's breaching assets from Force XXI redesign and the addition of the digital enablers to the force make us extremely reliant on accurate and timely obstacle intelligence. We do not have the engineer force required to sustain multiple breaches through the enemy's main defense. This platoon provides the brigade with the expert ability to conduct deep route and enemy-obstacle reconnaissance. The platoon searches out and finds either the bypass or the weakness in the enemy's defense and reports immediately to the entire brigade through our digital capabilities. This intelligence greatly increases the agility of the brigade and lessens our reliance on hazardous breaching operations.

The engineer scout platoon provides flexibility to the brigade insomuch as it can be task-organized in a myriad of ways. For example, it can be attached to the brigade reconnaissance troop (BRT) or--depending on the situation--to an individual task force. A well-integrated and -trained engineer scout platoon is required to consistently execute the brigade's deep mobility and countermobility fight. The platoons must be integrated with the BRT for all training and deployments. An organized engineer scout platoon, outfitted with the appropriate equipment and personnel, is necessary to develop the relationship with the BRT from the beginning. The BRT must concentrate on enemy combat power while the engineer scout platoon executes the deep mobility and countermobility tasks for the brigade. The critical battle tasks of the platoon are as follows:

* Execute/support situational-obstacle emplacement.

* Conduct engineer reconnaissance (route and enemy-obstacle).

* Conduct a covert breach.

Integration With the BRT

During the 299th Engineer Battalion's last experience with the engineer scout platoon, we did not fully integrate the platoon with the BRT. The shortfalls that occurred because of this led to emphasis on early and complete integration between the two elements. Specific examples of problems that occurred included battlespace-management conflicts that almost caused fratricide. Enemy triggers for situational obstacles were also difficult to accomplish because the platoon provided its own eyes forward. To remotely activate a Hornet munition, 36 minutes must expire between the time a soldier sends a code on the M71 Remote-Control Unit (RCU) and the time the mine is armed. This time standard was not met at times because the team did not identify the enemy movement soon enough. Because of these lessons, the leadership committed to establishing a habitual training relationship between the platoon and the BRT.