Is Force Recon still around or not?

Question

Ive read that Force Recon is gone ,but a high school recruiter told me that it was still around. Also do officers see any action in special forces like REcon?

Answer 1

Special Forces ( Green Berets).....are Army...... to avoid confusion it is better to refer to various specialized military units ( Force Recon, SEALS, Delta etc ) as "special operations units"....

Force Recon are very much still around.....the honor graduate from my Ranger class was Force Recon.

Can not speak for Force Recon or SEALS.....but "officers" in Special Forces definitely see action..... the smallest element in the Green Berets is the "A-Team".....it is commanded by a captain and usually has a lieutenant or warrant as XO.... the A-Team is the element that does the WORK

Answer 2

Recon units will be around as long as we have an infantry!

As for Force Recon... They are alive and well.

Officers are in Force recon to as leaders... they have to know what their troops can do, so they can lead them... So they train like them...

Answer 3

Force Recon (FORECON) is alive and well.  They've only deactivated one company that was in the east coast on Camp Lejeune, 2nd Force Reconnaissance Company.  That company is what formed MARDET-1 which later became the official 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion within MARSOC.  There are rumors about 1st FORECON [westcoast-Camp Pendleton] was also deactivated, that is untrue.  They merely integrated half the Company, hand selected the Recon Operators to form the 1st MSOB.

The Fleet Marine Force-level Recon (FORECON) is not to be confused with the Division Recon Battalions.  They both have to exist to support the Infantry but FORECON conducts 'deep recon' and/or 'direct action' beyond enemy lines.  Division-level conducts 'recon' within the boundaries of their advancing forces.  The Maritime Special Purpose Force will assist in DA missions as necessary.  When 2nd FORECON was deactivated, they formed the Deep Recon Platoons within the 2nd Marine Division's Recon Battalion but will assist the II MEF as they were before the deactivation to ensure that the MAGTF hasn't been crippled with lack of a unilateral FMF-level Recon missions.

3rd and 4th FORECON are the Marine Corps Reserve components.  1st and 5th FORECON are the Active components. However 5th FORECON are also attached to the 3rd Recon Battalion because of the slight lack of personnel.  So the 5th FORECON attaches themselves as a Deep Recon Platoon and a Direct Action force whenever the MEF or the 3rd Marine Division may deem fit during operations.

NOTE: FORECON does have Marine Officers serving as Platoon Commanders, but they do not assemble into their platoons nor teams and go out on missions.  The FORECON teams are made up of entirely NCOs and SNCOs.  The Force Recon  Marine Officers are stationed abroad the S-3 (Operations Section) and/or S-6 (Communications Section) within the Landing Force Operations Center or the Combat Operations Center.  They are to get reports of their teams and coordinate their action and give support when requested.  They miss out on all the fun.  The Senior NCO or SNCO is the Team Leader-and there has been cases when a Special Amphibious Reconnaissance Corpsman (SARC)  [Navy Recon Operator Medic] is the team leader because of rank seniority.  However Officers are required to join the teams during training exercises, but again, not during any mission or operation.  This is what makes us unique from other U.S. SOF units, no Officers in our teams.  This is a true heritage and tradition of Marine Corps Leadership.  Every Marine is trained to be a leader of Marines starting from the totem pole of Private.

Answer 4

Why doesn't anybody want to have a job where you get three hot meals a day, clean sheets in an air conditioned building, clean underwear,  nobody shooting at you, hot showers and cold beer?  It all pays the same! Learn skills that you can use AFTER the military.

Answer 5

Nope, they left with no resistance.

Answer 6

My SMI was a Recon Marine back in the late 1970s. He was probably a First Lieutenant back then I think, so yes.

They're still around but I heard they might get replace by MARSOC in the future.