Long Range Surveillance Detachment
Encyclopedia
The United States Army
Long Range Surveillance Detachment (LRSD) is organized as a detachment organic to the military intelligence
battalion
at division
level for the purpose of Long Range Surveillance
. The LRSD's are organized into a headquarters section, communications section (two base radio stations), and six surveillance teams. (Light division LRS detachments only have four surveillance teams.) The leaders are airborne
and Ranger
qualified. All other personnel in the detachment are airborne qualified. All active Army LRSDs were inactivated in September 2005 and most Army National Guard
units were inactivated in September 2008; some were transferred to battlefield surveillance brigades and were reflagged and redesignated as Troop C within the brigade's cavalry squadron (reconnaissance and surveillance). For example, the 151st Infantry Detachment (LRS) of the 38th Infantry Division became Troop C (LRS), 2d Squadron, 152d Cavalry Regiment, 219th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade. Two new National Guard Long Range Surveillance Companies
were stood up in September 2009.
. The teams obtain and report information about enemy forces within their assigned areas. They can operate independently with little or no external support in all environments. They are lightly armed with limited self-defense capabilities. To be easily transportable, they are equipped with lightweight, man-portable equipment. The teams are limited by the amount of weight that they can carry or cache. All team members are airborne qualified, and often teams are HALO or Amphibious designated, ensuring all means of insertion are available to the commander when planning operations.
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
Long Range Surveillance Detachment (LRSD) is organized as a detachment organic to the military intelligence
Military intelligence
Military intelligence is a military discipline that exploits a number of information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to commanders in support of their decisions....
battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
at division
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
level for the purpose of Long Range Surveillance
Long Range Surveillance
Long Range Surveillance units are specially trained elite Surveillance units of the United States Army that are employed by Military Intelligence Units for gathering information from deep within hostile territories....
. The LRSD's are organized into a headquarters section, communications section (two base radio stations), and six surveillance teams. (Light division LRS detachments only have four surveillance teams.) The leaders are airborne
United States Army Airborne School
The United States Army Airborne School — widely known as Jump School — conducts the basic paratrooper training for the United States armed forces. It is operated by the 1st Battalion , 507th Infantry, United States Army Infantry School, Fort Benning, Georgia...
and Ranger
Ranger School
The United States Army Ranger School is an intense 61-day combat leadership course oriented towards small-unit tactics. It has been called the "toughest combat course in the world" and "is the most physically and mentally demanding leadership school the Army has to offer". The course is conducted...
qualified. All other personnel in the detachment are airborne qualified. All active Army LRSDs were inactivated in September 2005 and most Army National Guard
Army National Guard
Established under Title 10 and Title 32 of the U.S. Code, the Army National Guard is part of the National Guard and is divided up into subordinate units stationed in each of the 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia operating under their respective governors...
units were inactivated in September 2008; some were transferred to battlefield surveillance brigades and were reflagged and redesignated as Troop C within the brigade's cavalry squadron (reconnaissance and surveillance). For example, the 151st Infantry Detachment (LRS) of the 38th Infantry Division became Troop C (LRS), 2d Squadron, 152d Cavalry Regiment, 219th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade. Two new National Guard Long Range Surveillance Companies
Long Range Surveillance Company
In the United States Army, a Long Range Surveillance Company is a company with a special reconnaissance role in an intelligence brigade.-Organization:...
were stood up in September 2009.
Headquarters Section
This section contains the personnel necessary for command and control of the detachment.Communications Section
The most important section of any LRSD, the communication specialists ensure expeditious processing of all message traffic. The two base stations maintain communication with deployed teams. They may also insert with the teams at times, and are as physically fit and as well trained as team members. The LRSD may be augmented with a base station from the corps LRSC if dictated by operational requirements, equipment shortages, or maintenance problems.Surveillance Teams (LRS teams)
Each team consists of a team leader, an assistant team leader, senior scout observer,scout observer, ARTO and a RATELORadiotelephone
A radiotelephone is a communications system for transmission of speech over radio. Radiotelephone systems are not necessarily interconnected with the public "land line" telephone network. "Radiotelephone" is often used to describe the usage of radio spectrum where it is important to distinguish the...
. The teams obtain and report information about enemy forces within their assigned areas. They can operate independently with little or no external support in all environments. They are lightly armed with limited self-defense capabilities. To be easily transportable, they are equipped with lightweight, man-portable equipment. The teams are limited by the amount of weight that they can carry or cache. All team members are airborne qualified, and often teams are HALO or Amphibious designated, ensuring all means of insertion are available to the commander when planning operations.