United States Marine Corps Reconnaissance Battalions The United States Marine Corps Reconnaissance Battalions ( or commonly called Marine Division Recon ) are the reconnaissance assets of Marine Air - Ground Task Force that provide division - level ground and amphibious reconnaissance to the Ground Combat Element within the United States Marine Corps . Division reconnaissance teams are employed to observe and report on enemy activity and other information of military significance in close operations . Their capabilities are similar to those of Force Recon , but do not normally insert by parachute , and provide limited direct action . The division also has other substantial organic reconnaissance assets . The Scout Sniper Platoon s may be attached to regimental reconnaissance battalions to provide long - range precision fire superiority . These sniper Marines function as recon assets as well to provide surveillance and target acquisition to the Marine Expeditionary Force ( MEF ) , known as STA snipers . Mission . Reconnaissance forces are a valuable asset to the Marine Air - Ground Task Force when the MEF Commander is faced with uncertainty in the battlefield . Reconnaissance provides timely intelligence to command and control for battlespace shaping , allowing the MAGTF to act , and react , to changes in the battlefield . While Marine reconnaissance assets may operate in specialized missions , they are unlike the unconventional SOCOM ' s forces counterparts . Both division and force are solely reserved for supporting the infantry , which are directly involved in the commander ' s " force of action " in the battlefield , or battlespace shaping . Many of the types of reconnaissance missions that are conducted by Marine Recon units are characterized by its degree in depth of penetration . This greatly increases the mission time , risk , and support coordination needs . Division reconnaissance are in charge of the commander ' s Area of Influence , the close and distant battlespace ; the force reconnaissance platoons are employed farther in the deep battlespace , or the Area of Interest . These are the main missions that are outlined to some , or all of , the reconnaissance assets in the Marine Corps : Organization . Deep Reconnaissance Platoons . Deep Reconnaissance Platoons , or " DRPs " , are units within Recon Battalions that carry out the role of Force Reconnaissance . The first DRPs were formed in March 1975 after the of American involvement in the Vietnam War , when the Marine Corps was downsized ; Force Recon was reduced to a single regular company . Both 1st and 3d Battalion received a 23 - man Deep Reconnaissance Platoon . DRPs gained additional importance in 2006 , when all active - duty Force Recon companies were transferred to Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command and became Marine Special Operations Battalions . Force Recon Marines not in an MSOB became part of the DRPs , which were placed in the Delta Companies of the 1st , 2nd and 3rd Recon Battalions . Standard Recon Platoon . The standard recon platoon in a Recon Battalion consists of : Platoon Commander : First Lieutenant or Captain Platoon Sergeant : Gunnery Sergeant Field Radio Operator : Corporal or Sergeant Special Equipment NCO : Sergeant Special Amphibious Reconnaissance Corpsman ( SARC ) : First , Second , or Third Class Petty Officer Recon Teams x3 Table of Equipment . All amphibious recon Marines [ Force and Division ] and Corpsmen [ IDC Corpsmen and SARC ] are provided general issued equipment , these are the weapons that are generally used by both MAGTF Recon assets . These weapons are generally used by most other Marines in the infantry , except with minor modifications . Although Force Recon units receive the same equipment as their division recon counterparts , they also have equipment similar to that issued to comparable USSOCOM units . Force Recon are assigned to missions remote from any available fire support and fully rely on specialized weapons that are versatile enough to be flexible in the commander ' s area of interest . Combat and protective gear . The combative and protective gear are used by both recon assets of MAFTF . However , again , there are ' additional ' equipment in the Force Recon ' s T / E to meet their assignments in deep operations and / or direct action missions . And to include FORECON ' s necessary equipment that are capable of being jumped out of aircraft ; and long - range communications due to their operability at greater distances than Division Recon geographically - assigned boundaries . Special Equipment . Most of the recon patrols or insertions are either in maritime , amphibious environments or on the ground . They have to rely on equipment that is essential to their mission . Both recon assets contain a Table of Equipment ( T / E ) that has combatant diving equipment . A Marine within a recon platoon will be assigned as the " Special Equipment NCO " , fully responsible for the procurement and maintenance of the equipment when operating in the field . Force Recon ' s Parachute Loft , or " Paraloft " section has in addition to their " mission - essential " equipment , the Parachutist Individual Equipment Kit ( PIEK ) and Single Action Release Personal Equipment Lowering Equipment ( SARPELS ) for their parachute capabilities . Combatant Diving . The SCUBA equipment listed under the T / E set by the US Navy for the Marine Corps reconnaissance : History . The Marine Corps ' s division - level reconnaissance was first conceived in 1941 by Lieutenant Colonel William Whaling . He needed a group of specialized scouts and skilled marksmen to form a " Scout and Sniper Company " . Two of the newly established Marine divisions , 1st and 2nd Marine Division contained their own scout company . Larger infantry regiments called for more recon , scouts and sniper assets . By 1945 , the divisions had instituted and organized their own scout - sniper , light armored reconnaissance ( LAR ) , and division reconnaissance assets . As a result of MCO 5401 . 5 , dated 24 August 1952 , the USMC Force Restructure and Implementation Plan , the Marine Corps shrunk its forces and as a result reconnaissance battalions were eliminated and reconnaissance companies became a part of infantry regiments . Notes . Creed . Realizing it is my choice and my choice alone to be a Reconnaissance Marine , I accept all challenges involved with this profession . Forever shall I strive to maintain the tremendous reputation of those who went before me . Exceeding beyond the limitations set down by others shall be my goal . Sacrificing personal comforts and dedicating myself to the completion of the reconnaissance mission shall be my life . Physical fitness , mental attitude , and high ethics — The title of Recon Marine is my honor . Conquering all obstacles , both large and small , I shall never quit . To quit , to surrender , to give up is to fail . To be a Recon Marine is to surpass failure ; To overcome , to adapt and to do whatever it takes to complete the mission . On the battlefield , as in all areas of life , I shall stand tall above the competition . Through professional pride , integrity , and teamwork , I shall be the example for all Marines to emulate . Never shall I forget the principles I accepted to become a Recon Marine . Honor , Perseverance , Spirit and Heart . A Recon Marine can speak without saying a word and achieve what others can only imagine . " Swift , Silent , Deadly "