Battlefield Surveillance Brigade The Battlefield Surveillance Brigade is a United States Army Surveillance / reconnaissance formation introduced from c . 2006 - 2011 . The United States Army planned for the creation and transformation of nine intelligence brigades to a ' Battlefield Surveillence ' role in 2007 . The first Battlefield Surveillance Brigade ( BfSB ) was deployed the same year conducting Surveillance , Reconnaissance and Intelligence operations . However , gathering information is only half the challenge it faces . Along with the structural changes and intelligence capabilities , the sustainment capabilities of the brigade also changed . The United States Army is currently reorganizing its intelligence formations into Battlefield Surveillance Brigades ( BfSB ) . The brigades are self - sufficient Army Modular Forces . Army doctrine changed the name of the BfSB to Reconnaissance and Surveillance Brigade in 2011 . Mission . The brigades are meant to improve situational awareness for commanders at division or higher so they can focus joint combat power in current operations while simultaneously preparing for future operations . The units have the tools to respond to the commanders needs from unmanned aerial vehicles to signals gathering equipment and Human intelligence collectors . One of the major initiatives of the modernization plan involves migrating the army from a division - centric force designed to fight one or two potential major - theater wars toward a modular , brigade - centric force that is expeditionary in nature and deployed continuously in different parts of the world . Structure . The BfSB improves situational awareness for commanders at division or higher so they can focus joint combat power in current operations while simultaneously preparing for future operations . The units have the tools to respond to the commanders need from unmanned aerial vehicles to signals gathering equipment and human intelligence collectors . Each BfSB consists of a Headquarters and Headquarters Company . Active component units have two military intelligence battalions , while the Army National Guard BfSB ' s have one . Each brigade has a Reconnaissance & Surveillance Squadron consisting of a headquarters troop , two ground troops ( Troops A and B ) and a Long Range Surveillance ( LRS ) Troop ; a signal company ( Network Support Company , or NSC ) ; a Brigade Support Company ( BSC ) . In 2012 , the active component brigades started grouping the brigade HHC , the signal company and the support company under a Special Troops Battalion . Transformation . Former units consisted of one active component and two reserve component detachments , there are now both Active - duty and National Guard Surveillance Brigade s , each having a specific Table of Organization and Equipment . The changes made were all part of an Army - wide transition to the Army Modular Force , future - concept ( " Grow The Army Plan " of modernization ) proposed by US Army Chief of Staff General Peter Schoomaker in 2007 . The plan calls for ten Surveillance Brigade s . All units are moving to the objective designs by the scheduled completion of the Grow The Army Plan by fiscal year 2013 .