4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion (4th LARB) is a fast and mobilized
armored terrestrial reconnaissance {{unreferenced, date=December 2008
Terrestrial reconnaissance, or ''ground'' recon, is a type of reconnaissance that is employed along the elements of ground warfare. It is the collection of intelligence that strictly involves routes, areas, zones ...
battalion
A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...
of the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
reserve. Their primary weapon system is the
LAV-25
The LAV-25 is a member of the LAV II family. It is an eight-wheeled amphibious armored reconnaissance vehicle built by General Dynamics Land Systems and used by the United States Marine Corps and the United States Army.
History
During the 1980s, ...
and they are part of the
4th Marine Division
The 4th Marine Division is a reserve division in the United States Marine Corps. It was raised in 1943 for service during World War II, and subsequently fought in the Pacific against the Japanese. Deactivated after the war, the division was re-fo ...
and
Marine Forces Reserve
The Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES or MFR), also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve, is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. It is the largest command, by assigned pe ...
. The unit headquarters is at
Camp Pendleton
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on the Southern California coast in San Diego County and is bordered by Oc ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, but other units in the battalion are located throughout the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. 4th LAR Bn is the largest combat battalion in the Marine Corps, with 7 companies.
Mission
The LAR battalion performs
combined arms reconnaissance
In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities.
Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...
and security missions in support
of the Ground Combat Element (GCE) of a
Marine Air-Ground Task Force
Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF, pronounced MAG-TAF) is a term used by the United States Marine Corps to describe the principal organization for all missions across the range of military operations. MAGTFs are a balanced air-ground, combined ar ...
(MAGTF). Its mission is to conduct reconnaissance, security and economy of force operations, and, within its capabilities, limited offensive or defensive operations that exploit the unit’s mobility and firepower.
The LAR battalion may function as an independent maneuver element or as an element of a larger unit such as a regimental combat team, or its subordinate companies may support other tactical
units in the GCE.
Current units
Organization
An LAV
platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 50 people, although specific platoons may range ...
consists of 4 vehicles usually divided into Alpha section and Bravo section. The platoon commander will control one section and also be the vehicle commander (VC) of one of the LAV's and the
platoon sergeant will control the other section and serve as a VC as well.
A crew consists of a driver, usually the least senior 0313 (MOS designation for LAV Crewman), a VC and the gunner. The gunner operates the main gun, the
M242 Bushmaster
The M242 Bushmaster chain gun is a 25 mm (25×137mm) single-barrel chain-driven autocannon. It is used extensively by the U.S. military, such as in the Bradley fighting vehicle, as well as by other NATO members and some other nations in ground ...
chaingun
A chain gun is a type of autocannon or machine gun that uses an external source of power to cycle the weapon's action, rather than diverting excess energy from the cartridges' propellant as in a typical automatic firearm, and does so via a co ...
. The VC makes target acquisition changes and helps the gunner make adjustments. The remaining crew consists of Scouts (
0311
MOS 0311 is the United States Marine Corps (USMC) Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) code for infantry rifleman. It is the primary infantry MOS for the Marine Corps.
General information
A rifleman may employ the M4 carbine, the M203 grenade lau ...
). The LAV can hold four scouts, but under the Table of Organization, there are only three assigned per vehicle. There is also one mechanic and one
corpsman
A hospital corpsman (HM r corpsman is an enlisted medical specialist of the United States Navy, who may also serve in a U.S. Marine Corps unit. The corresponding rating within the United States Coast Guard is health services technician (HS) ...
per platoon.
History
The 1980s and 1990s
The 4th Light Armored Vehicle Battalion was activated on September 23, 1987. On 13 November 1990, half of Company A and a portion Headquarters and Service Company were activated in support of operation Desert Sheild/ Storm. The Light company was augmented by Marines for Company F, 2/25 and company D, 1st LAV Battalion. Company A 4th LAV BN ultimately augmented the 1st Marine Division as part of RLT5 of the 5th Marine Expeditionary Bergade
5th MEB. Company A, 4th LAV spefiffically augmented the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 5th Matine regiment. In December 1990, the rest of the battalion was activated to augment 2nd Light Armored Vehicle Battalion (see 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion) for deployment to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. From December 26, 1990, to April 24, 1991, deployed to the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
as part of
Operation Desert Shield and
Operation Desert Storm
Operation or Operations may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity
* Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory
* ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...
. The Battalion's assets were spread out over hundreds of miles of desert terrain and were utilized by the Marine Command to constantly probe the boundaries of Iraqi controlled areas. The Battalion executed Reconnaissance and Counter Reconnaissance Operations, emergency extraction of friendly forces, breaching of berms and minefields along the Iraqi and
Kuwait
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
border and prisoner capture and control. As part of the 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB), it was also part of a Contingency Joint Task Force in Bangladesh during Operation Sea Angel to provide humanitarian relief in the aftermath of Cyclone Marian.
On October 1, 1996, the battalion was re-designated as the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion.
Global War on Terror
From February 24, 2003, to October 1, 2003, 4th LAR deployed to
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
in support of
Operation Iraqi Freedom
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
(OIF). Alpha and Bravo companies were mobilized in early February 2003 and deployed with
1st and
3rd LAR Battalions respectively, participating in the
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...
. The remainder of the battalion was activated in early March 2003 and quickly deployed to Iraq.
In April 2003, Delta Company 1st Platoon and H&S Company Black Sheep Platoon, 2nd Section was attached to
2nd Battalion 8th Marines
2nd Battalion, 8th Marines (2/8) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina consisting of approximately 900 Marines and Sailors. Nicknamed "America's Battalion," they fa ...
as part of ''Task Force Rebel''. Task Force Rebel was tasked with patrolling and securing the city of Al Kut in the Wasit province. In May 2003 the battalion was reconstituted as a whole and conducted surveillance and reconnaissance operations along the Iraq/Iran Border. On June 2, 2003, the battalion moved to the
1st Marine Division
The 1st Marine Division (1st MARDIV) is a Marine division of the United States Marine Corps headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the ground combat element of the I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF).
It is the ...
HQ, located in Al Hilla to act as the Division
quick reaction force
In military science nomenclature, a quick reaction force (QRF) is an armed military unit capable of rapidly responding to developing situations, typically to assist allied units in need of such assistance. They are to have equipment ready to res ...
. Bravo Company was based in Ad Diwaniyah, and generally conducted missions separately from the rest of the battalion. On June 13, 2003 Task Force Scorpion was activated and moved to the Northern
Babil
''Bābili(m)''
* sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠
* arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel''
* syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel''
* grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn''
* he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel''
* peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru''
* elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...
province with orders to secure Army convoy routes in and out of
Forward Operating Base
A forward operating base (FOB) is any secured forward Operational level of war, operational level military position, commonly a military base, that is used to support strategic goals and tactical objectives. A FOB may or may not contain an airfi ...
Dogwood. The core of Task Force Scorpion was initially formed around 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, consisting initially of H&S and Alpha Companies, 4th LAR; Co C,
1st Battalion 4th Marines
1st Battalion, 4th Marines (1/4) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California consisting of approximately 800 Marines and sailors. They fall under the command of the 1st M ...
, Co I (Rein),
3rd Battalion, 7th Marines
The 3rd Battalion 7th Marine Regiment (3/7) is an infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. They are based at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms and consist of approximately 800 Marines. The battalion falls u ...
, Co E,
2nd Battalion, 5th Marines
2d Battalion 5th Marines (2/5 or "Two Five") is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps consisting of approximately 800 Marines and Sailors. They are based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California and fall under the comm ...
, two platoons from
Force Reconnaissance; an
Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) detachment; and elements of
Radio Battalion. The Task Force was later reinforced with Delta Company and two other active duty infantry companies from
1st Battalion 7th Marines
The 1st Battalion, 7th Marines (1/7) is an infantry battalion of the 7th Marine Regiment of the United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force se ...
. Task Force Scorpion's offensive posture and heavy patrolling effectively reduced the number of attacks on American soldiers in the area. The battalion conducted numerous raids and was eventually awarded the
Presidential Unit Citation for its work as part of
I Marine Expeditionary Force
The I Marine Expeditionary Force ("I" pronounced "One") is a Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) of the United States Marine Corps primarily composed of the 1st Marine Division, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, and 1st Marine Logistics Group. It is ...
.
Since OIF I, Marines from the battalion have continued to support on-going combat and security operations associated with the Global War on Terror. Several Marines returned to Iraq with the
1st Marine Division
The 1st Marine Division (1st MARDIV) is a Marine division of the United States Marine Corps headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the ground combat element of the I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF).
It is the ...
, serving as members of the Division Commander's Personal Security Detachment and as military advisers to Iraqi infantry units. In 2006, members of Co A and H&S Company were mobilized and formed the 4th Provisional Security Company and deployed to the
Horn of Africa
The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004), ...
. Also Co B was mobilized and returned to Iraq on October 11, 2006, to serve Dam Security Unit-3 conducting riverine reconnaissance, support, and security operations from
Al-Qa'im to
Fallujah
Fallujah ( ar, ٱلْفَلُّوجَة, al-Fallūjah, Iraqi pronunciation: ) is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jew ...
. They returned to the United States on April 1, 2007 In June 2007, Marines of Company C were mobilized and attached to
1st Battalion 10th Marines
1st Battalion, 10th Marines (1/10) is an artillery battalion composed of four firing batteries and a headquarters battery. The battalion is stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and falls under the command of 10th Marine Regiment, part of 2d ...
as part of Task Force Military Police. Stationed in Fallujah, they conducted police and security operations, including convoy security and detainee movements, throughout the Anbar Province and returned home in April 2008. In December 2007, Marines of Company D were mobilized and attached to
2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion
2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion is a fast and mobilized armored terrestrial reconnaissance battalion of the United States Marine Corps. Their primary weapon system is the 8-wheeled LAV-25 and they fall under the command of the 2nd Ma ...
out of
Camp Lejeune for their deployment in support of OIF. They operated with 2nd LAR along the Syrian border and covered an area as large as South Carolina. The Marines of Delta Company were operating out of a train station in the town of
Akashat
Akashat ( ar, عكاشات) is a small town in the northwest of the Ar-Rutba District of the Al Anbar province of Iraq, on the road between the towns of Ar-Rutbah and Al-Qa'im. It has a population of around 5,000. It was built as an industria ...
, north of Camp Korean Village. They returned to the United States in October 2008, and were replaced by Fox Company and Marines from 2/25. Fox Company 4th LAR remained at Akashat until October 2008 before moving north to Al Ambar Provence. South of Sinjar Mountains and as far west as Syria. Fox Company Marines attached to 1st LAR returned to Al Asad in March 2009 after setting an OIF record of a confirmed 94 days spent in field with logistic support. Fox Company Marines returned home April 20, 2009, to Eastover, S.C.
This record was later broken and nearly doubled by Company E from Syracuse, NY during their 2009 deployment along the Syrian border, north of the Sinjar mountains. It remains the longest continuous period spent on non-stop operations during the Iraq war.
In September 2009, the unit mobilized for deployment in Afghanistan. H&S, Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and a handful of Marines from Delta and Fox were activated, and trained for a six-month deployment schedule of November 2009 to May 2010. They returned home on May 30, 2010.
![4th_LAR_Annual_Training_July_2014_Fort_Irwin](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/4th_LAR_Annual_Training_July_2014_Fort_Irwin.jpg)
In July 2014, the Battalion completed their largest training exercise in years in the Mojave Desert. This was the first time since the battalion’s deployment to Afghanistan in 2009 – 2010 that all the companies, with the exception of Company A, were able to train together. The large training area gave the Marines a chance to use all of the weaponry available on the LAVs and the chance to use the Mine Clearing Lane Charge. Additionally, the Marines had a chance to fire the M242 Bushmaster chain gun, the M240 machine gun and anti-tank guided missiles. Marines also fired a MICLIC, which consists of a rocket tethered to thousands of pounds of C-4 explosives from an LAV. The MICLIC clears out mines and any obstacles, and gives the LAVs a safe and clear path to travel through. The Marines also fired an Anti-Personal Obstacle Breaching System (APOBS) that consists of two backpacks that fire a smaller rocket with tethered grenades that makes a safe path for Marines. In addition to the firepower on the LAVs, the scouts had a chance to engage the enemy in live-fire exercises with the M4 Service Rifle, M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle and M136 AT4 Rocket Launcher.
[ ]
Unit Awards
*
Meritorious Unit Commendation
The Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC; pronounced ''muck'') is a mid-level unit award of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Army awards units the Army MUC for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or s ...
** Desert Shield/Storm 1990-1991
*
Presidential Unit Citation W 1/ bronze star
** Iraq-2003
** Afghanistan-2009-2010 (MEB-PUC)
*
Navy Unit Commendation
The Navy Unit Commendation (NUC) is a United States Navy unit award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944.
History
Navy and U.S. Marine Corps commands may recommend any Navy or Marine Co ...
W/2 bronze stars
** Iraq - 2006
** Iraq - 2007 II MEF FWD (MARADMIN 055/12)
** Iraq - 2008 I MEF FWD (MARADMIN 056/12)
*
National Defense Service Streamer W/1 bronze star
*
Afghanistan Campaign Streamer W/1 Campaign Star
*
Iraq Campaign Streamer W/4 Campaign Stars
*
Global War on Terrorism Service Streamer
*
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Streamer
*
Nato ISAF Streamer
See also
*
List of United States Marine Corps battalions
This is a list of current United States Marine Corps battalions, sorted by the mission they perform.
__TOC__
Active units
Ground Combat Element battalions
The ground combat element (GCE) consists of those combat and combat support units whose ...
(including equipment)
*
Organization of the United States Marine Corps
Notes
References
:
https://web.archive.org/web/20110708133734/http://www.chandlerswatch.com/tag/chandlers-watch/page/20/
"Operation Sea Angel: A Case Study" Paul A. McCarthy, RAND, Published July 25, 1994
External links
4th LAR's official website4th LAR's Unofficial Forum WWW.4THLAR.COM
{{4thMarDiv
4th Marine Division (United States)
LAR 4