Reconnaissance

thumb|300px|United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marines on a recon mission during a field training exercise in 2003 In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnaissance is abbreviated to recce (in British, Canadian, Australian English) and to recon (in American English), both derived from the root word reconnoitre / reconnoitering.

thumb|United States Air Force Security Forces personnel patrolling during the [[Gulf War]]

position from which soldiers can watch enemy movements

military vehicle designed to conduct reconnaissance missions

intelligence gathering discipline

right|thumb|Irish Army Ranger Wing operators during patrol in [[Chad, May 2008.]] Patrolling is a military tactic. Small groups or individual units are deployed from a larger formation to achieve a specific objective and then return. The tactic of patrolling may be applied to ground troops, armored units, naval units, and combat aircraft. The duration of a patrol will vary from a few hours to several weeks depending on the nature of the objective and the type of units involved.

proposed COIN/light reconnaissance aircraft, South Africa

practice that links several battlefield functions together to assist a combat force in employing its sensors and managing the information they gather

terrestrial reconnaissance using tanks and armored reconnaissance vehicles

video capture technology system