Light Armored Reconnaissance

This paper is designed to explain the capabilities of the LAR battalion, and how it can be used to operate for anextended period behind enemy lines or in denied enemy territory in order to shape the battlefield for commanders. Itbegins with the Marine Corps' acquisition of the LAV platform, covers the various initial concepts of employment, thendiscusses the current organization of the battalion, followed by a description of the current doctrine. The paper thendescribes the deployments and combat operations of LAR units, discusses the origins of modern operational maneuvergroups, details LAR's role in testing a concept of deep maneuver during Operation DEEP STRIKE, and discusses theemployment of LAR as a deep maneuver element in Iraq and Afghanistan. It concludes with a future concept ofemployment in irregular warfare offering a way forward for the LAR community to realize its maximum potential andadvocate to break away from unimaginative, and doctrineally incorrect, modes of employment while still maintain a solidI grounding in providing its supported commander a tactically and operationally mobile reconnaissance asset.