Ground Intelligence Officer

[kharasim]

I am a prospective Marine Officer and am looking for more information regarding Recon, and Ground Intelligence.

In past posts, the day-to-day and job of the 0203 has been discussed. So:

Contrary to recruiters and online information, the billet as a Scout Sniper platoon leader is incorrect? Is the job more of an S-3? Are only the top 0203 officers given scout sniper billets?

What does the job and duties of a scout sniper platoon leader entail? If I understand previous posts correctly, they do not go out into the field, and only supervise thre platoon from base? The enlisted marines are in the field, and Jamie Foxx is the de-facto commander within the platoon? My perception of a platoon leader would be that the 0203 "leads" the platoon in a similar fashion to that of an infantry officer within his own rifle/weapon platoon.

I have heard that a ground intelligence officer can try out for recon as a recon platoon leader? Is this at all true?

Thank you in advance for your replies and I'm sorry if any of this is tedious.

More importantly, thank you for serving.

[Phantom Blooper]

FILL OUT A PROFILE!:evilgrin:

[kharasim]

By platoon leader, I meant platoon commander.

If anyone has the time/inclination, would you mind making the distinction within Infantry and a scout sniper platoon?

I realize the needs of the corps are paramount, as well as the extreme difficulty of marine training. By the grace of God I was able to make it through OCS/PLC and TBS, and was fortune enough to get the 0203 MOS.

I realize the warm fuzzy feelings of ya'll for those who believe they are recon material. Again, Grace of God.

[rvillac2]

Platoon leader and commander are synonomous.

An infantry platoon leader is the most basic of officer jobs. They are expected to lead a platoon of basically trained infantrymen. The experience range of their platoon will range between those fresh out of MOS school to those close to the end of their first enlistment. They will be expected to maneuver their unit under the close supervision of the company commander. The infantry platoon never fights alone so the leader is the contact between accompanying and supporting units.

The STA platoon leader is in charge of more experienced Marines. The platoon includes more Marines close to the end of their first and maybe on their second enlistments. While they may have some fresh out of SS school, they will have very few that are only basically trained infantryman (these passed the indoc and are awaiting SS school).

While STA may move from point A to point B as a unit, they never fight as one. These Marines usually go on missions as pairs and attach as a support team to a bigger element. The platoon leader is not a scout/sniper and therefore does not have the same mission. Things change all the time, but this platoon leader is likely to make decisions on how to employ the SS teams, formulate their mission objectives, and relay the intel that they gather. Depending on ROE, they may also be the first level of decision maker that would let them engage a target. In common with the infantry platoon leader, you make sure your Marines were fed, housed, and cared for, too.


We were not saying the recruiting web sites were wrong. We were just pointing out that they are selling the improbable. This is like the Navy promoting it's SEALs and aviators so much. Only a small percentage get the opportunity to APPLY for the job and successfully obtain it. If you were lucky enough to get Intel, you aspire to be the best in whatever qualities they are looking for in a STA platoon leader. Eventually, they will put the best people where they belong.

Now, be advised. We don't respond well to the 'what do they do day to day' questions either.

[kharasim]

First off, thank you for the response.

So, if I understand correctly: You CAN become a SSP leader as a 0203, but you better perform at TBS. And as a SSPL, you generally do not go out into the field (specifically not as a shooter, since that is open to E-2 - E7 only), but CAN if the occasion calls for it. I don't know a whole lot about a SSP in the first place, but I'm trying to get a general idea of what the first deployment (Iraq/Afganistan/ect) would entail.

Thanks, your information regarding the SSP had been particularly helpful. And I will NOT ask about day-to-days.

Ground Intel to Force Recon. By grace of God I could survive BCR:
Is it true that after the first deployment an 0203 can volunteer to become a force Recon platoon leader? I have heard that a few times but with the other material I have read/ heard from marines, it seems like the ONLY MOS qualified to lead a recon platoon would be an infantry officer.