Camp Pendleton will lead a historic effort by the US Marine Corp to improve the way it wages war, developing a class of human scouts who will heavily rely on drones and other digital assets for reconnaissance and surveillance.
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The Marines say the move reflects the corps’ growing need for all-weather, around-the-clock scouts who can more quickly and accurately provide frontline intelligence in any kind of environment.
The shift also is being made because there is less demand for precision, long-range shooters, commonly referred to as snipers.
For years, these two roles were handled by so-called Scout Snipers, a position the Marines eliminated in 2023 due to changing needs, especially better field intelligence.
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“I deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria and would say (that) 90 percent of the requirement of the Scout Sniper throughout the War on Terror was focused on reconnaissance and surveillance,” said Master Gunnery Sgt. Jeremiah Johnson, who is helping guide the new Scout program.
The corp-wide modernization project will formally begin on Oct. 1 when the Marines begin to establish Scout platoons in infantry battalions and Scouts teams in Light Armored Reconnaissance battalions.
Camp Pendleton, the largest Marine base on the West Coast, also will continue to train snipers.
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