The majority of Marines assigned to Force Recon come from the ranks of Recon Battalion. As Recon Marines become NCO’s and have some experience under their belt, they may be moved over to Force. Depending on personnel levels at the Force Company, they may offer an Indoc (a try out test) for NCO’s outside of the Reconnaissance community.  Traditionally, Force Recon operators are a bit older and have more experience than their Battalion counterparts, and are NCO’s. The training cycle for Force is the same as Battalion. In order to get the Recon MOS, regardless of what unit the Marine is assigned, they have to complete the Basic Reconnaissance Course.

It’s a bit different for Force Recon Reservists. While most Marines assigned to the reserve units are former active duty Recon Marines, they do accept non-Recon qualified Marines to take the Indoc and try out.

For more details on requirements, visit the Join Recon Battalion page.