Engineering Reconnaissance

one of the types of military reconnaissance, designed to determine the nature and degree of engineering preparation of positions and areas occupied by the enemy.

Engineering reconnaissance attempts to discover the system, density, and types of obstacles being used; the passability of the terrain for combat materiel and transport; the state of roads and bridges; the nature of water obstacles and conditions for crossing them; the location and condition of sources of water; and the availability of local building materials. It also collects other data that may be used in combat and in large-unit operations. Engineering reconnaissance is organized by a unit engineer (chief of the engineering service) in accordance with instructions from the combined arms headquarters and is carried out by engineering forces independently (engineer observation points, reconnaissance patrols, and groups) or together with combined arms reconnaissance. The concrete missions of engineering reconnaissance are determined depending on the nature of forthcoming battle missions. Some engineering data on the enemy and terrain can be obtained by aerial and ground photography, the study of documents, and the interrogation of prisoners and local inhabitants.