Reconnaissance Pull in the Offense: A Mexican-American War Case Study

Reconnaissance by cavalry formations is a critical enabling function for brigades and divisions executing decisive action in unified land operations. Doctrinally defined as a proactive action to collect information about threats, infrastructure, terrain,weather and society, the forward action is typically divided into two techniques: pull and push. While the former, according to Field Manual (FM) 3-98, Reconnaissance and Security Operations, gains “an understanding of enemy weaknesses” to “pull the main body to positions of tactical advantage,” the latter is employed when commanders have a “thorough understanding of the operational environment” and “push reconnaissance assets” into “areas of operation to confirm, deny and validate planning assumptions.” Though it remains important for cavalry formations to master both techniques, cursory assessment of American conflicts since the onset of mechanization reveals that scouts are pushed during offensive campaigns far more often than they meaningfully pull their higher echelon. World WarII, the Persian Gulf War and Operation Iraqi Freedom, for example, all featured regiments and squadrons that were compelled to adopt rapid and forceful information collection based on operational and political demands placed on their higher headquarters’ tempo. In this context, the aim by most cavalry units to conduct deliberate and stealthy movement is historically unrealistic; ground reconnaissance actions in future conflicts will likely remain accelerated and aggressive to inform advanced-stage planning and execution.