New series shines light on Army’s Cavalry Scouts – the eyes and ears of the commander on the battlefield

Forging a Cavalry Scout is a new fascinating series on YouTube that focuses on the training of the Army’s latest cavalry scouts.

The Cavalry Scouts are very important on the conventional battlefield because they function as the eyes and ears of the Army. Without them, the commander doesn’t have an accurate picture of enemy assets and activity. With them, a commander can make informed decisions on how and where to deploy friendly forces.

What does a Cavalry Scout’s training look like?

The Scouts are trained to function both mounted on vehicles or dismounted and scouting on foot.

Scout trainees are dropped right into an exercise called ThunderRun. They have to move at a good jogging pace down a road, carrying various pieces of equipment, keeping their unit’s integrity, and finishing as a group with all of their equipment. To demonstrate how loud and confusing a combat situation can be, during ThunderRun drill sergeants fill the area with smoke from smoke grenades and while small arms and machinegun fire from blanks fill the air.

Learning Land Navigation is a must for Cavalry Scouts as they must be able to pinpoint themselves and the enemy on a map. Their basic training makes them familiar with plotting their position on the ground and with being able to move with a map or compass. Of course, they must master their weapons as they operate in front of the Army’s lines. Cavalry Scouts also learn how to collect data to classify routes, tunnels, and bridges.

Army cavalry scout aids his teammates — Pfc. David Roberto (left), a cavalry scout with Headquarter and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 9th Infantry (Mechanized), 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, lets his teammates know about a possible enemy target during a training exercise March 13 at Rodriguez Live Fire Complex. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Samuel Northrup)

19D, the Cavalry Scouts’ Military Occupational Specialty, was previously closed to women. Yet, now women are welcomed and the first female Cavalry Scout graduated in 2017.

The NCOs and officers of the 194th Armored Brigade turn young civilians into Cavalry Scouts ready to take their place in units and function as the Army’s eyes and ears.

Training for the Army’s 19Ds lasts 22 weeks and is conducted at Fort Benning, GA, home of the Army’s Infantry and The Maneuver Center of Excellence. The training is conducted through One Station Unit Training (OSUT), which combines basic and MOS training into one course of instruction.

Check out Forging a Cavalry Scout. Each episode is short and gives a good glimpse of the training that the candidates must pass in order to graduate. “Scouts Out!”

Feature Image: Soldiers from the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, gather for a group photo on Aug. 25, 2022, Fort Carson, Colorado. The Soldiers were out in the field to participate in a platoon training exercise. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Samuel Brandon)

Author

Steve Balestrieri

Steve Balestrieri is a proven military analyst. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer in the 7th Special Forces Group. In addition to writing for Sandboxx.com, he has written for 19fortyfive.com and SOFREP.com; he has covered the NFL for PatsFans.com for over 11 years. His work was regularly featured in the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle and Grafton News newspapers in Massachusetts.

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