Cavalry Scout

Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) 19D “Nineteen Delta”
To be a Cavalry Scout is to be the commander’s eyes and ears of the battlefield.

To do this requires a unique soldier. He must be flexible, intelligent, resourceful, courageous, and crave danger to do the unique job of Scouting. Their units are tightly woven groups, able to depend on one another at any time, irrelevant of rank, which is critical to their survival. They take great pride in both their history and traditions. They must still earn their spurs and it is not an uncommon site to see the occasional black Stetson and saber worn for certain events and occasions.

The number of common and specialized skills that they are required to know, even at the lowest rank, outnumbers any other job on the battlefield. The job of gaining and maintaining contact with the enemy without being spotted, mounted or dismounted, and reporting all this intelligence to the commander so he can mass his forces to defeat them requires this tremendous amount of knowledge.

Because the Cavalry Scout is such an invaluable asset on the battlefield, he is not usually used in the traditional combat role. He fights as a last resort and rarely as a combat multiplier, but has a tremendous amount of combat resources available to him to insure his survivability. It is not unusual to see a young Cavalry Scout coordinating both direct and indirect fires to decisively engage and destroy the enemy because he is the one with the eyes on the target. The term ” Recon** out front ” exemplifies the dangerous job and continuous threat of exposure to the enemy while working on or behind enemy lines.

The term “Recon Scout” usually refers to a Cavalry Scout that works primarily in the light mode. They may be Airborne, Air Assault (helicopter inserted), or based on HMMWV’s* and conduct dismounted operations regularly. They take great pride in their ability to move amongst the enemy dismounted, traversing all types of terrain, while carrying all the gear necessary to accomplish the mission. This gear regularly exceeds 100 pounds because of the difficulty to resupply these soldiers and their risk of exposure while conducting operations.

Technical note for non-military types:
*A HMMWV is an acronym for High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, pronounced Humvee.)
**Recon is an abbreviated version of the word reconnaissance.

Here are a few of the duties of a Cavalry Scout:

* Secure and prepare ammunition on scout vehicles
* Load, clear and fire individual and crew-served weapons
* Perform navigation during combat
* Serve as member of observation and listening posts
* Gather and report information on terrain, weather and enemy disposition and equipment
* Collect data to classify routes, tunnels and bridges
* Employ principles of concealment and camouflage

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The cavalry scout leads, serves, or assists as a member of scout crew, squad, section, or platoon in reconnaissance, security, and other combat operations. Duties for MOS 19D at each level of skill are: 

• Skill Level 1 MOSC 19D1O. Performs duties as crewmember, operates, and performs operator maintenance on scout vehicles. Armored Airborne Reconnaissance Vehicle (M551A1), and Cavalry Fighting Vehicle (CFV), HMMWV, M113, crew-served weapons, anti-armor weapons, and communications equipment. Loads, clears, and fires individual and crew-served weapons. Engages enemy armor with anti-armor weapons. Operates and performs operator maintenance on wheeled vehicles. Assists in the recovery of wheeled and tracked vehicles. Secures, prepares, and stows ammunition on scout vehicles. Performs mounted and dismounted navigation. Serves as member of observation and listening post. Gathers and reports information on terrain features and enemy strength, disposition and equipment. Applies principles of escape and evasion. Collects data for the classification of routes, fords, tunnels, and bridges. Performs dismounted patrols. Employs principles of cover and concealment and camouflage. Assists with construction of light field fortifications, laying and removal of mines, and emplacing demolitions. Requests and adjusts indirect fire.

• Skill Level 2 MOSC 19D2O. Supervises scout vehicle crew, CFV crew, and M551A1 crew. Supervises operator maintenance of tracked and wheeled scout vehicles and individual and crew-served weapons. Selects, organizes, and supervises operation of observation and listening posts. Supervises scout vehicle recovery operations. Trains scout vehicle crew. Supervises request, receipt, storage, and issue of ammunition. Leads scout vehicle crew and assists in leading scout squad. Serves as gunner, on CFV, ITV, HMMWV-TOW, and M551A1. May also serve as an Operations Assistant at brigade or squadron level.

• Skill Level 3 MOSC 19D3O. Supervises scout sections and squads. Directs tactical deployment of section and squads in combat. Supervises maintenance of assigned vehicles and equipment. Collects, reports and evaluates accuracy of intelligence information. Directs reconnaissance of fording sites, tunnels, and bridges. Directs route / area / zone reconnaissance at section level. Coordinates action of vehicles with platoon and supporting elements. Evaluates terrain, selected routes, assembly areas, firing positions, and positions for combat operations. Identifies, selects targets, and issues fire commands. Supervises construction of hasty fortifications. Supervises section and squad resupply of class I, III, and V. Trains scout section. Coordinates requirements for organizational maintenance. Conducts scout section drills. Calls for, observes, and adjusts indirect fires. May also serve as an Operations Assistant in the squadron/battalion or higher level staffs and as Operations NCO at troop level.

• Skill Level 4 MOSC 19D4O. Assists the commander or operations officer in planning, organizing, directing, supervising, training, coordinating, and reporting activities of the scout or armored cavalry platoon and staff sections. Directs distribution of fire in combat. Supervises platoon maintenance activities. Collects, evaluates, and assists in interpretation and dissemination of combat information. Directs platoon tactical movement, platoon security operations (screening), and platoon route/area/zone reconnaissance. Supervises the employment of OPSEC measures. Coordinates the evacuation of casualties. Coordinates and conducts platoon resupply. Requests and adjusts aerial fires. May also serve as an Assistant Operations NCO at battalion or higher level.

Physical demands rating and qualifications for initial award of MOS. The Cavalry Scout must possess the following qualifications:

(1) Physical Demands Rating: very heavy

(2) Physical Profile: 111121

(3) Correctable vision of 20/20 in one eye and 20/100 in other eye.

(4) Normal color vision.

(5) Minimum score of 90 in aptitude area CO.

(6) Formal training (completion of MOS 19D course conducted under the auspices of the U.S. Army Armor School) mandatory.

(7) Highest rank an individual may be reclassified into MOS 19D is rank SGT.

THIS MOS IS CLOSED TO WOMEN

AIT Location: Fort Knox, Kentucky

Enlistment Bonus – These are always subject to change! – Ask your recruiter!

The major duties, physical demands, physical profile, and skill levels were obtained from Army Pamphlet 611-21.

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Cavalry Scout – Goarmy.com