Reconnaissance Battalion

Borne out of a need to develop and intelligence network and situational awareness of surrounding areas, Reconnaissance Battalions, or Recon Battalions for short, are temporary formations with a focus on intelligence gathering, reconnaissance and reconnoitring.
Each is formed of units that the 5122nd Departmento Munitorum Regiment feel are best suited to the theatres they are bring assigned to, so comprises of units from different regiments, whom are best suited to respond to the enemies they face or the worlds they are exploring. 
This amalgamation of regiments and cultures requires the Departmento Munitorum  staff to carefully select a leader who has both a strong enough personality along with a grasp/appreciation of different cultures to lead men and women from different worlds and cultures. Such officers will be appointed to the temporary rank of Brevet Major, giving them the authority to lead a large force if required.

Composition

Manpower

A Recon Battalion has no fixed size or complement it must be, due to its nature as a combined arms formation. The only deciding factor for the force complement is the task the force has to complete and any adversaries they cross, assuming the Brevet Major has enough political clout to be able to obtain reinforcements as their operation proceeds

Structure

The organisation of a Recon Battalion is derived from the "standard" Astra Militarum command model, but with an extraordinary level of flexibility and unorthodoxy- no doubt influenced by the inventiveness of the formation's creator, Staff Colonel Juha Jussila
At the head of a battalion is a commissioned officer of the rank of Brevet Major, usually supported by a command squad which may or may not be from the same regiment as the officer. Typically, the force will then be divided into fighting bodies, but the names and size of these vary depending what units they are comprised of -it's not uncommon for a Recon Battalion to be divided so that it is made up of one infantry company who is on an equal footing and level of authority as a tank squadron and a lance of rough riders.

Logistics

Logistical Support

Recon Battalions are expected to operate with some level of independence from Command HQ on Kulak IV and so each officer or NCO will also have non-combat duties aimed at providing the force with a level of self sufficiency, such as logistics officer, chief technician or even chef. In addition, each battalion will also be attached to a Imperial Navy battlefleet with whom they are expected to co-exist which does also provide a mobile base of operations in which they can get access to armouries, workshops or even additional corpse-starch rations!

History

Following the Great Rift and the entire Von Aurach Crusade being thrown into disarray, the Crusade's forces were once again blind to what lay beyond the boundaries of the Kulak system in terms of adversaries or even the locations of worlds and systems.
Now the supreme head of the Crusade's military forces, Lord General Militant Napoleon Letizia instructed his Executive Officer, Staff Colonel Jussila, to send forces out to discover what was out there so they could plan to overcome it.
Consulting with his counterparts, Jussila theorised many models of deployment from small independent kill teams of commandos  to thousands of sectors at once, purely in a Reconnaissance capacity, to sending entire divisions to only a handful of locations, but combine Reconnaissance with actual battle and conquest.
In the end the module of the Recon Battalion was established- small multidisciplinary forces made up ad hoc, who were small enough to move fast and with relatively little support, but whom were large enough to repaint to any threats and take advantage of any opportunities that presen themselves. The formations were approved and them began to be assembled and deployed. Soon, the Von Aurach Crusade Forces would know what they were up against and where next they would reclaim.

Type

Intelligence

Overall training Level

Professional

Assumed Veterancy

Experienced

Used by

• 5122nd Imperial Army

Ranks & Titles

• Brevet Major