American commanders have declared the 1st Deep Recce Strike Brigade Combat Team “the most lethal thing in the Western hemisphere”, say insiders.
The specialist troops can “hunt” deep inside enemy territory as they have been “structured to take on their weaknesses”.
During a major exercise in the US, the DRS was considered more deadly than their American allies despite being a much smaller force.
It combines long-range artillery, Ajax armoured vehicles, electronic warfare equipment, drones and state-of-the-art sensors.
A defence source said: “We set a framework which allows subordinate commanders to make decisions on their own.
“That generates tempo. And that’s the secret to our success – we generate tempo far faster than any of our adversaries have been able to do.”
They said rather than going “toe to toe” with better armed adversaries “we can hunt them. Every part is about hunting.”
Specialists within the DRS brigade can make key decisions to shape battles, while reconnaissance teams are usually much “lighter”, with only defensive weapons.
Sensors on armoured vehicles in enemy territory send coordinates to artillery gunners who can destroy targets from around 60 miles away without waiting for a divisional commander’s say so.
Enemy “command and control” units are the main targets for these elite troops.
A source said the new structure “is a lot faster than before.
“I think the key point is that we can do multiple targets at the same time.”
Commanders now have M270 MLRS artillery, used devastatingly in Ukraine, while the much maligned Ajax vehicles are finally in use after years of delays.
The first troops using them on a daily basis are said to be delighted.
When pitted against the older Warrior vehicle, they have won every time, the Daily Express understands.
This is because they can see targets from further away and have much better night-vision technology.
