U.S. Marines and sailors stand in formation during a graduation ceremony for Basic Reconnaissance Course 2-26 at Camp Pendleton, Calif., on April 3, 2026. (Jonathan Sherchand/U.S. Marine Corps)
One of the Marine Corps’ most grueling entry-level combat training pipelines has been overhauled, with two new specialized programs replacing the decades-old basic reconnaissance course.
The previous 12-week program, long known for its physical and mental intensity, was supplanted last week by the ground reconnaissance course and the amphibious reconnaissance course.
The restructuring is happening in the context of Force Design, the service’s modernization initiative emphasizing reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance capabilities.
Under the new curriculum, candidates will complete the ground reconnaissance course before advancing to its amphibious counterpart.
“Marine reconnaissance training will have the same rigor it’s long been famous for,” Maj. Gen. Michael Brooks, commanding general of the service’s Training Command, said in a statement Friday.
The initial ground course will train Marines in scout and reconnaissance fundamentals, which include water survival, land navigation, surveillance, patrolling and more, according to the statement.
The follow-on course will build on those skills while focusing on aquatic operations, mission planning and the use of advanced communications and sensor systems.
Last month, Sgt. Dakota Meyer, who received the Medal of Honor in 2011 for heroism in Afghanistan, completed the intensive legacy course.
Sgt. Maj. Carlos Ruiz, the service’s senior enlisted leader, described Meyer’s graduating group as “one of the final classes prior to a transition in the reconnaissance training progression.”
The updated pipeline also formalizes the Corps’ infantry rifleman course as a prerequisite for attending recon training, the statement said.
This change is intended to reduce delays and create a smoother progression through infantry, aquatic and physical training, with the aim of giving Marines better preparation for the reconnaissance course.
Once students complete the amphibious course, they will be awarded the occupational specialty of Reconnaissance Marine.
The Marine Corps has yet to announce the length of the new courses, though officials said more details will be released later, according to Task & Purpose.
