Review: Reconnaissance Class October 2025: Ryan

This is a quick review of the October 2025 Reconnaissance class at MVT. My experience prior consists of HEAT 1 and 2.

“What did I get myself into?” This thought crossed my mind several times the first three days. I had heard plenty of tidbits about “recce” from YouTube personalities and read about it in books beforehand. When all that started to be put together in a realistic mission context and corrected by an experienced instructor, the wave was intimidating. Imagine having that rush of information when a real crisis is taking shape. That is not the time to learn; enter MVT.

With an experienced instructor who taught well and gave a damn about student success, this four day crash course pushed me to be better and utilize the basics laid out in prior classes, which started to make more sense with repetition. Reconnaissance missions have long been of interest to me, and this well-informed course went far beyond expectations. Missions like these are some of the most relevant if society devolves enough around you.

Beyond whiteboard instruction, MVT provided access to land on which a team and individual loadouts could be put to the test while endeavoring to accomplish a defined mission. The team was responsible for filling in many of the execution details. For this course, live enemy forces were utilized by the instructors to test team response under stress. Airsoft/airsim armaments were required for this.

Day four was the second mission. Lessons from the previous day and a dose of animosity set us up for the next challenge. Our team drilled down and rehearsed, using instructor advice which was given at lecture and during the previous mission. While not ultimately successful (we were taken out), we made several good decisions which increased our chances of survival under enemy contact. Even a brief victory encouraged us to develop further. These are skills which one should hone in peacetime.

In summary, this was my favorite MVT class thus far, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone interested in this content. You will learn what it takes to start on the path to competency and cut out the bull. The fieldcraft tips, real world lessons, food for thought, experience, and facilities are all things a prospective student can look forward to. It is difficult to find all this in one place in the civilian world. Take your chances on the future, or come to class and start learning what recon on a team is really about.

Ryan