NATO Multimedia

What does it take to be a recon trooper? Follow along with a NATO video producer as he finds out the hard way.

NATO’s recon soldiers have one of the most demanding and dangerous jobs in the Alliance: they scout far ahead of the main force, observing everything from terrain conditions, to weather, to the disposition of enemy forces. Pulling this off takes not just physical toughness, but the mental resilience to push through fatigue and discomfort to get the job done.
Every year, these soldiers gather in Estonia for the Admiral Pitka Recon Challenge, a gruelling four-day event that tasks soldiers with crossing 150 kilometres of terrain on foot, facing a myriad of obstacles along the way. To find out first-hand what it takes to be a recon trooper, Rob Kunzig, video producer for NATO, visited the competition, trying out some of the obstacles and realising that, as one Finnish solider puts it, it's the heart that matters most.

TRANSCRIPT (AUDIO AND TEXT ON SCREEN)

—VOICEOVER—
“They’re the eyes and ears of NATO’s forces. Their mission: to sneak behind enemy lines undetected and gather information, using stealth to survive. They’re reconnaissance troopers and they’re some of the hardest men and women in the Alliance. But filling these boots takes more than raw strength. It takes smarts. And that’s what I’m about to find out the hard way.”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
ROB KUNZIG, VIDEO PRODUCER FOR NATO
“I’m here in southern Estonia where NATO’s recon specialists are putting themselves to the test across a series of obstacles that will challenge both their bodies and their minds.”

— TEXT ON SCREEN —
THINK LIKE A RECON TROOPER

—VOICEOVER—
Every year, teams of reconnaissance, or recon, soldiers from across the Alliance come to Estonia for the Admiral Pitka Recon Challenge. Over four days, they have to cross 150 kilometres of dense Estonian forest. As if this weren’t enough, they also face a series of challenges, each designed to test the core skills of a recon soldier: physical strength, mental toughness and creative thinking.
These challenges are top secret, and they change every year. I’d been invited to try my hand at a few of them. Before beginning, however, I had a chat with a mischievous man named Marko, who had designed this year’s challenges.”

—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
ROB KUNZIG, VIDEO PRODUCER FOR NATO
“So, you get to decide exactly how much pain, and what kind of pain these guys are gonna go through.”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
SFC MARKO KERNA, ESTONIAN DEFENCE LEAGUE
“I’m enjoying it, actually, because I’m not the one on the track. There is a little enjoyment in that planning, so I know it will be hard.”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KUNZIG
“If you had any advice for these guys, or advice for me, since I’m going to be doing a few of these obstacles, what would it be?”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
MARKO
“Keep smiling.”
—VOICEOVER—
Just keep smiling. That sounded easy enough. Before the recon teams head into the forest, they go through a thorough kit check. The thick Baltic woods can be a lot to handle, so having the right gear is important. Everything they’ll need for the next four days will be carried on their backs.
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KUNZIG
“So, what is the most important thing for these guys to carry with them during the challenge?”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
CPL SAMULI RABINOWITSCH, FINNISH ARMY
“Well, they need to have a big heart. That’s the thing that will carry you. All the rest is just helping you going. But without the heart and the guts, you can’t make it.”
—VOICEOVER—
“Heart? Check. Guts? Check. Off to my first recon challenge, which happened to be a river crossing. Recon troopers have to move across all types of terrain, and for long-range patrols, staying dry is important. That’s why, for this challenge, they’ll have to haul themselves and their gear across the creek without touching the water. I watched as teams from the US and the UK tackled the challenge.”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KUNZIG
“What would you say is the main thing that distinguishes a recon soldier from just an ordinary rifleman?”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
LCPL LEWIS KNOWLES, BRITISH ARMY
“Just, as we like to say, do the basics,
but do them well. And just being good at your job. Fit, robust. And just get a crack on with your job.”
—VOICEOVER—
“Alright, then. Time for me to crack on and get across this creek. I didn’t have any teammates, so an Estonian soldier gave me a helping hand.
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
ESTONIAN SOLDIER
“I’ll go first.”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KUNZIG
“He made that look easy. Two ammo boxes across, so now I have to, uh ... get myself across. Alright, so how do I climb over?”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
ESTONIAN SOLIDER
“Just the way I did.”
—VOICEOVER—
“This was it. Time to put up, or shut up.”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
ESTONIAN SOLIDER
“Yeah, we good.”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KUNZIG
“Alright, so how did I do?”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
ESTONIAN SOLIDER
“Little bit faster moving on the initiative, but otherwise was really good.”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KUNZIG
“Faster moving? I did that as fast as I could.”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
ESTONIAN SOLIDER
“It’s not fast enough, man.”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KUNZIG
“Alright, not fast enough for recon.”

—VOICEOVER—
“Maybe I wasn’t fast enough. But recon soldiers need more than raw speed and strength. They need brainpower too. When they’re on a mission, scouts need to think clearly and notice everything. Giving their commanders an inaccurate or incomplete report could spell doom for Allied forces. There’s little room for error, even when they’re wet, cold and exhausted. My next challenge would put those skills to the test.”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KURT KÕIV, ESTONIAN DEFENCE LEAGUE
“So it’s a task based on memory. And replication.”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KUNZIG
“Uh-oh.”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KÕIV
“Over there, in two ditches, we have two shelves. One of the shelves is filled with equipment you have to memorise.”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KUNZIG
“Oh no.”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KÕIV
“And because just doing memory is too easy, we’re gonna give you a little extra task. So the memorisation has to be done while running. Running is mandatory.”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KUNZIG
“So wait, I have to run around the cordoned-off area and then memorise stuff on a shelf?
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KÕIV
“Yeah.”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KUNZIG
“Okay.”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KÕIV
“In the second area, the equipment is on the ground. And the shelf is empty. And over there, you have to replicate the first shelf.”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KUNZIG
“So what does this have to do with recon?”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KÕIV
“Recon units are usually the ones behind lines taking direct enemy fire, because they’re the first point of contact. So you have to be able to make decisions quickly, you have to be able to multitask. There’s a definite combination of both physical and mental fortitude necessary.”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KUNZIG
“Alright, I’m ready. Let’s go.
Ready!
Alright, bottom shelf. Helmet, boot. What?
Okay, facing left side. Helmet, boot, towel. Ah, it’s hopeless. Helmet, boot, towel. Beanie. Shoe polish. Thermos, waffle top. Uh … spoon and fork.”
—VOICEOVER—
“Why was this so hard? I couldn’t seem to keep these everyday items, or their order, in my head. My heart was pounding, and with the judges watching and the clock ticking, the pressure was on. With my time almost up, I had to recreate the shelves from memory.”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KUNZIG
“Right. Wait, where was the waffle top? Where was the waffle top?”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
EVENT JUDGE
“Three, two, one …”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KUNZIG
“Done.”
—VOICEOVER—
“Nailed it. I think.”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KUNZIG
“How did I do?”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
EVENT JUDGE
“You got four.”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KUNZIG
“Four correct?”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
EVENT JUDGE
“Yeah. Out of 30.”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KUNZIG
“Oh, so that’s not a passing grade, is it? Well… ”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
EVENT JUDGE
“Yeah… ”
—VOICEOVER—
“Yet another reminder that one does not simply walk into Estonia and expect to become a recon trooper. This wasn’t easy. But of course it wasn’t. Throughout NATO’s militaries, recon troopers are specially selected for their physical and mental toughness. Their job is to push far ahead of the main force, gathering information on everything from the terrain, to the weather, to the strength of their opponent. They’re expected to do this while surrounded by enemies and cut off from support, with little hope of rescue if they’re caught. So no wonder it isn’t all a walk in the park. If I wanted to keep up with the scouts, I needed to dig deep down and find some of the courage and willpower that keep these men and women going.
On to the next test: an obstacle course. Pretty standard stuff for a solider, but this one had an added twist: it was almost entirely uphill.”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KUNZIG
“Sometimes, being a recon soldier just means being strong. And gutting through really arduous physical tasks.”
—VOICEOVER—
“Time to give it a shot.
As I gasped and wheezed my way through the course, I couldn’t help but think about what this would be like for the recon troopers, who would be running it on little food and even less sleep.
Recon troopers need to be ready for anything, and at the end of the course, I had to be ready to take off my clothes and swim across a lake.”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KUNZIG
“OK, yeah, cool. Alright. When in Rome.”
—VOICEOVER—
“I put my boots in a bin bag, and left my dignity on the shore.”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KUNZIG
“No applause?”
—VOICEOVER—
“Tough crowd, I guess. Safe to say, I was now ready to go home. But before I could take off my boots for good, I had one final challenge, one the judges would only describe as mind games. How hard could it be? After a quick rest, I went to find out.”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KUNZIG
“It’s a little after five in the morning, but beyond that I have no idea why I’m here.”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
CORPORAL KRISTJAN KOPPEL, ESTONIAN DEFENCE LEAGUE
“This bus is where your three companions are kept in captivity. And your task is to free them.”
—VOICEOVER—
“In this mind game, I would have to free some imaginary prisoners by solving a series of puzzles. For the wet, tired recon teams coming to this task after a long night of marching, this would be a challenge of brains over brawn, concentration over utter fatigue.”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KUNZIG
“I’m ready, I guess. As ready as I’m gonna be.
We have three cells, each one has, like, a … has a padlock with a four-digit code, and there’s a cipher. And I have to essentially solve a series of puzzles to get the cipher.
This is … this is a nightmare. Alright.
Find a number? Oh God, I have to do a crossword puzzle?
I’m not seeing it.
Mr. Smith has 4 daughters. Every daughter has a brother. How many children does Mr. Smith have?
So 5. Alright. So that’s a 5.
—VOICEOVER—
The clock was ticking.
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
ESTONIAN SOLDIER
“Tick tock, Rob.”
—VOICEOVER—
Safe to say, I was running out of chill.
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KUNZIG
“It’s really easy to do this with a camera pointing at me, and people shouting at me.
Yeah, I don’t know. I think they’re dead.”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KOPPEL
“Time is up, yeah.”
—VOICEOVER—
Zero teammates freed. Mission failed.
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KUNZIG
“Wow. I mean, that really underscores the sort of complexities and the challenges of complex thinking under pressure.”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KOPPEL
“Sometimes you have to just … exhale.”
—VOICEOVER—
Though this was just a game, I felt defeated. I was tired, sure. But when put under pressure, I’d failed. It was a clear reminder of the real-world stakes faced by NATO’s recon teams. A foggy brain or sluggish decision-making could mean the difference between life and death.”

—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
KUNZIG
“Going into this, I thought that recon was more of a carry a heavy pack over long distances, like a physical endurance game. But the more we go through these obstacles, I realise it’s as much a mind game. And success depends on your ability to endure physical stress and also be able to think clearly at the same time.”

END