"Terminology for different types of patrol" Topic

My reading suggests that a "patrol" in an occupied area can mean:

A: A cautious but "routine" affair to maintain a visual presence and being alert for potential trouble but nothing suspected.

B: Patrolling an area where intel says there's a high chance of troublemakers, with the explicit goal of drawing them out.

Is there proper terminology to distinguish between those two, in either yankee or brit English?

Please and thank you.

In the British Armed forces there are 3 main types of patrol. Reconnaissance patrol, Fighting patrol and Standing patrol.

What is the difference between the last two, foxweasel?

A standing patrol is generally used to provide security (OPs etc) A fighting patrol is for taking the fight to the enemy.

Thanks.

In US usage their are reconnaissance patrols and combat patrols.

Reconnaissance patrols include subset types of leaders reconnaissance, area, zone and routes. They are designed to find out information and are not intended to make contact. Units conducting recon patrols are not to allow themselves to become decisively engaged.

Combat patrols actively seek to gain contact with the enemy (or in some cases friendly units). Types of combat patrols are ambush, raid, security, and contact patrols (which can be tasked to make contact with frinedly or enemy elements).

Most useful, thanks guys :-)

I should specify that I am thinking specifically in an urban area as part of peace-keeping operations.

All I can add, at least from units I was with, was once we got into peace-keeping missions we added another category to combat and recon patrols: the 'presence' patrol, which is pretty much just to get your face out amongst the locals, build rapport and good will by hearing/seeing/listening to their problems and fixing them.

V/R,
Jack

During stability or peacekeeping operations the patrols would likely be either security or contact.

A security patrol might be tasked to patrol a specific route or area, show presence and deal with any hostile elements encountered. Dealing with enemy elements might mean detaining them, destroying them, or fixing them until a quick reaction force or reserve can be deployed to finish them.

A contact patrol might be tasked to move along route X to coordinate with host nation security forces or the UN (or doctors without borders, or other such group).

And there is also Combat Air Patrol, or CAP. Most likely F-15s flying high altitude orbits over a designated area with AWACS and tanker support. Purpose is to take out any enemy air that comes in the area.

During infantry training, a section was devoted to various types of patrols. This was in the 1970-1980.
The variations were numerous. A few examples include the establishing different types of ambushes, the recon of a village or future objective recon which mainly used the clock system.
Raids of different intensity level.
Rescue missions and many many more.

I never mind the ambush excercises. The worst excercises was the establishing of a base camp at night. You chose the worst terrain available normally on creek banks or in dense bush patches since these were the least likely areas for night time regular patrols would walk through.

Raids were fun if you were hitting an encampment or supply point.