science

REDCON

REDCON is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand REDCON rather than just read about it. In short: In the U.S. military, the term REDCON is short for Readiness Condition and is used to refer to a unit's readiness to respond to and engage in combat operations. There are five REDCON levels, as described below in this excerpt from Army Field Manual 71–1.

Key takeaways

REDCON belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect REDCON to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of REDCON from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

In the U.S. military, the term REDCON is short for Readiness Condition and is used to refer to a unit's readiness to respond to and engage in combat operations. There are five REDCON levels, as described below in this excerpt from Army Field Manual 71–1.

Overview REDCON-1: Full alert; unit ready to move and fight. WMD alarms and hot loop equipment stowed; OPs pulled in. (A hot loop is a field telephone circuit between the subunits of a company.) All personnel alert and mounted on vehicles; weapons manned. Engines started. Company team is ready to move immediately. REDCON-1.5 WMD alarms and hot loop equipment stowed; OPs pulled in. All personnel alert and mounted on vehicles; weapons manned. Company team is ready to move immediately. REDCON-2: Full alert; unit ready to fight. Equipment stowed (except hot loop and WMD alarms). Precombat checks complete. All personnel alert and mounted in vehicles; weapons manned & charged, round in chamber, weapon on safe. (NOTE: Depending on the tactical situation and orders from the commander, dismounted OPs may remain in place.) All (100 percent) digital and FM communications links operational. Status reports submitted in accordance with task force SOP. Company team is ready to move within 15 minutes of notification. REDCON-3: Reduced alert. Fifty percent of the unit executes work and rest plans. Remainder of the unit executes security plan. Based on the commander's guidance and the enemy situation, some personnel executing the security plan may execute portions of the work plan. Company team is ready to move within 30 minutes of notification. REDCON-4: Minimum alert. OPs manned; one soldier per platoon designated to monitor radio and man turret weapons. Digital and FM links with task force and other company teams maintained. Company team is ready to move within one hour of notification.

See also Alert state DEFCON Force Protection Condition Redcon (2016 game)

References

External links REDCON levels from Army Field Manual 71-1 on GlobalSecurity.org

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with REDCON

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what REDCON claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to REDCON before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about REDCON ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of REDCON

In research: REDCON appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses REDCON in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: REDCON is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Alert measurement systems, Military life, Military terminology of the United States, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for REDCON outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study REDCON in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what REDCON means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain REDCON out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is REDCON in simple terms?

Why does REDCON matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study REDCON?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on REDCON.