Collecting information from a combatant engaged in combat (even if by radio) is very far from spying. It may be casually referred to as spying in the sense tha

Collecting information from a combatant engaged in combat (even if by radio) is very far from spying. It may be casually referred to as spying in the sense that they target doesn't know about it, but it really isn't espionage to just listen and look. If we send a uniformed sniper in to look around, it is reconnaissance. If we dress him up and give him papers to fit in with the locals he is now a spy.