Ranger Regiment (United Kingdom)

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For other military units with similar names, see Ranger (disambiguation) § United Kingdom.
Ranger Regiment
British Army Rangers Insignia.png
Cap badge of the Rangers
Active1 December 2021 – present
Country United Kingdom
Branch British Army
TypeSpecial operations-capable[1]
RoleSpecial operations
Unconventional Warfare
Security Force Assistance
Foreign internal defence
Counterinsurgency
SizeFour battalions
Approx. 1,000 personnel[2]
Part ofArmy Special Operations Brigade

The Ranger Regiment is a special operations-capable unit of the British Army which was formed on 1 December 2021 under the Future Soldier reform and is part of the Army Special Operations Brigade.[1][3] It is intended to be used primarily in an unconventional warfare and foreign internal defence capacity in a similar manner to the US Green Berets.[4]

History[]

On 22 March 2021, the Defence in a Competitive Age paper was released underlining the future of the British Armed Forces. As part of a wider reorganisation of the British Army, the following was announced:[5]

A new four-battalion Ranger Regiment will be formed in August 2021, seeded from the Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland; 2nd Battalion, Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment; 2nd Battalion, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment; and 4th Battalion, The Rifles. The new regiment will sit within the redesignated Specialised Infantry Group, becoming the Army Special Operations Brigade.

— British Army, Army Special Operations Brigade

Initially, the regiment is planned to be "based on four Infantry Battalions but selecting personnel from across the Army". The regiment's task will be as follows: "[It will be] designed to support and conduct special operations discreetly in high-risk environments".[5] According to a reporter of Forces News, the regiment will "conduct missions traditionally carried out by United Kingdom Special Forces (Special Air Service and Special Boat Service)".[6] During an interview with the (then) Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir Nick Carter, the rangers will be "special forces" and will "go beyond training, advising, and assisting" to "support local operations". He also stated the Ranger's functions will be similar to the United States Army's "Green Berets", a nickname for the US Army Special Forces.[7]

The regiment was initially due to form in August 2021, however this was subsequently postponed to 1 December 2021.[8]

In early 2022 soldiers from the regiment deployed as part of a UK government support package to the Ukraine.[9]

Regimental organisation[]

The regiment was formed on 1 December 2021 through the renaming of four of the existing Specialised Infantry battalions.[10] The ranger battalions are planned to be "all-arms" battalions and thus be open to anyone serving in the Army.[6][7][8]

1st Battalion[]

The 1st Battalion, Ranger Regiment (1 RANGERS) was formed on 1 December 2021 and falls under the Army Special Operations Brigade. The unit itself was formed following the disbandment and subsequent reformation of the Royal Scots Borderers (1st Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland). The battalion is currently based at, and will remain, at Palace Barracks in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It will restructure by April 2023.[11]

2nd Battalion[]

The 2nd Battalion, Ranger Regiment (2 RANGERS) was formed on 1 December 2021 and falls under the Army Special Operations Brigade. The unit itself was formed following the disbandment and subsequent reformation of the 2nd Battalion, Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment. The battalion is currently based at, and will remain, at Keogh Barracks just outside of Aldershot Garrison. It will restructure by April 2023.[11] The battalion includes F (Falklands) Company, which was formed on 18 November 2021 from personnel of the 3rd Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles.[12]

3rd Battalion[]

The 3rd Battalion, Ranger Regiment (3 RANGERS) was formed on 1 December 2021, and falls under the Army Special Operations Brigade. The unit itself was formed following the disbandment and subsequent reformation of the 2nd Battalion, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment. The battalion is currently based at Elizabeth Barracks, Pirbright but will move to Aldershot Garrison in 2027. It will restructure by April 2023.[11]

4th Battalion[]

The 4th Battalion, Ranger Regiment (4 RANGERS) was formed on 1 December 2021, and falls under the Army Special Operations Brigade. The unit itself was formed following the disbandment and subsequent reformation of the 4th Battalion, The Rifles. The battalion is currently based at, and will remain, at Normandy Barracks, Aldershot Garrison. It will restructure by April 2023.[11]

Training and selection[]

All applicants to the ranger regiment will have to undertake a two-week Cadre Course, followed by a six-week Ranger Course, before continuing with eight months of training at their battalion.[13]

Cap badge controversy[]

The badge of the Selous Scouts, said to bear a striking similarity to the badge of the Ranger Regiment.

The cap badge of the Ranger Regiment gained negative press for the regiment in British media after several British Army officers told journalists about their fears that the design was based on that of the Selous Scouts, a special forces unit of the Rhodesian Army that operated during the Rhodesian Bush War. [14] A number of Twitter users also responded to the Army's unveiling on twitter of the new badge design, commenting that it looked to them like a Nazi Reichsadler.[15] According to the Telegraph, an anonymous source from within the Ministry of Defence had read an email confirming that the Ranger Regiment's badge was indeed based on the same design as the Selous Scouts badge, and that some officers hoped to stop the badge from going into circulation.[14] The British Army states that the cap badge was inspired by the peregrine falcon, in particular due to its speed and agility and ability to operate in multiple environments.[16]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Defence in a Competitive Age (PDF). Ministry of Defence. March 2021. pp. 46, 68, 69. ISBN 9781528624626. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  2. ^ Haynes, Deborah (25 November 2011). "Defence secretary saves 500 troops from army cull, as new elite Ranger regiment is unveiled". Sky News. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  3. ^ British Army (25 November 2021). "Future Soldier Guide" (PDF). pp. 71–72. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  4. ^ "New British Army brigade: reshaping UK special operations for the better?". IISS. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  5. ^ a b "Future Soldier". www.army.mod.uk. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
  6. ^ a b Newton, Simon. "Soldiers To Take On Special Forces Roles In New Army Unit". Forces Network. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
  7. ^ a b "New Ranger Regiment To Be 'Open To Anybody In Armed Forces', CDS Says". Forces Network. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
  8. ^ a b "New Army Ranger Regiment: What We Know So Far". Forces Network. 25 November 2021. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
  9. ^ "British Army Sent Elite Rangers Troops to Ukraine". January 27, 2022.
  10. ^ "Ranger Regiment: What we know about Army's new elite force". Forces.net. 1 December 2021. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  11. ^ a b c d "Future Soldier Guide" (PDF). United Kingdom Parliamentary Publications. 25 November 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ^ "F (Falklands) Company, Second Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, Formation Parade 18th November 2021". Gurkha Brigade Association. Brigade of Gurkhas. 30 November 2021. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  13. ^ "Exclusive: Ranger Regiment selection process before taking on Special Forces roles". Forces News. 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  14. ^ a b Sheridan, Danielle (24 November 2021). "Fury as new Army regiment's cap badge 'identical' to apartheid terror squad". The Telegraph. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  15. ^ Cooke, Millie (25 November 2021). "British Army fury as new badge compared to Nazi and Apartheid death squad symbols". Express. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  16. ^ "Introducing the Army's latest cap badge: Ranger Regiment". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
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