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The Light Reaction Regiment is the premier counter-terrorist unit of the
Philippine Army The Philippine Army (PA) ( Tagalog: ''Hukbong Katihan ng Pilipinas''; in literal English: ''Army of the Ground of the Philippines''; in literal Spanish: ''Ejército de la Tierra de la Filipinas'') is the main, oldest and largest branch of the ...
. It was formerly known as the Light Reaction Battalion and Light Reaction Company. Due to its specialization in counter-terrorism operations and its formation with the assistance of American advisers, the Light Reaction Regiment has been sometimes referred to as the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
'
Delta Force The 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta (1st SFOD-D), referred to variously as Delta Force, Combat Applications Group (CAG), Army Compartmented Elements (ACE), "The Unit", or within Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), Task Fo ...
. The LRR is part of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Special Operations Command (AFPSOCOM).


History

The Light Reaction Regiment can trace its origins back to the year 2000 when non-commissioned officers from the Scout Rangers and 1st Special Forces Regiment (Airborne) were trained by American military advisers from the 1st Battalion,
1st Special Forces Group The 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) (1st SFG) (A) is a unit of the U.S. Army Special Forces operating under the United States Pacific Command. It is designed to deploy and execute nine doctrinal missions throughout the Indo-Pacific Command a ...
. The former LRC, whose members were first drawn from the Scout Rangers and 1st Special Forces Regiment were given further training during the 2002
Balikatan Exercise Balikatan is the most prominent annual military exercise between the Philippines and the United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country ...
exercises held from February to July 2001, by American special forces insructors from Company B, 1st BN, 1st SFG based in Okinawa.https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR1200/RR1236/RAND_RR1236.pdf After years of training under American instructors, the LRC was officially activated on February 1, 2004 and was tasked to be deployed in
Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...
in order to combat Abu Sayyaf Group terrorists responsible for abducting several foreign hostages, with the unit conducting an operation to rescue Gracia Burnham from Abu Sayyaf terrorists. Further exercises had been conducted during the 2006 Balikatan exercises. The LRC had been involved in a rescue operation conducted on a kidnapped Italian priest named Giancarlo Bossi by armed men from a rogue MILF group in 2007. The unit was involved in the aftermath of the Manila Peninsula rebellion, where they had been deployed to
Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
to deter any other
Coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
attempts. LRC forces have been deployed to
Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...
to conduct anti-terrorist operations in the region. The unit changed its name from the Light Reaction Company to the Light Reaction Battalion in 2008. 50 members of the unit, including 3 officers, were suspended on 9 February 2008, when elements of the LRB came under investigation for the alleged possible killing of innocent civilians on 4 February 2008 during operations in
Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...
against the
MILF MILF (, as if read as "milf") is an acronym that stands for "Mother I'd Like to Fuck". This abbreviation is used in colloquial English, instead of the whole phrase. It connotes an older woman considered sexually attractive, typically one who has ...
, known as the Ipil Incident.https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/eoir/legacy/2013/06/13/icg_05142008.pdf The unit was cleared of any wrongful doing since the investigation subsequently linked the killings to misinformation provided by an unreliable informant, who was involved in a clan feud and wanted to use the operation to get rid of a rival clan. In 2014, the unit was again renamed into the Light Reaction Regiment due to its heroic stand in Zamboanga in September 2013. Its elevation to a full regiment was formally sanctioned by Defense Secretary Gazmin on January 16, 2014. A further three companies have been authorized to be added to the already existing three, bringing the total end strength of the regiment up to 600 soldiers. This could prove difficult for the unit as it has almost always been understrength. When deployed to Zamboanga in 2013, the LRB was at only 40% strength.


Recent activity

All 3 companies were deployed to Zamboanga City in September, 2013 and led over 3,000 soldiers and police deployed in the siege. The terrain proved tough for the other units used to fighting rebels in the jungles and remote, uphill areas. The Light Reaction Regiment (still a Battalion at the time) consisted of battle tested soldiers recruited from the Army's elite fighting units, the Scout Rangers and the
Special Forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...
. The unit was undermanned throughout the operation, only being at 40% authorized manpower and had to be augmented by 45 SEALs from the navy's Naval Special Operations Group. Despite the setbacks, the operation was a success, but it cost the lives of 9 LRB soldiers with a further 37 wounded. In 2014, the LRR conducted a
trojan horse The Trojan Horse was a wooden horse said to have been used by the Greeks during the Trojan War to enter the city of Troy and win the war. The Trojan Horse is not mentioned in Homer's ''Iliad'', with the poem ending before the war is concluded, ...
operation at a
drag race Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most c ...
to either kill or capture
Abu Sayyaf Abu Sayyaf (; ar, جماعة أبو سياف; ', ASG), officially known by the Islamic State as the Islamic State – East Asia Province, is a Jihadist militant and pirate group that follows the Wahhabi doctrine of Sunni Islam. It is based i ...
target Sihata Latip, who was wanted for kidnapping 21 people in
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
in 2000. He went on to conduct a string of kidnappings in the Philippines over subsequent years, but as the Philippines got better at counter terrorism operation, the Islamists were cut off from overseas international terrorist finance networks, particularly the ones originating in
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
and in order to make up for this loss in income, they engage in kidnapping for ransom. The 24 LRR soldiers trained for a week to execute the mission. They dressed up as if going to a Muslim wedding, rented local jeeps and decorated it. Some soldiers dressed up as women to avoid raising suspicion. One soldier with a
M249 light machine gun The M249 light machine gun (LMG), also known as the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW), which continues to be the manufacturer's designation, and formally written as Light Machine Gun, 5.56 mm, M249, is the American adaptation of the Belgian F ...
dressed as a pregnant woman, but forgot to shave on the day of the operation and had to loan a
hand fan A handheld fan, or simply hand fan, is any broad, flat surface that is waved back-and-forth to create an airflow. Generally, purpose-made handheld fans are folding fans, which are shaped like a sector of a circle and made of a thin material (suc ...
from one of the female soldiers on the base to cover his
goatee A goatee is a style of facial hair incorporating hair on one's chin but not the cheeks. The exact nature of the style has varied according to time and culture. Description Until the late 20th century, the term ''goatee'' was used to refer solel ...
. On the way to the drag race one of the jeeps broke down. The commander of the operation decided to go on with the mission with only one jeep and 13 men. When they arrived at the drag race, the LRR operators identified their
High Value Target In United States military terminology, a high-value target (HVT) is the term given to a person or resource that an enemy commander requires to complete a mission. The term has been widely used in the news media for Osama Bin Laden and high-ranking ...
from about 50 civilians and terrorists, approached and drew weapons. A firefight ensued in which the target was killed, but at the loss of a LRR operator who got shot in the neck. The operators loaded up the two bodies and made their getaway, while being shot at by
Abu Sayyaf Abu Sayyaf (; ar, جماعة أبو سياف; ', ASG), officially known by the Islamic State as the Islamic State – East Asia Province, is a Jihadist militant and pirate group that follows the Wahhabi doctrine of Sunni Islam. It is based i ...
and
Moro Islamic Liberation Front The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF; ar, ''Jabhat Taḥrīr Moro al-ʾIslāmiyyah'') is a group based in Mindanao seeking an autonomous region of the Moro people from the central government. The group has a presence in the Bangsamoro r ...
. In May 2017, the regiment spearheaded the army's counter terrorism effort in the
Marawi crisis The siege of Marawi ( fil, Pagkubkob sa Marawi), also known as the Marawi crisis (), and the Battle of Marawi (), was a five-month-long armed conflict in Marawi, Philippines, that started on May 23, 2017, between Philippine government securit ...
, clearing out the enemy house by house. On September 4, 2018, the U.S. Counterterrorism Train and Equip Program provided more than 5 million rounds of ammunition worth Php117.4 million ($2.2 million), most of them being used by the LRR. In May 4, 2020, Col. Monico E. Abang was appointed at the LRR's commander, taking over from Brig. Gen. Monico S. Batle.


Structure

The LRR consists of a Headquarters, a Headquarters Company and three Light Reaction Companies in 2004 with 400 operators.


Training

The LRR recruits from experienced Scout Rangers and Special Forces Regiment operators. The LRR conducts training with American special forces personnel via bilateral exercises. At least one LRR operator was involved in cross training with the Australian SASR. The unit has trained with British, Indonesian and Malaysian special forces units.


Equipment

M4 and HK416 carbines are used by the LRR as their standard assault rifles. The SR-25 is used by the LRR as their sniper rifle.


References

{{Philippine Army regular units and formations Special forces of the Philippines Regiments of the Philippines Military units and formations established in 2001 Military units and formations established in 2014 Counterterrorist organizations Philippine Army 2001 establishments in the Philippines