The Ranger Regiment is a special operations-capable unit of the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
which was formed on 1 December 2021 under the
Future Soldier
Future Soldier was a multi-nation military project by the United States and its allies launched in the late 1990s.
Set-up
Superiority to enemy ground forces will be achieved by equipping the average ground-based combat soldier with an integ ...
reform and is part of the
Army Special Operations Brigade
The Army Special Operations Brigade (Army Spec Ops Bde) (previously called the Specialised Infantry Group) is a formation of the British Army, initially created as a result of the Army 2020 Refine reorganisation, intended to Military advisor, tr ...
.
It is intended to be used primarily in an
unconventional warfare
Unconventional warfare (UW) is broadly defined as "military and quasi-military operations other than conventional warfare" and may use covert forces, subversion, or guerrilla warfare. This is typically done to avoid escalation into conventional ...
and
foreign internal defence capacity in a similar manner to the US
Green Berets
The United States Army Special Forces (SF), colloquially known as the "Green Berets" due to their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force of the United States Army.
The Green Berets are geared towards nine doctrinal mis ...
.
History
On 22 March 2021, the
Defence in a Competitive Age
''Defence in a Competitive Age'' is a Ministry of Defence command paper which was released on 22 March 2021. It provided details on changes to the armed forces to meet the requirements of the Integrated Review which was published before it on 16 ...
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:
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: "
t will bedesigned to support and conduct special operations discreetly in high-risk environments".
According to a reporter of Forces News, the regiment will "conduct missions traditionally carried out by
United Kingdom Special Forces
The United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF) is a directorate comprising the Special Air Service, the Special Boat Service, the Special Reconnaissance Regiment, the Special Forces Support Group, 18 (UKSF) Signal Regiment and the Joint Special Force ...
(
Special Air Service and
Special Boat Service
The Special Boat Service (SBS) is the special forces unit of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. The SBS can trace its origins back to the Second World War when the Army Special Boat Section was formed in 1940. After the Second World War, the Roya ...
)".
During an interview with the (then)
Chief of the Defence Staff,
General
A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...
Sir Nick Carter
General Sir Nicholas Patrick Carter, (born 11 February 1959) is a Kenyan-born former senior British Army officer who served as Chief of the Defence Staff from June 2018 to November 2021.
Carter served as commanding officer of 2nd Battalion, ...
, 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
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
's "
Green Berets
The United States Army Special Forces (SF), colloquially known as the "Green Berets" due to their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force of the United States Army.
The Green Berets are geared towards nine doctrinal mis ...
", a nickname for the US Army Special Forces.
The regiment was initially due to form in August 2021, however this was subsequently postponed to 1 December 2021.
In early 2022 soldiers from the regiment deployed as part of a UK government support package to
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
. In February 2022 soldiers from the regiment deployed to
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
to conduct training with the Ghanaian Special Operations Brigade, in preparation for a major exercise as well as to help them eliminate threats originating from their border regions.
Regimental organisation
The regiment was formed on 1 December 2021 through the renaming of four of the existing Specialised Infantry battalions. All four battalions were formed on 1 December 2021 and fall under the Army Special Operations Brigade,
operationally they are aligned to regions around the globe.
SOLDIER
A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer.
Etymology
The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...
Magazine
August 2022, Pg 34 All battalions will restructure by April 2023.
1st Battalion
The 1st Battalion, Ranger Regiment (1 RANGER) was previously the
Royal Scots Borderers
The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland (1 SCOTS) was an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The battalion formed on 1 August 2006 when its antecedent regiments - the Royal Scots and the King's O ...
(1st Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland). The battalion is based at
Palace Barracks
Palace Barracks, Holywood is a British Army installation in Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland.
History
Palace Barracks occupies the site of a palatial house known as "Ardtullagh", the home of the Bishop of Down, Connor and Dromore until i ...
in
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...
,
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
.
It is regionally aligned to West Africa.
2nd Battalion
The 2nd Battalion, Ranger Regiment (2 RANGER) was previously the 2nd Battalion,
Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment
The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (or PWRR, also known as 'The Tigers') is the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, second in the line infantry order of precedence to the Royal Regiment of Scotland and part of the Q ...
. The battalion is based at
Keogh Barracks
Keogh Barracks is a military installation on Mytchett Place Road, Mytchett, Surrey, England.
History
The barracks were commissioned to accommodate the Army School of Hygiene and are named after Sir Alfred Keogh, a former Director-General of Ar ...
,
Ash Vale
Ash Vale is a village in the borough of Guildford in Surrey, England and the larger, northern settlement of the civil parish of Ash. It is 7 miles (11 km) from Guildford but is closer to the Hampshire towns of Aldershot and Farnborough, the ...
, Surrey. The battalion includes F (Falklands) Company, which was formed on 18 November 2021 from the
Royal Gurkha Rifles
The Royal Gurkha Rifles (RGR) is a rifle regiment of the British Army, forming part of the Brigade of Gurkhas. Unlike other regiments in the British Army, RGR soldiers are recruited from Nepal, which is neither a dependent territory of the Unite ...
.
It is regionally aligned to East Africa.
3rd Battalion
The 3rd Battalion, Ranger Regiment (3 RANGER) was previously the 2nd Battalion,
Duke of Lancaster's Regiment
The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's, Lancashire and Border) (LANCS) is an infantry regiment of the line within the British Army, part of the King's Division. Headquartered in Preston, it recruits throughout the North West of England. The Du ...
. The battalion is currently based at Elizabeth Barracks,
Pirbright
Pirbright ( ) is a village in Surrey, England. Pirbright is in the borough of Guildford and has a civil parish council covering the traditional boundaries of the area. Pirbright contains one buffered sub-locality, Stanford Common near the nati ...
, but will move to Aldershot Garrison in 2027.
It is regionally aligned to Europe.
4th Battalion
![4th_Battalion,_Ranger_Regiment_formation_parade](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/4th_Battalion%2C_Ranger_Regiment_formation_parade.jpg)
The 4th Battalion, Ranger Regiment (4 RANGER) was previously the 4th Battalion,
The Rifles
The Rifles is an infantry regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of four Regular battalions and three Reserve battalions, plus a number of companies in other Army Reserve battalions. Each battalion of The Rifles was formerl ...
. The battalion is based at Normandy Barracks, Aldershot Garrison. The battalion includes G (Coriano) Company, which was formed on 31 January 2020 as part of 3rd Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles. It is regionally aligned to the Middle East.
Training and selection
The Ranger battalions are planned to be "all-arms" battalions and thus be open to anyone serving in the Army, providing that they have served for 18 months from completing basic training.
SOLDIER
A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer.
Etymology
The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...
Magazine, August 2022, Pg 33
All applicants to the ranger regiment will have to undertake a two-week ''Cadre Course'' at the
Sennybridge Training Area
The Sennybridge Training Area (SENTA) is a UK Ministry of Defence military training area near the village of Sennybridge in Powys, Wales. It consists of approximately 31,000 acres (12,000 ha) of Ministry of Defence freehold land and 6,000 acres ...
,
followed by a six-week ''Ranger Course'', before continuing with eight months of training at their battalion.
Cap badge controversy
![Selous-Scouts-cap-badge](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Selous-Scouts-cap-badge.png)
After it was revealed to the public, the
cap badge of the Ranger Regiment was the subject of a controversy after some commentators claimed it bore a resemblance to the badge of the
Selous Scouts
The Selous Scouts was a special forces unit of the Rhodesian Army that operated during the Rhodesian Bush War from 1973 until the reconstitution of the country as Zimbabwe in 1980. It was mainly responsible for infiltrating the black majority ...
, a
special forces unit of the
Rhodesian Army
The Rhodesian Security Forces were the military forces of the Rhodesian government. The Rhodesian Security Forces consisted of a ground force (the Rhodesian Army), the Rhodesian Air Force, the British South Africa Police, and various personnel ...
which operated during the
Rhodesian Bush War
The Rhodesian Bush War, also called the Second as well as the Zimbabwe War of Liberation, was a civil conflict from July 1964 to December 1979 in the unrecognised country of Rhodesia (later Zimbabwe-Rhodesia).
The conflict pitted three for ...
. A ''
Daily Telegraph'' article claimed that several British Army officers who were privy to the discussions over the creation of the Ranger Regiment's beret were concerned that the new cap badge were potentially based on the badge of the Selous Scouts and unsuccessfully attempted to change the design. An anonymous source in the
Ministry of Defence told the ''Daily Telegraph'' that "An officer said he had seen an email saying that it was actually based on the Selous Scouts... There’s obvious differences but it’s f------ close and clearly based on it." However, the British Army rejected such claims, with an army spokesman stating that "The Ranger Regiment cap badge has been designed around the peregrine falcon. Any comparison or association to the osprey depicted in the Selous Scouts’ cap badge is completely inaccurate. The Ranger Regiment is very proud of its new cap-badge which takes inspiration and spirit from the peregrine falcon; fast, agile and fiercely loyal to its partner, it operates around the world in all environments including deserts, mountains and cities."
References
{{United Kingdom Special Forces
21st-century military history of the United Kingdom
Future Soldier
British Army
Military units and formations established in 2021
Infantry regiments of the British Army
British Army Rangers