military
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
formation that is capable of fast
deployment
Deployment may refer to:
Engineering and software Concepts
* Blue-green deployment, a method of installing changes to a web, app, or database server by swapping alternating production and staging servers
* Continuous deployment, a software en ...
. Such forces typically consist of elite military units (
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 ...
,
paratrooper
A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during World ...
s,
marines
Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...
, etc.) and are usually trained at a higher intensity than the rest of their country's military. They usually receive priority in equipment and training to prepare them for their missions. A
quick reaction force
In military science nomenclature, a quick reaction force (QRF) is an armed military unit capable of rapidly responding to developing situations, typically to assist allied units in need of such assistance. They are to have equipment ready to re ...
(QRF) or
rapid reaction force
A rapid reaction force is a military or police unit designed to respond in very short time frames to emergencies. When used in reference to police forces such as SWAT teams, the time frame is minutes, while in military applications, such as with t ...
should not be confused with Rapid Deployment Forces (US) or Rapid Response (NATO). QRF units are most often units that react to local or regional issues within their area of jurisdiction, e.g. National Guard, militias, Forward Deployed, para-military forces, etc.
Rapid deployment forces in most militaries are used for deployment outside of their country's borders. The
US Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
's
82nd Airborne Division
The 82nd Airborne Division is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry division (military), division of the United States Army specializing in Paratrooper, parachute assault operations into denied areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops ...
,
75th Ranger Regiment
The 75th Ranger Regiment, also known as Army Rangers, is the U.S. Army's premier light infantry unit and special operations force within the United States Army Special Operations Command. The regiment is headquartered at Fort Benning, Georgi ...
and the 101st Airborne Division all share the responsibility of Rapid Deployment Forces. Both units have the mission of having combat troops "Wheels Up" (en route by aircraft) within 18 hours of executive notification. Both units have the capability of "Forced Entry" into a territory to seize and secure key terrain, e.g.
Drop Zone
A drop zone (DZ) is a place where parachutists or parachuted supplies land. It can be an area targeted for landing by paratroopers, or a base from which recreational parachutists and skydivers take off in aircraft and land under parachutes. In ...
(DZ), airfield or airport, to accommodate follow up forces. A good example of this was the
Operation Urgent Fury
The United States invasion of Grenada began at dawn on 25 October 1983. The United States and a coalition of six Caribbean nations invaded the island nation of Grenada, north of Venezuela. Codenamed Operation Urgent Fury by the U.S. military, ...
. The Rangers were at the staging base in
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...
in less than 18 hours from notification followed by the 82nd Airborne Division. The title of Rapid Deployment Forces is often associated with the
US Marines
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
. Members of the United States Marine Corps are stationed worldwide on ships, off the coasts of troubled regions and are already in place. That mission status usually places them into the category of "Forward Deployed" in the same manner as the United States Army's 2nd Infantry Division in the Republic of Korea (ROK) is forward-deployed on the
DMZ
A demilitarized zone (DMZ or DZ) is an area in which treaties or agreements between nations, military powers or contending groups forbid military installations, activities, or personnel. A DZ often lies along an established frontier or bounda ...
Egyptian Rapid deployment forces
The Rapid Deployment Forces (RDF) are one of the branches of the Egyptian Armed Forces. It was formed in March 2014 by the former defense minister field marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. It was formed due to the increasing threat of terrorist organi ...
*
Finnish Rapid Deployment Force
The Finnish Rapid Deployment Force (FRDF) ( fi, Suomen Kansainvälinen Valmiusjoukko) is the spearhead international force of the Finnish Defence Forces (FDF). It can also be used for national defence.
The force is trained to participate as part ...
(FRDF)
* /
Rapid Forces Division
The ''Division Schnelle Kräfte'' (Rapid Forces Division) formerly ''Division Spezielle Operationen'' (Special Operations Division) is an airborne division of the German Army. Its headquarters staff is based at Stadtallendorf. It was created as 1s ...
Indonesian Marine Corps
'' ("Glorious on the Land and Sea")
, colors =
, colors_label = Beret color
, march = Mars Korps Marinir
, mascot =
, equipment =
...
NATO Rapid Deployable Corps – Italy
The NATO Rapid Deployable Corps – Italy (NRDC-ITA) is a multi-national corps headquarters of the Italian Army. It was established in November 2001 as a High Readiness Force (HRF) of NATO. The staff of NRDC-ITA is located in Solbiate Olona, a few ...
Immediate Response Force
The Immediate Response Force (IRF) is a rapid deployment force jointly maintained by the United States Army and United States Air Force, which is capable of deploying worldwide within 18 hours of notification.
Background
By 1980, the United States ...
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Marine Expeditionary Unit
A Marine expeditionary unit (MEU, pronounced as one syllable "" IPA: ) is the smallest air-ground task force (MAGTF) in the United States Fleet Marine Force.What is a MEU? 22nd MEU website
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XVIII Airborne Corps
The XVIII Airborne Corps is a corps of the United States Army that has been in existence since 1942 and saw extensive service during World War II. The corps is designed for rapid deployment anywhere in the world and is referred to as "America ...
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75th Ranger Regiment
The 75th Ranger Regiment, also known as Army Rangers, is the U.S. Army's premier light infantry unit and special operations force within the United States Army Special Operations Command. The regiment is headquartered at Fort Benning, Georgi ...
Helsinki Headline Goal
The Helsinki Headline Goal was a military capability target set for 2003 during the December 1999 Helsinki European Council meeting with the aim of developing a future European Rapid Reaction Force. There was much interest in the idea of a singl ...
Force Catalogue
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European Union Battlegroups
An EU Battlegroup (EU BG) is a military unit adhering to the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) of the European Union (EU). Often based on contributions from a coalition of Member State of the European Union, member states, each of the ei ...
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NATO Response Force
The NATO Response Force (NRF) is a high-readiness force comprising land, air, sea and special forces units capable of being deployed quickly. Until February 2022, when NATO activated it in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine,JAMES KITFIEL(1 ...
See also
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Expeditionary warfare
Expeditionary warfare is a military invasion of a foreign territory, especially away from established bases. Expeditionary forces were in part the antecedent of the modern concept of rapid deployment forces. Traditionally, expeditionary forces w ...