The Scout Rangers, known officially as the First Scout Ranger Regiment,https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2011/11/26/751758/scout-rangers-legend-continues is a

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 ...

unit specializing in anti-guerrilla

jungle warfare Jungle warfare is a term used to cover the special techniques needed for military units to survive and fight in jungle terrain. It has been the topic of extensive study by military strategists, and was an important part of the planning for bo ...

, raids, ambushes, close quarters combat, urban warfare and sabotage. Their headquarters is based at Camp Pablo Tecson in San Miguel, Bulacan. The regiment is also known as Musangs (Scout Rangers in English)

History

The First Scout Ranger Regiment was formed on November 25, 1950, under the command of former AFP Vice Chief of Staff and Defense Secretary Rafael M. Ileto The unit was modelled after the

Alamo Scouts The Alamo Scouts (U.S. 6th Army Special Reconnaissance Unit) was a reconnaissance unit of the Sixth United States Army in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II. The unit is best known for its role in liberating American prisone ...

and the

US Army Rangers United States Army Rangers, according to the US Army's definition, are personnel, past or present, in any unit that has the official designation "Ranger". The term is commonly used to include graduates of the US Army Ranger School, even if t ...

. The FSSR was created due to a growing need to counter the Hukbalahap guerrillas with a force trained in small unit actions. Initially known as the Scout Ranger Training Unit (SRTU), they were made up of 5 man teams, made up of one officer and 4 enlisted men. SRTU teams used deep penetration tactics to infiltrate Huk-held territory and take out their units. In 1954, the Army decided to combine all active SRTU units into the 1st Scout Ranger Regiment. The Scout Rangers participated in the December 1989 coup attempt against the administration of Corazon Aquino.antonioAbaya_july20_2006 One Brave Man.
Retrieved on November 4, 2008. Led by then Captain Danilo Lim, Major Abraham Purugganan and Lieutenant Colonel Rafael Galvez, some 2500 Rangers took over

Makati Makati ( ), officially the City of Makati ( fil, Lungsod ng Makati), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Makati is the financial center of the Philippines; it has the highest concentration ...

in the most destructive coup attempt against the Aquino administration, which left hundreds of civilians and soldiers dead, and hundreds more injured. The Scout Rangers played a major role in capturing the

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 ...

(MILF) rebel camp during the 2000 all-out war against the MILF. During the

Battle of Marawi 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 security ...

of 2017, Scout Rangers were the first elite units deployed with the 1st Infantry Division to neutralize the

Islamic State An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...

-inspired groups the Maute and

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 base ...

and their leaders

Isnilon Hapilon Isnilon Totoni Hapilon (March 10, 1968 – October 16, 2017), also known by the ''nom de guerre'' Abu Abdullah al-Filipini, was a Moro Filipino Islamist militant affiliated with ISIS. He was formerly leader of Abu Sayyaf Group, before its bat ...

and the Maute brothers. During the battle, the Rangers incurred many casualties including a veteran Captain of the

battle of Zamboanga city The Zamboanga City crisis (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Krisis sa Zamboanga;'' Chavacano language, Chavacano: ''Crisis na Zamboanga'') or Zamboanga Siege was an armed conflict in Zamboanga City, Philippines between the government forces of ...

. A Scout Ranger is credited with killing Hapilon during the final stages of battle. President Duterte was awarded the SR badge in 2017.

Organization

Units

The following are subordinate battalions and companies of the First Scout Rangers.

Battalions

* 1st Scout Ranger Battalion * 2nd Scout Ranger Battalion * 3rd Scout Ranger Battalion * 4th Scout Ranger Battalion * 5th Scout Ranger Battalion

Companies

* 1st Scout Ranger Company "''Reconnaissance''" * 2nd Scout Ranger Company "'' Venceremos''" ( Sp., "We will win") * 3rd Scout Ranger Company "''Terminator''" * 4th Scout Ranger Company "''Final Option''" * 5th Scout Ranger Company "''Salaknib''" ( Iloko, "Shield") * 6th Scout Ranger Company "''The Cutting Edge''" * 7th Scout Ranger Company "''

In Hoc Signo Vinces "''In hoc signo vinces''" (, ) is a Latin phrase conventionally translated into English as "In this sign thou shalt conquer". The Latin phrase itself renders, rather loosely, the Greek phrase "", transliterated as "''en toútōi níka''" ( ...

''" ( L., "Under this sign thou shalt conquer") * 8th Scout Ranger Company "''Destruere Hostis Deus''" (L., "Destroy the enemy of God") * 9th Scout Ranger Company "''Angát sa Ibá!''" ( Tag., "Above all others!") * 10th Scout Ranger Company "''We Lead''" (Ultimus Fortis) * 11th Scout Ranger Company "''Pericoloso''" ( It., "Dangerous") * 12th Scout Ranger Company "''Always Ready''" * 13th Scout Ranger Company "''Warrior''" * 14th Scout Ranger Company "''Mabalasik''" (Tag., "Fierce") * 15th Scout Ranger Company "''Mandirigmâ''" (Tag., "Fighters" or "Warriors") * 16th Scout Ranger Company "''Mabangís''" (Tag., "Vicious") * 17th Scout Ranger Company "''Mapanganib''" (Tag., "Dangerous") * 18th Scout Ranger Company "''Makamandág''" (Tag., "Venomous") * 19th Scout Ranger Company "''Dimalupig''" (Tag., "Unbeatable") * 20th Scout Ranger Company "''Hellcat''" * 21st Scout Ranger Company "''Mapangahas''" (Tag., "Fearless") * 22nd Scout Ranger Company "''Cul Peri Duro''" (Tag., "Strike Hard")

Training

In November 2021, the Scout Rangers have conducted joint training with Kopassus operators.

References

Bibliography

* Dennis V. Eclarin, ''Scout Ranger Combat Guide (Third Edition)'', 2003, The Philippine Star. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Scout Ranger Regiment Special forces of the Philippines Counterterrorist organizations Regiments of the Philippines Military units and formations established in 1950 Philippine Army