The Army Special Operations Brigade (Army Spec Ops Bde) (previously called the Specialised Infantry Group) is a formation 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 ...

, initially created as a result of the

Army 2020 Refine Army 2020 Refine was the name given to the restructuring of the British Army, in light of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015. Army 2020 Refine The Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 announced that the structure of the Reac ...

reorganisation, intended to train foreign forces. Its name and role was adapted after 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 ...

reforms, to a unit that not only trains partner nations, but also fights alongside them in ''"''complex high-threat environments''"''.

History

Specialised Infantry Group

The group was formed to work alongside partner forces, a role which has similarities to that of the US Army Security Force Assistance Brigades. Initially formed in October 2017 with 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 formerly ...

(4 Rifles) and Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion,

Royal Regiment of Scotland The Royal Regiment of Scotland is the British Army Order of Precedence, senior and only Scottish regiment, Scottish line infantry regiment of the British Army Infantry. It consists of three regular (formerly five) and two Army Reserve (United ...

(1 Scots). in July 2018, the 2nd Battalion,

Princess of Wales' Royal Regiment Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subst ...

was added to the Group. and in January 2019, a fourth battalion, 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 ...

, was added and this was followed by the 3rd Battalion,

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 ...

in 2020. In February 2018, 4 Rifles deployed for the first time to

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

to work with the

Kuwait Army The Kuwait Army, established in 1949, is the oldest armed branch among the military of Kuwait. Its cavalry and infantry predecessors operated in desert and metropolitan areas in 1919, 1920 and 1928 to 1938, tracing their roots directly to the ca ...

and

Kuwait National Guard The Kuwait National Guard or National Guard (KNG) ( ar, الحرس الوطني الكويتي) is an independent combat institution tasked mainly with the defense of the country and its territories.

. R Company, It also trained the Afghan Army and forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. In July 2018, C Company from the 2 PWRR was dispatched to Nigeria, where 1 Scots also trained the

Nigerian Army The Nigerian Army (NA) is the land force of the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is governed by the Nigerian Army Council (NAC). The Chief of Army Staff is the highest ranking military officer of the Nigerian Army. History Formation The Nigerian ...

for their fight against

Boko Haram Boko Haram, officially known as ''Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād'' ( ar, جماعة أهل السنة للدعوة والجهاد, lit=Group of the People of Sunnah for Dawah and Jihad), is an Islamic terrorist organization ...

Army Special Operations Brigade

In August 2021 the group was re-designated as the Army Special Operations Brigade, with the four battalions of the newly created Ranger Regiment, plus two reinforcement companies from the Royal Gurkha Rifles, under its command, along with 255 Signal Squadron of the

Royal Corps of Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS or R SIGS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communi ...

providing

communications Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inquir ...

, and 1 Squadron

Honourable Artillery Company The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) is a reserve regiment in the British Army. Incorporated by royal charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII, it is the oldest regiment in the British Army and is considered the second-oldest military unit in the w ...

providing long-range surveillance patrols to support the Brigade. The mentoring and training role that was previously undertaken by the Specialised Infantry Group, will be taken on by a new brigade, formed through the conversion of 11th Infantry Brigade, into the 11th Security Force Assistance Brigade. The inaugural Brigade Commander is

Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...

Angus Fair who formerly commanded the Specialised Infantry Group.

Structure

Former Structure (2021)

The structure of the Specialised Infantry Group in March 2021 was as follows: * Group Headquarters at Saint Omer Barracks,

Aldershot Garrison Aldershot Garrison, also known as Aldershot Military Town, is a major garrison in South East England, between Aldershot and Farnborough in Hampshire. The garrison was established when the War Department bought a large area of land near the villa ...

** Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion,

(1 SCOTS), 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 ...

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 Kingdo ...

** 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 Qu ...

(2 PWRR), 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 ...

Mytchett Mytchett is a village in the Borough of Surrey Heath in Surrey, England, approximately southwest of central London. It is to the east of Farnborough (in Hampshire), the nearest town. Much of the village dates from the first half of the twen ...

** 2nd Battalion,

(2 LANCS), at Elizabeth Barracks, Pirbright CampBritish Army Newsletter , Summer 2020 , Issue 5 , In Front
** 4th Battalion,

(4 RIFLES), at Normandy Barracks, Aldershot Garrison ** 3rd Battalion,

(3 RGR), at Aldershot Garrison

Future Structure (2030)

The future structure of the brigade (by 2030) is: * Brigade Headquarters at Saint Omer Barracks,

**255 Signal Squadron, Royal Corps of Signals, at Swinton Barracks, Perham Down (Aldershot from 2027) **1st Battalion, Ranger Regiment (1 RANGER), at

**2nd Battalion, Ranger Regiment (2 RANGER), at

*** F ( Falklands) Company,

**3rd Battalion, Ranger Regiment (3 RANGER), at Elizabeth Barracks, Pirbright CampBritish Army Newsletter , Summer 2020 , Issue 5 , In Front
**4th Battalion, Ranger Regiment (4 RANGER), at Normandy Barracks, Aldershot Garrison *** G (

Coriano Coriano ( rgn, Curién) is a ''comune'' in the province of Rimini. This town is known for being the city of the Motorcycle World Champion, in 250cc class, Marco Simoncelli. History Coriano's origins are ancient: it was an Umbrian, Etruscan an ...

) Company,

** Joint Counter Terrorist Training and Advisory Team, at Risborough Barracks, Shorncliffe Army Camp

References

External links

Army Special Operations Brigade
{{United Kingdom Special Forces Military units and formations of the British Army Military units and formations established in 2017 Infantry units and formations of the British Army Future Soldier