Army announces Special Ops Army Ranger Regiment
The British Army is establishing a special operations Brigade, the core of which will be four battalions of the new Ranger Regiment.
Over the next four years a share of £120-million will be invested into the unit, enabling it to undertake roles traditionally carried out by Special Forces. They can be expected to be involved in collective deterrence such as training, advising, enabling and accompanying partner forces.
Alongside special operations, a further Brigade will be established. The Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) to provide guidance and training to allied partner nations and draw expertise form across the army.
Elements of each Brigade will be routinely deployed across the globe to assist partner nations in delivering defence and security.
The Ranger Regiment seeded from four Infantry Battalions and will be at the core of our frontline expeditionary posture.
In addition to the Rangers, the SFAB will provide guidance and training to allied and partner nations. It will contain specialised infantry units with the ability to draw personnel and expertise from across the Army.
Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace said:
The best way to prevent conflict and deter our adversaries is to work alongside partners to strengthen their security and resilience. These Ranger battalions will be at the vanguard at a more active and engaged armed forces.
Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith said:
The Army Special Operations Brigade is designed to operate alongside both regular and irregular partners and proxies in high-threat and hostile environments.
Consisting of four specialist battalions, the Army Ranger Regiment will be the vanguard of the Army’s global footprint.
This announcement follows the publication of the Integrated Review earlier this week. The Integrated Review (IR) is the most comprehensive articulation of a defence, foreign and national security approach published by a British Government in decades.
As part of the IR, the army will modernise to form a more agile and integrated force able to exploit defence’s network across the globe delivering vital capabilities in the most-contested environments.
The Defence Command Paper was published on 22 March and outlines further details on how defence will adapt and modernise to meet future threats.