In March 2021, the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom announced the creation of a new special operations brigade in the British Army [...] . Its core should be a new regiment of rangers. Operational readiness of the part is scheduled for December 1, 2021. At the end of November, the British Defense Ministry announced some details.
Brigadier General Gus FAIR
The Special Operations Brigade is commanded by Brigadier General Gus FAIR. The new Ranger regiment is modeled after similar units of the U.S. Army. The Green Berets are mainly used in conflicts between peace and war, in the so-called gray zone. Their area of responsibility includes non-traditional military operations and the provision of military assistance to local armed forces or militias in the regions of deployment.
The special purpose of the regiment is reflected in the equipment: at its core, it is a light infantry. But it also includes a unit of UAVs for near-range reconnaissance, combat robots for ammunition disposal, K9 components with service dogs or equipment for detecting WMD combat agents. In addition, it has the ability to perform psychological operations.
The British Armed Forces Ranger Regiment has about 1,200 troops and consists of four battalions. Two are intended for operations in Africa, one each for the Middle East, Central and Eastern Europe.
The British Armed Forces Ranger Regiment. Specialists
According to sources, the Ranger regiment dates back to those unconventional elite units in Her Majesty's service that participated in the French and Indian War (1754-1763) in North America. The U.S. Army Rangers are also represented in this tradition. In addition, other British units, such as the brigade of the intelligence service or the V-Force during the Second World War, are considered the founders of traditions. Unlike the Green Berets or their counterparts from the 75th Ranger Regiment of the US Army, the British Armed Forces Rangers will wear a gray beret instead of a green or sand one. The gray color, in turn, corresponds to the heraldic peregrine falcon adorning the beret. "The bird of prey is widespread all over the world and can hunt anywhere - in the mountains, in the desert or in cities. He is always loyal to his partner," representatives of the British army said.
Beret and distinctive badge of the Ranger regiment
The design of the badge, a peregrine falcon spreading its wings before grabbing a U–shaped leaf with the inscription "Ranger", is very similar to the berets of another unit of the former British colony of Rhodesia, namely the Selous Scouts, specializing in irregular warfare. It is emphasized that the Selous Scouts fought in the civil war in Africa, in the 1970s, against black communist rebels. This similarity of the badge caused a scandal on the island related to "political correctness," although, as explained by local media, black Rhodesians also served with the Selous Scouts. To complete the picture, it should be noted that the Selous Scouts had a dark brown beret.
However, disputes arose not only about this piece of equipment. It is highly likely that the new Ranger regiment will be smaller than originally planned. The latter follows from the overall reduction in the number of the British army from the planned (and not achieved) 82,000 to 72,500 troops.
According to the materials of the resource soldat-und-technik.de
