British Army Rangers have carried out a major training exercise on Northumberland moorland as the UK prepares to take over a NATO special operations leadership role from July.
Over two weeks in January, 4th Battalion The Ranger Regiment (4 RANGER) conducted Exercise Hyperion Storm at Otterburn Training Camp, working alongside Royal Marine Commandos and Royal Air Force elements as part of the UK’s Joint Special Operations Forces.
The exercise involved a simulated assault on an enemy position, with Rangers and Royal Marines inserted by RAF Chinook helicopters. Troops fast-roped from the aircraft before linking up with assault vehicles to secure the target, before extracting back to RAF Leeming in North Yorkshire.
Colonel Phil O’Callaghan, Deputy Commander of the Special Operations Component Command, said the training was part of an extensive NATO evaluation process.
“The evaluation process is exacting and demanding, every detail is scrutinised,” he said. “As a headquarters we had to meet over 850 performance measures to ensure complete validation for NATO.”
O’Callaghan said the UK was preparing for a key command responsibility within the Alliance.
“This is the first time we have brought together the UK’s Joint Special Operations Forces for such an important leadership role in NATO,” he said. “It demonstrates the versatility of the UK Commando Force, Ranger Regiment and Royal Air Force, both in support of our NATO alliance partners and allies across the globe.”
Alongside 4 RANGER, forces taking part included 42 Commando Royal Marines and 2 Squadron RAF Regiment, with the exercise designed to test how maritime, land and air task groups could operate under a single command structure.
A sergeant from the Special Operations Land Task Group described the importance of integration across the services.
“The key is bringing everybody in early, getting to know faces, getting to know how each other work,” he said. “And this part is where that gels and syncs so that we’re not figuring it out at the target.”
The UK will assume responsibility for NATO’s Special Operations Forces component for a year from July, supporting the NATO Allied Reaction Force.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the training forms part of a two-year programme which has included the establishment of a new NATO Joint Operations Headquarters and repeated NATO-led assessments of readiness.
Rangers, nice idea, but an excuse to keep the same number of light Inf Battalions, but with 50% of the people.
I’m in two camps on this as well.
I support the establishment of the ASOB, as sub threshold Grey Zone is real and more emphasis was needed in the area.
Might be confusing to many, but Special Operations and Special Forces are not the same at all. So like SFSG, they can free up DSF from some tasks.
But, what a convenient destination for orphaned Infantry Battalions bereft of their CS and CSS after the 2015 cuts.
A bit like the lack of F35 is now sidestepped by presentations on Hybrid Air Wings, lack of real warfighting ships is ignored and Bastion emphasised, and a fully staffed flotilla of up to 24 MCMV in the late 90s has vanished to a handful of personnel in MTXG operating the RNMBs with no motherships and for now, consigned to Faslane and for a time, the Gulf.
Agreed mate, more activity and focus on the grey zone over the last few years and these Bns were a convenient but necessary solution! Too many cuts and changes, dressed up as progressive and modernising formations, kit and people while all the while reducing capabilities and the ability to regenerate! The military are at the lowest bar most of us have probably seen in our lifetimes mate.
Not really, Rangers where a uplift in terms of both capability and personnel numbers, not a cut.
Assume A meant the SIG Battalions prior concerning establishment, I recall they lost a lot of people to distribute elsewhere.
It has been said elsewhere that they too had enabled the Army to keep Infantry cap badges where some more CSS with the headcount may have been better?
SpecInf, not SIG, was a different thing, as I said Rangers involved an increase in personnel from the SpecInf Battalions, so having a whinge about Rangers being a cut is simply factually wrong.
As for SpecInf (again not SIG), the creation of those Battalions was to alleviate pressure on the Infantry vis-a-vis operational training burdens and redistributing headcounts to where they where more useful. Isn’t that what people wanted (IIRC the headcount moved allowed units to remove AR Coys from their war orbat).
It’s also rather hilarious to grumble that SpecInf “allowed the infantry to keep cap badges” when those Cap Badges where disbanded in 2021.
Yep, SpecInf enabled the reconstitution of full establishment infantry Bns when everyone “realised” the A2020 ORBAT didn’t work for force generation on routine ops. But it was just a redistribution of PIDs.
Heya, the phrasing “just a redistribution of PIDs” is confusing me, I don’t think anyone was suggesting anything else?
Hi Dern, correct my bad, wrong organisation! Times a flying and changing massively, 👍
Too true, I remember “Lionheart” well. Never seen or been in an ex that for sheer numbers impressed me.
“Rangers, nice Idea”.
Not If you’re a Celtic Fan ! 😁
🤣👍
God of heavenly light. Hyperion. A Titan, one of twelve.
Hope the RAF Regiment lads had a decent hotel
Oh my. 2 Sqn Rocks getting publicity. All 120 of them….
Cue RAFR telling everyone they are speschul forces…
Airborne thinks about ordering a spit for his grave so he quietly turn in it once he pops his clogs.
Serious Q.
Youtubing 6 hours on the Australian Forces and the presenter keeps bringing in the capability gaps with Chicoms.
Q.How much institutional knowledge do you need to create a true ‘airborne’ force – in other words, my WO2s/1s and certain Reg SNCOs were invaluable in their knowledge in the field and I’d assume that cuts across to Regs as well;
Another Q would be, should you commission so many large surface combatants, just how long would it take to deliver a crew and command capable of taking on a full on war; how would subordinate command and control of other platforms deliver?
Mr A, could you answer the first Q, please?
Ahhh.
Oooooh.
Or should it be ooooh ahhhhh?
Anyone know the criteria for joining the rangers as opposed to line infantry etc?
Yup.
Infantry you can join straight off Civie street, just be physically fit enough to pass your assessment.
Rangers require you to have completed 12 months of service after passing out of Depot if you are infantry, or 18 months of service after completion of Phase 2 for non-Infantry soldiers (Assuming there are vacancies within the Brigade for your rank and skill set). Preference is for Privates through Corporals, but SNCO’s with relevant backgrounds can apply too. You then have to complete the RCQ(IA) and RCQ which combined is about 11 weeks, and then you get your Ranger Qualification and Provisional Transfer to the Regiment.
If you are serving there is more detail on the relevant Defence Connect sites, if you aren’t serving I’d suggest focus on getting into the forces with a relevant background (I suggest either Infantry, Recce, Artillery or Signals for your best shot).