The Special Recon Regt

[54/102 CEF]

OK - JTF turned you down? Forget it and check this out
http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=361322005
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

New special force targets terror

GETHIN CHAMBERLAIN AND TIM RIPLEY


Key points
"¢ New special forces regiment created to combat international terrorism
"¢ Special Reconnaissance Regiment operational as of today
"¢ 300-400 people to be recruited from existing services

Key quote
"This regiment will provide improved support to expeditionary operations overseas and form part of the defence contribution to the government's comprehensive strategy to counter international terrorism." - GEOFF HOON, DEFENCE SECRETARY


Story in full BRITAIN will today get its first new special forces regiment since the 1950s, with a brief to carry out covert operations against terrorists around the world.

The Special Reconnaissance Regiment is expected to play a key role in hunting down insurgents in Iraq and in the forthcoming UK-led operation against al-Qaeda remnants - including Osama bin Laden - in Afghanistan.

Members will be expected to infiltrate terrorist organisations and identify targets to be attacked by other units.

The SRR joins the Special Air Service and the Special Boat Service in the UK special forces group at a time when other parts of the armed forces, including the Scottish infantry regiments, are suffering swingeing cutbacks.

Operational from today, the new 300 to 400-strong regiment will draw on existing forces for its members and can recruit from all three services.

Some posts will be open to women.

Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, said that the regiment had been formed "to meet a growing worldwide demand for special reconnaissance capability".

He said: "This regiment will provide improved support to expeditionary operations overseas and form part of the defence contribution to the government's comprehensive strategy to counter international terrorism."

Mr Hoon said the SRR would begin collecting covert intelligence on threats to British interests around the world.

The new regiment is in addition to the so-called Ranger battalion, which is being formed out of the Parachute regiment, and is part of a major enhancement of the UK's special forces group launched in 2002 by the British government.

It is the first time Britain has formed a regimental-sized special forces unit since the late 1950s, when the SAS was expanded and two regiments were established as part of the reserve Territorial Army.

Military sources said it would draw heavily on the British army's experience of conducting covert intelligence gathering in Northern Ireland.

"We want to place electronic 'bugs' close to terrorist leaders such as Osama bin Laden and have agents within the ranks of global terrorist groups," said one army officer. "We got very good at doing this in Northern Ireland in the 1980s and 1990s, and now we want to transfer this capability to the global war on terrorism."

He added: "With terrorist groups in Iraq and Afghanistan, the only way to get a handle on what they are doing is by having high quality intelligence gathering capabilities that get really close to them.

"The new SRR gives us that capability and it is going be one of the most active units in the British armed forces over the next couple of years."

Once SRR surveillance teams have identified human targets, other units will then eliminate them. It is understood that the new regiment will be based alongside the SAS at Stirling Lines barracks, near Hereford.

Although the early phases of training will be based on the SAS selection process, the main training will be very different.

Arabic and other Middle East language skills are a top requirement for the recruits, allowing them to blend into Islamic societies on undercover operations.

 

[Acorn]

Sounds like "The Det" is exapanding it's role worldwide.

Acorn

 

[tomahawk6]

Seem's to duplicate what the SAS already does.

 

[Acorn]

Not quite if you look at the difference between what The Det did/does in Northern Ireland compared to what the SAS does/did. The Det is "sense" the SAS is "Act."

Acorn

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

Sounds like something you could add to the SAS instead of creating a whole new element.  The whole role of the SAS is to get behind enemy lines undetected and observe and/or act.  Sounds like they are Americanizing the whole SF thing.

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

Although this makes it sound like CIA stuff:  "Arabic and other Middle East language skills are a top requirement for the recruits, allowing them to blend into Islamic societies on undercover operations."

 

[Michael Dorosh]

heehee....they call it SRR

Here it means Supplemental Ready Reserve...

This may have some historical precedent; I realize this is a quote unquote "special forces" regiment but the Reconnaissance Corps was created in January 1941 in the British Army as specialists in conventional battlefield recce tasks; they manned armoured cars, had their own branch of service colour, and distinctive badges.  They were folded into the Royal Armoured Corps in 1944.

 

[IPC10]

This dates back to December of 2004 when under the UK Future Army Structure the Army managed to save an infantry battalion being cut from the service by reroling it as a 'Ranger'-type or special forces support role battalion.

From what I understand (read - what I read in JDW) 1 PARA is being moved from being under 16 (UK) AASLT to under the control of the Director of Special Forces. Although the new unit was initially branded by Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon as being a "triservice organisation", Gen Jackson said the core would come from 1 Para and anyone who joined would have to re-badge to become a member of the Parachute Regiment. The job of the new unit would be mid-way between full special forces troops and conventional infantry, said Gen Jackson. He said while the title of the new battalion had yet to be formally adopted, the role of the unit would closely mirror the type of tasks undertaken by the US Army's Rangers.

This new unit would be a special forces support battalion which would have a "basically infantry role" supporting SAS teams on operations and the "door would be open to anyone who wishes to come to join". Jackson envisaged that a rigorous special forces-style selection course would be set up to screen potential recruits. He also stressed that the Parachute Regiment already provides 50 per cent of the personnel for the SAS while only being two per cent of the army's total personnel.

I guess the article from above indicates what the new name is...

Wonder how long it's going to take us to go this route or if we will just rotate a task simular to our approach to NEO but with a USMC (SOC) type specific training.

 

[MdB]

Is SRR not a duplication of already existing UK foreign secret service? The same as CIA. Don't remember if it is MI5 or MI6... As I understand it, foreign secret service is an observer/infiltrator who call the shot when necessary, but don't really 'act', rather 'see' or 'sense'.

 

[Michael Dorosh]

Incidentally, just noticed the title of this thread.  What is "recon".  I always though the correct abbreviation for reconnaissance was "recce".

 

[-rb]

Incidentally, just noticed the title of this thread.   What is "recon".   I always though the correct abbreviation for reconnaissance was "recce".

*Warning* about to drift out of my lane! ;D I believe the term 'Recon' is the abbreviation used by Americans as well as a few others, ie. Marines Force Recon.
'Recce' I think is a Canadian abv., i'm sure a few others can shed more light on it than this though

cheers.

 

[Michael Dorosh]

*Warning* about to drift out of my lane! ;D I believ the term 'Recon' is used by Americans as well as a few others, ie. Marines Force Recon.
'Recce' I think is a Canadian term, i'm sure a few others can shed more light on it than this though

cheers.

Yes, quite. I thought 54/102 CEF was Canadian for some reason. 

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

I was under the impression that the Brits used Recce and we toke it from them.

 

[Infanteer]

To lazy to type out Reconnaissance?

 

[Michael Dorosh]

To lazy to type out Reconnaissance?

You're a gentleman and a scholar.  Why are you abbreviating "too"? ;D LOL

 

[Infanteer]

Man, the standards team is tough here....

Sory,

2 laZ 2 spel "Reconnaissance"

 

[Michael Dorosh]

Man, the standards team is tough here....

Sory,

2 laZ 2 spel "Reconnaissance"

w00t!!!!

 

[Acorn]

Is SRR not a duplication of already existing UK foreign secret service? The same as CIA. Don't remember if it is MI5 or MI6... As I understand it, foreign secret service is an observer/infiltrator who call the shot when necessary, but don't really 'act', rather 'see' or 'sense'.

Yes and no, looking at the limited info. The Brits Int Corps is involved in stuff that is similar to the classic "James Bond" sort of thing, so tends to overlap both MI5 and the SIS (the former is also known as the Security Service, and is tasked with Counter-Intelligence - similar to CSIS. The latter is what is often mis-named MI6 and is the foreign intelligence service.)

In Ireland it was/is 14 Intelligence Coy that conducted a combination of counter-int and collection on the IRA. They would do the analysis and targetting, while the SAS would conduct the "hits." The Forces Research Unit (FRU, known as "The Det") was the "dirty tricks" types that did a good deal of the deep undercover stuff. They were implicated in a scandal a couple of years ago. By the look of this Special Recce Regiment it's 14 Int writ large.

Acorn

 

[54/102 CEF]

To lazy to type out Reconnaissance?

Recce - recon - whatever - did I not mention I was a dual USA Cdn?

So if you spell it out - check your spelling.

Keep digging - I'm surprised to see no one keying in on our parallel SOG that 17 ragheaded idiots have precipitated. To me - this sounds like the government of Cdns and UK playing to their Defence Dept saying - make me look good Gen Staff - and the Gen Staff is saying

Yes Minister and we know where Yes Minister leads.

My view - is these units may or may not exist - but their presence should usually be detected by a series of muffled explosions in the distance and then a marked decrease in enemy activity would generally ensue.

 

[IPC10]

By the look of this Special Recce Regiment it's 14 Int writ large.

Acorn

I would have to disagree with you on the 14 Int writ large from above.

From the BBC:

"Mr Heyman, a senior defence analyst for Jane's Consultancy Group and former Army major sees the regiment as principally supporting the SAS.

"The best way to describe the new unit would be halfway between the SAS and normal infantry," he said."

Source:  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4414339.stm