What Are the Duties of US Army Rangers?

Modern U.S. Army Rangers are embodied in the 75th Ranger Regiment. This is an elite light infantry formation of the Army's Special Operations Command, and fills a variety of important, hard-hitting tasks for the Army. However, not all the people who wear the Ranger patch are members of the 75th Ranger Regiment. Furthermore, most of the soldiers in the 75th are not graduates of the famed Ranger school. The distinction requires separating the Ranger school from the Ranger unit.

Ranger School

The U.S. Army's modern Ranger school is an intense and demanding course that focuses on small unit leadership and tactics under extreme stress. It lasts for 61 days. Being a graduate of the school is a requirement for holding any leadership position in the 75th Ranger Regiment, so many of the school's students do come from that outfit. However, many other students are from other parts of the Army. Earning a Ranger patch is a prized accomplishment in the Army, and completing the course is looked at as an outstanding way of improving small unit leadership skills by all combat branches of the service. However, the result is that there are numerous "Rangers" who have never served in the 75th Ranger Regiment.

75th Ranger Regiment

The 75th Ranger Regiment is a light infantry formation consisting of 3 regular battalions, plus a special troops battalion. It is a rapid reaction force, able to be ready to deploy on 18 hours notice. Being made up entirely of highly motivated soldiers that are airborne trained, the outfit can be inserted by both airborne drop and helicopters, making it fast and hard-hitting. Their size coupled with specialized training makes them something of a bridge between special operations troopers (who are better trained, but operate in much smaller units) and conventional combat units (which are much more heavily armed, but slower and not as well-trained). They are frequently used for raids, reconnaissance in force, to supplement other special operations forces, and for extremely difficult conventional missions.

Ranger Requirements

The rank and file Ranger has been through basic training and advanced individual training, both of which are standard requirements for virtually everyone serving in the Army. After that, they go on to airborne school and the Ranger Indoctrination Program. This is a tough course, but at 4 weeks, it in no way compares to Ranger school. Sergeants and officers assigned to the regiment, on the other hand, must be both airborne-qualified and pass Ranger school. This means that any private or corporal hoping to advance in the regiment must eventually go to Ranger school. Rangers are generally required to receive continued training during their service with the regiment, acquiring numerous useful skills.

RFS/RFM

The regiment requires high standards of its personnel. The senior leadership can remove a ranger from the regiment as "Relieved for Standards" or RFS at any time, and for virtually any reason. Should a Ranger be unable to meet the outfit's physical standards due to an injury or illness, they will be "Relieved for Medical" or RFM'ed. This usually results in re-assignment to a non-combat unit, or in the case of a minor physical problem, to the 82nd Airborne Division.

Ranger Operations Since Vietnam

Men from the 1st Battalion were assigned to the botched effort to rescue the Tehran Embassy hostages in 1980. The 1st and 2nd Battalions spearheaded Army operations in the 1983 invasion of Grenada, and the entire regiment was used in the same role in the 1989 invasion of Panama. Parts of 1st Battalion fought in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, and Company B, 3rd Battalion were sent to Somalia and fought in the infamous "Black Hawk Down" incident. Much of the regiment secured Haiti in 1994. In 2000, a Ranger reconnaissance served as forward observers deep in Serbia during the bombing war against that country. The 3rd Battalion was heavily involved in both Afghanistan in 2001, and Iraq in 2003, and as of 2009 the regiment as a whole has remained heavily engaged in operations in both countries.