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task force red

Every military juggles more than just frontline soldiers. A mix of specialized units is essential to build a versatile force. When it comes to warfare, intelligence takes the cake as one of the big players in strategy, operations and tactics. Look at the 75th Ranger Regiment, more specifically, the regimental reconnaissance company. Also known as Task Force Red, this special team focuses on collecting intel, responding rapidly to tactical situations and providing operational support.

The entire Ranger regiment is considered a tier-two asset. However, Task Force Red is a tier one unit, putting it in the same league of importance as delta Force or dev group. The role of task force Red extends to global reconnaissance, operation preparation for the 75th Ranger Regiment and a crucial role in tactical operations. Rangers are the action packed gogetters in the military. The regimental Reconnaissance Company takes this approach a step further by serving as a versatile and committed intelligence unit.

Utilizing a range of skills in human intelligence, signals intelligence, etc. They make sure the Ranger Regiment operations missions aren’t just informed, but seriously top notch. While the Rangers boast a history dating back to revolutionary times, Task Force Red has a more recent story. Initially named the regimental Reconnaissance Detachment, it started with just one unit collaborating with the regimental commander and unit intelligence officers. However, it has evolved and now comprises three main teams along with the command element.

During the 1990s, each of the three recon teams got assigned to one of three Ranger battalions consisting of six men. The headquarters elements for these teams included a commanding officer, a first sergeant, two communication sergeants, an operations sergeant and a training sergeant. In 2007, the Ranger Regiment officially activated its special troops battalion in response to the demands of the war on terror and the evolving nature of Ranger operations. With the creation of the STB, task Force Red evolved into the regimental reconnaissance company. Since its beginning, the unit has not only grown in size but also in significance.

It has become a vital component of the Ranger force’s overall organization, consistently experiencing increased usage since its inception. Picking Ranger recon members naturally kicks off by becoming a ranger. Rangers then have the opportunity to submit applications for the Ranger recon and other specialized schools. The criteria for Ranger Recon selection admit only the most skilled and capable candidates to their ranks. Since every Ranger recon member must start as a Ranger, each member is required to undergo the ranger’s assessment and selection, consisting of two phases.

In phase one, members undergo physical and psychological conditioning, land navigation exercises, triage testing and psychological evaluation. Now, phase two kicks it up a notch, expanding the Ranger toolkit with cool stuff like airfield seizure, personnel recovery, explosives and long range combat. This allencompassing training dives into freefall techniques, computers, advanced communications, digital photography, CQB techniques, unarmed hand to hand combat, advanced driving skills, markmanship, demolitions, and advanced medical techniques. Task Force Red included a rotational light battalion of Rangers and a small troops sized element of delta operators. As the number of objectives turned out to be dry holes, the Rangers recognized that their targets were changing locations overnight to evade raids.

In a daring move, the Rangers shifted from nighttime to daylight operations to capture their targets. While effective, this approach also led to the Rangers engaging in several prolonged running firefights as entire city blocks converged on the Rangers. Task Force Red teams up closely with main armor Ranger battalions instead of doing their own thing. This means a bunch of Ranger operations could be seen as involving the regimental reconnaissance company. But hey, there are also some standout missions where the Ranger recon takes the lead on its own.

In 2006, a six member Ranger recon team was deployed with the JSOC task force. They got inserted into the Hindu Kush mountain range based on intelligence that Jaladadan Hakani, an insurgent leader, would be entering Afghanistan from Pakistan. Having set up an observation post and an altitude of nearly 4000 meters above sea level, the Ranger recon team patiently waited and kept a close watch for their target as insurgents began entering the area. As events unfolded, the Ranger team was detected and received gunfire directed at them. Things got intense with a full blown skirmish against the insurgents.

The Rangers found themselves massively outnumbered and had to call for aerial support. This move seriously messed up the opposing forces, resulting in high casualties. But unfortunately, the engagement didn’t lead to Hakani’s capture or demise. They also played a role in Operation Just Cause in 1989, where President George Bush gave the green light for us forces to invade Panama. Their mission aimed to apprehend General Manuel Antonio Noriega, the panamanian dictator, and bring him back to the US to face justice.

Amidst the numerous missions scheduled for the invasion of Panama, operations Plan 92 tasked task force Red with executing an airborne assault on the Torijos International Airport and Tokumen military Airfield complex. With the help of the first Ranger battalion and third Ranger battalion, they were assigned the critical mission of obstructing Noriega’s potential air escape, while also ensuring that the compounds wouldn’t serve as staging areas for enemy forces during the crucial downtown battle in Panama City. Following a seven hour flight, the airborne assault on Takuman airport kicked off with pre assault suppressive fires and taking over. Takuman went almost perfectly. Having secured the airfield, the Rangers moved forward towards the main terminal with the sound of gunshots resonating from the northern rotunda.

Inside, the Rangers noticed two panamanian soldiers who likely fired the shots hurrying into a women’s restroom. The soldiers initiated the conflict, and the Rangers resolved to bring it to an end. What went down next turned into one of the weirdest five minutes of close quarters combat in Ranger history. The full scope of their operations in a modern context remains largely undisclosed, and may likely remain so. Nevertheless, it is reasonable to assume that wherever U.

S. Army Rangers are deployed on the ground, the regimental reconnaissance company is not far behind. But let us know what you think in the comments section below. If you found this content entertaining or helpful, don’t forget to give it a thumbs up and consider subscribing for more content like this one. And thanks for watching.

George N.
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