U.S. Army Rangers of the 75th Ranger Regiment: All You Need to Know
The United States Army Rangers of the 75th Ranger Regiment are known for being one of the most lethal light infantry special operations units in the world. Widely recognized by their famous motto “Rangers Lead The Way,” the U.S. Army Rangers have built a worldwide reputation for their fierceness in battle, and have continually kept up as a cutting-edge, state-of-the-art brute fighting force. Their unique role in special operations has furthered the United States’ objectives for decades, and they’ve set themselves apart time and time again.
But with that said, what exactly is a United States Army Ranger in the 75th Ranger Regiment? What sets apart an Army Ranger from the rest of the Army? What makes them unique from the other special operations forces? And what does one have to go through to earn the coveted tan beret? We’re going to answer all of those questions for you, and much more.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
THE ARMY RANGERS: SELECTION AND TRAINING
THE ARMY RANGERS: HISTORY
The 75th Ranger Regiment of today can trace its lineage all the way back to the French and Indian War in the mid 1700’s. A man named Robert Rogers would stand up informal long-ranging units known as Roger’s Rangers, whose devastating quick strike tactics would inspire informal Ranger units up through the Civil War.
Almost 200 years later, a modern ranger unit was reborn during the outbreak of World War 2. Consisting of an elite corps of 500 volunteers, these warriors would see more close-hand combat than any other American soldier during the war. It was during their participation in the D-Day landings that the Rangers gained their famous motto, “Rangers Lead the way!”
After fighting in the Korean and Vietnam wars, the Army Rangers evolved into the 75th Ranger Regiment as we know it today. They would move on to make a worldwide name for themselves by partaking in several global impacting missions and conflicts and were called upon to lead the way in the Global War on Terrorism.
Today, the 75th Ranger Regiment serves as the U.S. Army’s premier direct-action raid force, and one of the most capable and lethal fighting forces the world has ever seen, often relied upon to take on some of the most dangerous missions imaginable. They are a light infantry, which allows them to quickly mobilize and assault wherever they’re needed to get the job done. Nobody can bring as much firepower and lethality in a short amount of time as the 75th Ranger Regiment can. Let’s just say, if you’re the target of a U.S. Army ranger assault, we wouldn’t want to be you when the barrage begins.
THE ARMY RANGERS: MISSION
As a lethal, agile, and flexible fighting force, the 75th Ranger Regiment is capable of conducting many complex joint special operations missions. With that said, their three main missions are Special Operations Raids, Forcible Entry Operations, and Special Reconnaissance.
Special operations raids are designed to seize, destroy, or capture enemy goods and locations while delivering maximum surprise and shock. Forcible Entry operations can include things such as taking over airfields, and Special Reconnaissance is essentially gathering intel on the enemy. However, they also have their hand in intelligence, counterintelligence, combat search and rescue, hostage rescue, and counterterrorism.
And with all their specialized skills and training, the Rangers get the privilege of actually putting all that training to use. The 75th Ranger Regiment has an extremely high operational tempo, and each battalion is always on a deployment cycle. In fact, in recent history, there’s almost always a battalion deployed. At the end of 2021, the Rangers passed over 7,000 days of unbroken combat operations, which is insane! Each battalion is able to deploy within 18 hours of notification, so they are always ready for whatever comes their way.
We really can’t underscore the op tempo of the 75th Ranger Regiment enough. There are plenty of long training days, followed by a roughly 3-month deployment, and then it’s rinse and repeat. And all while this is going on, each Ranger is held to an extremely high standard. It’s not uncommon for Rangers who pass their selection to ultimately be “Released for Standards”, or RFS, when they just can’t make the cut in daily Ranger life. In other words, Rangers have to earn their place in the Regiment every single day. This brings up an important point, being an Army Ranger isn’t really a “job” per se like you’d envision a Navy SEAL or Marine Raider, it actually means that it's a soldier who has passed the Ranger selection process and can work in the unit.
In other words, there are a multitude of Army Jobs, or MOSs, that are inside the 75th Ranger Regiment. There’s your infantryman, medics, and intel guys, but there are even cooks and supply guys as well. This is what makes the 75th Ranger Regiment unique from the rest of SOF - even their support personnel go through the same selection process as those who are boots on the ground. It’s a very unique culture, which has undoubtedly led to major success.
THE ARMY RANGERS: SELECTION AND TRAINING
And speaking of selection processes, let’s move on to discuss what it takes to become a U.S. Army Ranger. Every soldier who wants to join the 75th Ranger Regiment must go through the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program, otherwise known as RASP. RASP comes in two different forms: RASP 1 and RASP 2. RASP 1 is for soldiers between E-1 to E-5, and RASP 2 is for those E-6 and above. You can think of these as the main filter for seeing who has what it takes to endure life in the regiment. Let’s start with RASP 1.
RASP 1 is an eight-week course that trains candidates in the basic skills and tactics required to operate as Army Rangers. There is loads of physical and mental toughness training, land navigation, and rucks, and candidates are placed in scenarios where they will be judged on their character and mental grit.
RASP 2 is a three-week course that assesses the suitability of mid- and senior-grade leaders for assignment to the Regiment and teaches them the operational techniques and standards of the Ranger Regiment. There will still be lots of PT and various training exercises, however, there’s more of a focus on making sure that they can be a good LEADER in the regiment, more so than what’s looked for in RASP 1.
When soldiers complete RASP 1 or 2, they receive the Tan Beret and Ranger Scroll. The Ranger Scroll is different from the Ranger tab, which is a crucial distinction to know.
Simply put, anyone from the U.S. Army can earn the Ranger Tab without being in the 75th Ranger Regiment by attending a course known as Ranger School. Ranger School is a challenging leadership course that trains soldiers on how to lead on difficult missions. Completing Ranger School doesn’t make a soldier a bona fide Army Ranger, however, like those who have the Ranger scroll. Despite that, many Army Rangers in the 75th will eventually move on to get the Ranger Tab, which means that they are “scrolled” and “tabbed.”
Aside from a soldier’s initial basic and MOS training, the pipeline to get into the 75th Ranger Regiment is pretty short compared to other special operations career fields. It’s safe to say that the Rangers are pretty much the only special operations force that can train you up to speed and send you to the battlefield within a year of starting basic training.
And as we’ve already touched on before, the training never stops for the Rangers. Depending on their MOS, there are a wide range of schools and training opportunities for them to sharpen their skills in the Regiment. Rangers can go to SERE school, sniper school, air assault school, free fall, combat diver, the special operations combat medicine course, and jungle, mountain, and arctic warfare schools - and that’s just the tip of the iceberg!
THE ARMY RANGERS: CONCLUSION
The U.S. Army Rangers are badass enough as is, but did you know that they have a Tier One Unit embedded within them? That’s right, they’re known as the Regimental Reconnaissance Company. These tier-one operators mostly consist of Army Rangers who took their special operations expertise and capabilities to the next level and support missions in JSOC. But what exactly separates a Tier 1 Ranger from a Tier 2 Ranger? Well lucky for you, we cover that in detail in our Rangers vs. RRC blog post, which is a must-read.
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Rangers Lead The Way!!!
Amen and Amen
They are the best of the best seen some in Iraq
Great and accurate information. Well written!
So what happened with 3/325 abct that the us army denied to tap everyone there the battalion in-the late 80 we did all the training and we never got it
I envy your commitment to be the Best at what you do, as a special unit,had the opportunity to be a member back in the day when I served, choose not to because, I became a member of 95 Bravo I made my choice because, I had alot of Respect for Rangers!!!
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