In addition to its proud historical lineage over three quarters of a century, the U.S. Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment highlights a historical pillar in the fall of 1973, when Gen. Creighton Abrams, then Chief of Staff of the Army, recognized the need for a highly trained and mobile reaction force and directed the activation of two battalion-sized Ranger units.
That direction led to Headquarters, Forces Command, issuing General Order 127, directing the activation of the 1st Battalion (Ranger), 75th Infantry, with an effective date of Jan. 31, 1974. As outlined in Regimental overviews, personnel selection for 1st Battalion continued from March through June 1974, as personnel assembled at Ft. Benning, Georgia, where cadre training was conducted. On July 1, 1974, the battalion parachuted into Fort Stewart, Georgia, where the battalion was stationed until moving to nearby Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia, in September 1978.
Meanwhile, the 2nd Battalion (Ranger), 75th Infantry was activated at Ft. Lewis, Washington, on Oct. 1, 1974, and declared worldwide deployable in December 1975.
The Department of the Army ordered the activation of the 3rd Battalion following Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada. On Oct. 3, 1984, at York Field (Ft. Benning, Georgia), Secretary of the Army John O. Marsh presented the colors and activated the 75th Ranger Regimental Headquarters and the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment.
Today the three rifle battalions (1st, 2nd and 3rd) are comprised of three rifle companies, a headquarters and headquarters company and a support company.
Examples of unique systems and capabilities possessed by the battalions include the En Route Mission Command Capability, which is credited with revolutionizing Ranger situational awareness and mission planning in support of forcible entry operations and is now a program of record for the greater Army.
In addition, the 75th Ranger Regiment has replaced the Emergency Medical Technician Basic program with an internally run Advanced Ranger First Responder program. The program will take an 11B Infantryman per squad and train him in advanced first responder skills, giving him a significant increase in medical skills applicable to the battlefield.
Looking toward the future, the regiment continues to work closely with the Maneuver Center of Excellence and the greater SOF community to develop soldier systems that increase the lethality and effectiveness of all soldiers.
Along with the rifle battalions, the 75th Regimental Special Troops Battalion (RSTB) was provisionally activated on July 17, 2006, and officially activated on Oct. 16, 2007, as a response to the demands of the war on terror and the changing nature of Ranger operations. The activation of the RSTB provides the Ranger Regiment and U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) with increased operational capabilities to sustained combat operations. The RSTB conducts command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance functions in support of the 75th Ranger Regiment and other special operations task forces in order to enable the execution of joint special operations anywhere in the world. Additionally, the RSTB provides qualified, trained and ready Rangers in order to sustain the Ranger Force.
Rangers prepare for stress fire operations during Ranger Rendezvous at Fort Benning, Georgia, in 2015. Ranger Rendezvous is a unit tradition in which the entire Ranger Regiment gathers together to display its capabilities through Ranger demonstrations and events leading up to the 75th Ranger Regiment’s change of command.
The RSTB Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) includes the battalion headquarters and the staff, medical, maintenance, and rigger sections for the battalion. HHC not only supports the RSTB, but also the entire regiment. All medics (68W) attend the Pre-Special Operations Combat Medical Course (PSOCM) provided by the HHC Medical Section. PSOCM is the preparatory training for all medics before they attend the Special Operations Combat Medic Course.
The Ranger Reconnaissance Company (RRC) provides worldwide reconnaissance and enhanced knowledge of the operational environment in support of the 75th Ranger Regiment and other special operations units.
The Ranger Communications Company (RCC) provides the regiment world-class command and control and communications in support of combat operations while meeting the additional communication requirements of other special operations task forces.
The Military Intelligence Company (MICO) provides the 75th Ranger Regiment and the special operations command the ability to conduct HUMINT, SIGINT, IMINT, and All Source Analysis operations in support of combat operations.
The Ranger Selection & Training Company (RSTC) is the “gateway into the Regiment.” The programs of instructions (POI) within the RSTC include the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program (RASP 1 and 2), and Small Unit Ranger Tactics (SURT). RASP 1 assesses, trains, and identifies soldiers E-5 and below for service in the regiment. RASP 2 conducts the assessment and selection for soldiers E-6 and above. SURT prepares members of the regiment for successful completion of the United States Army Ranger School.
Both in training and in combat, the RSTB provides continuous support to the three other Ranger Battalions and the Regimental Headquarters.
Additionally, the new Regimental Military Intelligence Battalion (Provisional) provides multi-discipline, full-spectrum, worldwide, expeditionary and reach-back intelligence capabilities for the 75th Ranger Regiment enterprise. Designated for activation in provisional status on May 22, 2017 at Fort Benning, Georgia, the RMIB (P) institutionalizes and professionalizes the find, fix, finish, exploit, and analyze (F3EA) targeting methodology required to counter combatant forces’ tactics, techniques, and methods. The RMIB (P) consists of two provisional companies, a Ranger Military Intelligence Company (RMIC) and Cyber Electromagnetic Activities (CEMA) Company, with a Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment (HHD).
The RMIB (P) is composed of intelligence professionals from the human intelligence, all source analysis, geospatial and imagery analysis, and the UAS fields. CEMA is composed of intelligence and cyber professionals, including the electronic warfare, signals intelligence, technical surveillance, and cyber fields. In addition to the numerous MI and cyber career opportunities, the RMIB (P) offers unique opportunities for officers, warrant officers, and enlisted personnel across the human resources, communications, legal, logistics, medical, and chaplain fields.