The Army Special Operations Brigade, previously called the Specialised Infantry Group, is a formation of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

, initially created as a result of the Army 2020 Refine reorganisation, intended to train foreign forces. Its name and role was adapted after the

Defence in a Competitive Age ''Defence in a Competitive Age'' is a Ministry of Defence command paper which was released on 22 March 2021. It provided details on changes to the armed forces to meet the requirements of the Integrated Review which was published before it on 16 M ...

reforms, to a unit that not only trains partner nations, but also fights alongside them in ''"''complex high-threat environments''"''.

History

Specialised Infantry Group

The group was formed to work alongside partner forces, a role which has similarities to that of the US Army

Security Force Assistance Brigade A Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) (pronounced ) is a specialized United States Army unit formed to conduct security force assistance (SFA) missions: to train, advise, assist, enable and accompany operations with allied and partner natio ...

s. Officially formed in October 2017 with the 4th Battalion,

The Rifles The Rifles is an infantry regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of four Regular battalions and three Reserve battalions. Each Regular battalion was formerly an individual battalion of one of the two large regiments of the ...

(4 Rifles) and Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion,

Royal Regiment of Scotland The Royal Regiment of Scotland (SCOTS) is the British Army Order of Precedence, senior and only current Scottish regiment, Scottish line infantry Regiment#British Army, regiment of the British Army Infantry. It consists of three regular (form ...

(1 Scots). in July 2018, the 2nd Battalion, Princess of Wales' Royal Regiment was added to the Group. and in January 2019, a fourth battalion, the 2nd Battalion,

Duke of Lancaster's Regiment The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's, Lancashire and Border) (LANCS) is an infantry regiment of the line within the British Army, part of the King's Division. Headquartered in Preston, it recruits throughout the North West of England. The ...

, was added and this was followed by the 3rd Battalion,

The Royal Gurkha Rifles The Royal Gurkha Rifles (RGR) is a rifle regiment of the British Army, forming part of the Brigade of Gurkhas. Unlike other regiments in the British Army, RGR soldiers are recruited from Nepal, which is neither a dependent territory of the Unit ...

in 2020. In August 2017, Team 5 from B Company 1 Scots were the first team to deploy on operations under the Specialised Infantry Group. Being deployed to

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

, training the Somalia National Army for their ongoing fight against Al-Shabaab. In February 2018, 4 Rifles deployed for the first time to

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

to work with the

Kuwait Army The Kuwait Land Forces (), established in 1949, are Land warfare, land forces and the oldest armed branch among the Kuwait Armed Forces, Armed Forces of Kuwait. Its cavalry and infantry predecessors operated in desert and metropolitan areas in ...

and

Kuwait National Guard The Kuwait National Guard (KNG) () is a paramilitary and gendarmerie branch of the Kuwait Armed Forces.

. R Company, It also trained the Afghan Army and forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. In July 2018, C Company from the 2 PWRR was dispatched to Nigeria, where 1 Scots also trained the

Nigerian Army The Nigerian Army (NA) is the land force of the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is the largest component of the Nigerian Armed Forces. The President of Nigeria is the Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Army, and its professional head is the Chie ...

for their fight against

Boko Haram Boko Haram, officially known as Jama'at Ahl al-Sunna li al-Da'wa wa al-Jihad (), is a self-proclaimed jihadist militant group based in northeastern Nigeria and also active in Chad, Niger, northern Cameroon, and Mali. In 2016, the group spli ...

Army Special Operations Brigade

In August 2021 the group was re-designated as the Army Special Operations Brigade consisting of the four battalions of the newly created Ranger Regiment, two reinforcement companies of the Royal Gurkha Rifles, 255 Signal Squadron under command, and 1 Squadron

Honourable Artillery Company The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) is a reserve regiment in the British Army. Incorporated by royal charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII, it is the oldest regiment in the British Army and is considered the second-oldest military unit in the w ...

attached to provide long-range surveillance patrols. The mentoring and training role previously undertaken by the Specialised Infantry Group was taken on by a new brigade formed through the conversion of the 11th Infantry Brigade into the 11th Security Force Assistance Brigade. The inaugural Brigade Commander was

Brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

Angus Fair DSO* OBE who formerly commanded the Specialised Infantry Group. By 2024, the brigade had been transferred from the disbanded 6 (UK) Division to Field Army Troops.

Structure

Former Structure (2021)

The structure of the Specialised Infantry Group in March 2021 was as follows: * Group Headquarters at Saint Omer Barracks,

Aldershot Garrison Aldershot Garrison is a major garrison in South East England, between Aldershot and Farnborough, Hampshire, Farnborough in Hampshire. The garrison was established when the War Department bought a large area of land near the village of Aldershot, ...

** Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion,

(1 SCOTS), at Palace Barracks,

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

** 2nd Battalion,

Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (PWRR), also known as the Tigers, is the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, second in the line infantry order of precedence to the Royal Regiment of Scotland and part of the Queen ...

(2 PWRR), at Keogh Barracks,

Mytchett Mytchett is a village in the borough of Surrey Heath, in Surrey, England. It is approximately south-west of central London and to the east of Farnborough, its nearest town. Much of the village dates from the first half of the twentieth centu ...

** 2nd Battalion,

(2 LANCS), at Elizabeth Barracks, Pirbright CampBritish Army Newsletter , Summer 2020 , Issue 5 , In Front
** 4th Battalion,

(4 RIFLES), at Normandy Barracks, Aldershot Garrison ** 3rd Battalion,

(3 RGR), at Aldershot Garrison

Future Structure (2030)

British Army Special Operations Brigade - Organization 2024

The future structure of the brigade (by 2030) will be: * Brigade Headquarters at Saint Omer Barracks,

**255 Signal Squadron, Royal Corps of Signals, at Swinton Barracks, Perham Down (Aldershot from 2027) **1st Battalion, Ranger Regiment (1 RANGER), at Palace Barracks,

*** A ( Krithia) Company,

**2nd Battalion, Ranger Regiment (2 RANGER), at Keogh Barracks,

*** F (

Falklands The Falkland Islands (; ), commonly referred to as The Falklands, is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and from Cape Du ...

) Company,

**3rd Battalion, Ranger Regiment (3 RANGER), at Elizabeth Barracks, Pirbright Camp **4th Battalion, Ranger Regiment (4 RANGER), at Normandy Barracks, Aldershot Garrison *** G ( Coriano) Company,

** Joint Counter Terrorist Training and Advisory Team, at Risborough Barracks, Shorncliffe Army Camp ** 1 Squadron,

will provide Special Patrols to the Brigade.The Integrated Review, Lt Gen Andrew Gregory CBE, Master Gunner St James's Park, 25 November 2021

References

External links

Army Special Operations Brigade
{{United Kingdom Special Forces Infantry brigades of the British Army Military units and formations established in 2017 Future Soldier