The Scout Rangers, known officially as the First Scout Ranger Regiment, is a special operations forces of the

Philippine Army The Philippine Army (PA) () is the main, oldest and largest branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), responsible for ground warfare. , it had an estimated strength of 143,100 soldiers The service branch was established on December ...

(PA) that is specialized in combat patrols and scouting behind enemy lines in a special operations forces (SOF) style. This unit is similar to the

75th Ranger Regiment The 75th Ranger Regiment, also known as the United States Army Rangers, Army Rangers, is the United States Army Special Operations Command's premier light infantry and direct-action raid force. The 75th Ranger Regiment is also part of Joint S ...

of the United States Army (USA). Their headquarters is based at Camp Pablo Tecson in

San Miguel, Bulacan San Miguel, officially the Municipality of San Miguel (, kapampangan language, Kapampangan: ''Balen ning San Miguel''), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Bulacan, Philippines. According ...

. The regiment is also known as Musangs (in English, Scout Rangers).

History

The First Scout Ranger Regiment was formed on November 25, 1950, under the command of former AFP Vice Chief of Staff and Defense Secretary Rafael M. Ileto The unit was modelled after the

Alamo Scouts The Alamo Scouts (U.S. 6th Army Special Reconnaissance Unit) was a reconnaissance unit of the Sixth United States Army in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II. The unit is best known for its role in liberating American prisoner ...

and the

US Army Rangers The United States Army Rangers are U.S. Army personnel who have served in any unit which has held the official designation of "Ranger". The term is commonly used to include graduates of the Ranger School, even if they have never served in a ...

. The FSSR was created due to a growing need to counter the Hukbalahap guerrillas with a force trained in small unit actions. Initially known as the Scout Ranger Training Unit (SRTU), they were made up of 5 man teams, made up of one officer and 4 enlisted men. SRTU teams used deep penetration tactics to infiltrate Huk-held territory and take out their units. In 1954, the Army decided to combine all active SRTU units into the 1st Scout Ranger Regiment. During the Cold War, the FSRR provided training for prospective commandos of the Royal Laotian Army. The Scout Rangers participated in the December 1989 coup attempt against the administration of

Corazon Aquino María Corazón "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipino politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines and the first woman president in the country, from Presidency of Corazon ...

. Led by then Captain Danilo Lim, Major Abraham Purugganan and Lieutenant Colonel Rafael Galvez, some 2500 Rangers took over

Makati Makati ( ; ), officially the City of Makati (), is a highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines, known for being one of the leading financial centers in the country. As of 2013, the city has the highest concent ...

in the most destructive coup attempt against the Aquino administration which left hundreds of civilians and soldiers dead, and hundreds more injured. The Scout Rangers played a major role in capturing the

Moro Islamic Liberation Front The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF; ) is an Islamist group based in Mindanao, Philippines, which sought an autonomous region of the Moro people from the central government. The group has a presence in the Bangsamoro region of Mindanao, t ...

(MILF) rebel camp during the 2000 all-out war against the MILF. During the

Battle of Marawi The siege of Marawi (), also known as the Marawi crisis () and the Battle of Marawi (), was a five-month-long armed conflict in Marawi, Philippines, that started on May 23, 2017, between Government of the Philippines, Philippine government Arme ...

of 2017, Scout Rangers were the first elite units deployed with the 1st Infantry Division to neutralize the

Islamic State The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...

-inspired groups the Maute and

Abu Sayyaf Abu Sayyaf (; , ASG), officially known by the Islamic State as the Islamic State – East Asia Province, was a Jihadist militant and piracy, pirate group that followed the Wahhabi doctrine of Sunni Islam. It was based in and around Jolo and B ...

and their leaders

Isnilon Hapilon Isnilon Totoni Hapilon (March 10, 1968 – October 16, 2017), also known by the ''nom de guerre'' Abu Abdullah al-Filipini, was a Filipino Islamist militant affiliated with IS. He was formerly leader of Abu Sayyaf Group, before its battalion ...

and the Maute brothers. During the battle, the Rangers incurred many casualties including a veteran

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

of the battle of Zamboanga city. A Scout Ranger is credited with killing Hapilon during the final stages of battle. President Duterte was awarded the SR badge in 2017.

Training

Scout Ranger training has made the distinction that a graduating class must undergo an actual combat mission. In November 2021, the Scout Rangers have conducted joint training with Kopassus operators.

References

Bibliography

* Dennis V. Eclarin, ''Scout Ranger Combat Guide (Third Edition)'', 2003, The Philippine Star. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Scout Ranger Regiment Special forces of the Philippines Regiments of the Philippines Military special forces regiments Military units and formations established in 1950