Rapid reaction force

Saitama Prefectural Police Riot And Tactics Squad (RATS) officers on the side of a police helicopter. Riot Police Units such as RATS are the rapid reaction forces of Japanese prefectural police.

A rapid reaction force / rapid response force (RRF), quick reaction force / quick response force (QRF), immediate reaction force (IRF), rapid deployment force (RDF) or quick maneuver force (QMF) is a military or police unit capable of responding to emergencies in a very short time frame.

When used in reference to law enforcement and security forces, such as police tactical units, the time frame is usually minutes, while in military applications, such as paratroopers or commandos, the time frame can be minutes, hours or days. Rapid reaction forces are designed to intervene quickly as a spearhead to gain and hold ground in quickly unfolding combat or low-intensity conflicts, such as uprisings that necessitate the evacuation of foreign embassies.

They are usually transported by air. Rapid reaction forces are usually lightly armed—limited to small arms and light crew-served weapons, and lacking vehicles, armor, and heavy equipment—but are often very well-trained to compensate.[citation needed]

Types

Rapid reaction force

A United States Army quick reaction force staging area at Camp Buehring, Kuwait in 2005

A rapid reaction force is an armed military unit capable of rapidly responding to developing situations, usually to assist allied units in need of assistance. They are equipped to respond to any type of emergency within a short time frame, often only a few minutes, based on unit standard operating procedures (SOPs). Cavalry units are frequently postured as rapid reaction forces, with a main mission of security and reconnaissance. They are generally platoon-sized in the U.S. military's combat arms.

A rapid reaction force is a military reserve unit that belongs directly to the commander of the unit it is created from. Depending on the unit size and protocols, the commander may be the only person authorized to control a RRF, or they may delegate this responsibility to one or more additional people. RRFs are commonly found in maneuver battalion-level task forces and above, in addition to many operating bases having their own dedicated RRF to react to threats on or immediately around the base.

The readiness level of a RRF is based on unit SOPs. Since maintaining extremely high levels of readiness is draining on equipment, resources, and personnel, a RRF is postured based on the likelihood of being called up. During a high-intensity conflict, a RRF may be forced to maintain high readiness, with all members waiting in their vehicles to respond. However, during a low-intensity conflict, when deployment is less likely and may be more readily predicted, command establishes how fast a RRF must be able to react, which can range from vehicles and personnel in a central location with the troops rotating regularly, to the vehicles staged close to a unit area with all personnel staying close enough for rapid recall. The speed at which a RRF is expected to react is defined by its readiness condition level.

The mission of a RRF can vary widely, as they are used to respond to any threat the commander chooses to employ them for. Depending on the mission requirement, additional units can be attached to an organic platoon to expand their capabilities. Examples include attaching explosive ordnance disposal teams to a RRF responding to bombs or similar threats, and vehicle recovery assets to a RRF expected to recover damaged trucks

Rapid deployment force

A rapid deployment force (RDF) is a military formation that is capable of fast deployment outside their country's borders. Rapid deployment forces typically consist of well-trained military units (special forces, paratroopers, marines, etc.) that can be deployed fairly quickly.

List

Rapid reaction force

82nd Airborne Division paratroopers boarding a transport aircraft

Rapid deployment force

See also


This page was last updated at 2023-11-28 18:46 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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