British Army Establishing Special Operations Brigade

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The British Army is establishing a special operations Brigade that will undertake roles traditionally carried out by Special Forces. 

The Security Force Assistance Brigade will provide guidance and training to allied partner nations and draw expertise from across the army. Elements of each Brigade will be routinely deployed across the globe to assist partner nations in delivering defense and security, according to gov.uk.

The Ranger Regiment modeled on the US army’s elite Green Berets will be at the core of the UK’s frontline expeditionary posture. 

The Security Force Assistance Brigade will also contain specialized infantry units with the ability to draw personnel and expertise from across the Army.

The Rangers, which will recruit primarily from army infantry battalions, will operate in a similar way to special forces but will be public, rather than covert. They will use their presence in “high-threat” areas to collect intelligence on emerging conflicts, according to ft.com.

It is expected to focus on counter-insurgency operations in regions such as East Africa, and will not only train and assist local forces but could also accompany them on missions if required, supplying intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assistance, as well as military cyber expertise. One area of future operations could include helping to counter al-Shabaab terrorists in Somalia.