Army Ranger Wing
The Army Ranger Wing (Irish: Sciathán Fianóglach an Airm ), or ARW for short , is the special unit of the Irish armed forces . They were erected on March 16, 1980.
history
Between 1960 and 1970, several members of the Irish Armed Forces attended the US Army Rangers' courses at Fort Benning , Georgia, which were used to organize similar courses upon their return. The first students on these courses were selected from all units and armed forces in Ireland.
The creation of the Army Ranger Wing went hand in hand with the international increase in terrorism and the hijacking of ships and aircraft. The Irish government, like many others, realized that it could only stop this increase with the help of new military and police tactics and formed a special military unit according to international standards.
The Army Ranger Wing was formally established by government order in March 1980.
In January 2019 it was announced that the ARW is sending a 12-man team to Mali to support MINUSMA . It is the unit's first assignment abroad.
motto
"Glaine ár gcroí / Neart ár ngéag / Agus beart de réir ár mbriathar" is the motto of the Army Ranger Wings, which comes from an old poem by Fianna . Translated it means something like "The purity of our hearts / The strength of our limbs / And our commitment to our promise".
assignment
The Army Ranger Wings mission consists of military and civilian tasks. Military tasks include military operations in the enemy hinterland such as reconnaissance or the capture and / or protection of key enemy persons. Civilian tasks include anti-terrorism operations, hostage liberation and VIP protection. Furthermore, the Army Rangers have the task of checking the safety standards in the Irish military themselves.
Selection and training
Only physically healthy, actively serving members of the Irish Armed Forces of any rank and from any branch are eligible for the selection test. The prospective recruits are exposed to the toughest psychological and physical pressure for three weeks.
After this selection process, if the recruit in question has been accepted, follows a six-month course on the basic skills of an Army Ranger, such as survival training and hostage rescue tactics in houses, buses, airplanes and on ships. This is followed by further training for the ranger, who is trained in sniper shooting, combat swimming, medical care and the like, among other things.
equipment
The Army Rangers are armed with the SIG Sauer P226 and SIG Sauer P228 and the Heckler & Koch MP5 , in the versions MP5A3, MP5SD6, MP5F and MP5K. The HK33 , HK53 , HK 416 and HK 417 will continue to be used by Heckler and Koch . The latter as a Designated Marksman Rifle . The orderly rifle, the Steyr AUG with versions A1 and A3, of the Irish armed forces is also used. The AUG can also be equipped with the M203 grenade launcher. The FN P90 . The Benelli M3T , Benelli M4 , Franchi SPAS-12 and the Remington 870 are used as shotguns . Finally, sniper rifles like the Accuracy International L115 , L96A1, and the AW50 are also in the arsenal. The SSG69 was used by the ARW in the past, but it is not clear whether it was retired. They also have other equipment such as jeeps and light mortars.
literature
- Tim Ripley, Mike Chappell: Security Forces in Northern Ireland 1969-1992 , Osprey Publishing, 1993, ISBN 978-1-85532-278-3
- Kathleen M. Sweet: Aviation and airport security , CRC Press, 2009, ISBN 978-1-4200-8816-8
Web links
- Army Ranger Wing (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Colm Ó Mongáin: Risk is real as Irish Special Forces to deploy to Mali. January 13, 2019, accessed December 1, 2019 .
- ^ Army Ranger Wing Homepage. Accessed December 1, 2019 . }
- ↑ Leroy Thompson: IRELAND'S ARMY RANGERS. In: Tactical Life. March 1, 2013, accessed September 11, 2015 .