| Immediate Response Force | |
|---|---|
 Paratroopers assigned to the Immediate Response Force make their way to a U.S. Air Force transport during an emergency deployment in January 2020 | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Type | Rapid deployment force |
The Immediate Response Force (IRF) is a rapid deployment force jointly maintained by the United States Army and United States Air Force, which is capable of deploying worldwide within 18 hours of notification.
By 1980, the United States formed the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force (RDJTF) as a rapid reaction force under the U.S. Readiness Command. Composed of contingently assigned units from the United States Army, United States Air Force, United States Navy, and United States Marine Corps, its mandate was to rapidly deploy to confront worldwide threats to American interests. With the passage of the 1986 Goldwater-Nichols Act, the relevance of a force with planet-wide responsibilities became less apparent and the RDJTF was deactivated. [1]
In the 2000s, the Global Response Force (GRF) was created as a pooled reserve of CONUS-based military assets that could be used to rapidly reinforce one of the Unified Combatant Commands in the event of an emergent threat to American interests within a command's geographic area of responsibility. [1] It was subsequently replaced with the Immediate Response Force.
The IRF's first emergency deployment occurred in January 2020 and consisted of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division plus supporting Air Force assets. The deployment was to the Middle East and was in response to a prior attack on the U.S. embassy in Iraq. [2] In June 2020, one infantry battalion of the IRF deployed to Fort Belvoir in response to riots in Washington, D.C. The unit remained on standby until dismissed by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. [3] The IRF's 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division was deployed to Afghanistan during Operation Allies Refuge in August 2021. [4]
Elements of the 82nd Airborne, which makes up the core of the IRF, were mobilized and deployed to eastern Europe in support of NATO during the 2021–2022 Russo-Ukrainian crisis. [5]
The IRF is built around a Brigade Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division. A rotating battalion of the brigade, along with Air Force Air Mobility Command assets, is kept at a high alert level to allow it to undertake an airborne deployment on 18 hours notice with no prior warning. [2] [6] This initial "entry force" of the IRF is designed to be followed by additional battalions within a period of days. [7]
The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is an air assault infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operations to seize terrain. These operations can be conducted by mobile teams covering large distances, fighting behind enemy lines, and working in austere environments with limited or degraded infrastructure. It was active in, for example, foreign internal defense and counterterrorism operations in Iraq, in Afghanistan in 2015–2016, and in Syria, as part of Operation Inherent Resolve in 2018–2021.
The 82nd Airborne Division is an airborne infantry division of the United States Army specializing in parachute assault operations into hostile areas with a U.S. Department of Defense mandate to be "on-call to fight any time, anywhere" at "the knife's edge of technology and readiness." Primarily based at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, the 82nd Airborne Division is part of the XVIII Airborne Corps. The 82nd Airborne Division is the U.S. Army's most strategically mobile division.
The XVIII Airborne Corps is a corps of the United States Army that has been in existence since 1942 and saw extensive service during World War II. The corps is designed for rapid deployment anywhere in the world and is referred to as "America's Contingency Corps." Its headquarters are at Fort Liberty, North Carolina.
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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.
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The Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force (RDJTF) is an inactive United States Department of Defense Joint Task Force. It was first envisioned as a three-division force in 1979 as the Rapid Deployment Force (RDF), a highly mobile rapid deployment force that could be rapidly moved to locations outside the normal overseas deployments in Europe and Korea. Its charter was expanded and greatly strengthened in 1980 as the RDJTF. It was inactivated in 1983, and re-organized as the United States Central Command (USCENTCOM).
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The 505th Infantry Regiment, formerly and colloquially the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment and the 505th Airborne Infantry Regiment, is an airborne infantry regiment of the United States Army, one of four infantry regiments of the 82nd Airborne Division of the United States Army, with a long and distinguished history.
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The 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment is the field artillery battalion assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. The battalion has been assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, 11th Airborne Division and 101st Airborne Division. The battalion has participated in World War I, World War II, Operation Power Pack, Operation Urgent Fury, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Inherent Resolve.
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