23 Special Air Service Regiment (Reserve)

Last updated

23 Special Air Service
Active1959 – present
CountryFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Branch Army Reserve
Type Special forces
Role Special operations
Part of United Kingdom Special Forces [1]
Garrison/HQMOD Kingstanding, Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom
Engagements

23 Special Air Service Regiment (Reserve) (23 SAS(R)) is a British Army Reserve special forces unit that forms part of United Kingdom Special Forces. [2] Together with 21 Special Air Service Regiment (Artists) (Reserve) (21 SAS(R)), it forms the Special Air Service (Reserve) (SAS(R)). [2] Unlike the regular SAS Regiment, it accepts members of the general population without prior military service. [3]

Contents

History

The unit was founded during 1959, [4] as an additional regiment of the Territorial Army of the United Kingdom, [5] and was created from the former Reserve Reconnaissance Unit (RRU), this unit having originated from an organisation known as Military Intelligence 9. [6] [7] The initial headquarters location was London, the headquarters were moved during 1959, to Thorpe Street, Birmingham, during 1966, to Kingstanding, Birmingham, within a Territorial Army centre. [8]

In 1985, David Stirling, founder of the SAS, commented "There is one often neglected factor which I would like to emphasize - the importance of the two SAS Territorial regiments. At the start of the Second World War, and during its early stages, it was the ideas and initiatives of these amateur soldiers which led to the creation of at least two units within the Special Forces and gave a particular elan to others. When, however, a specialist unit becomes part of the military establishment, it runs the risk of being stereotyped and conventionalized. Luckily the modern SAS looks safe from this danger; it is constantly experimenting with innovative techniques, many of which stem from its Territorial regiments, drawn as they are from every walk of civilian life." [9]

23 SAS was formed as a result of a direct military requirement of 1 (BR) Corps: because of the RRU's impressive performance during its annual exercise in 1957, when it tested their new techniques in battlefield surveillance and nuclear targeting, 1 (BR) Corps requested the unit to be included in its order of battle. The RRU evolved to become 23 SAS. The role of the SAS in the defence of West Germany was kept top secret but by the 1960s, the KGB and East German intelligence were well aware of what was being planned and even tried, unsuccessfully, to penetrate the unit. 21 and 23 SAS would have been mobilized and deployed to 1 (BR) Corps within 48 hours of an alert. [10] The regiment's first commander was Lt Col H S Gillies; [6] Anthony Hunter-Choat OBE was the commanding officer of the regiment from 1977 to 1983. [11] Peter de la Billiere, who later commanded 22 SAS and then became Director Special Forces, served as the adjutant of 21 for part of this period. He later wrote "People began to see that the Territorial SAS were first class and enhanced the reputation of the whole Regiment in a special way of their own." [12]

By early 2003 a composite squadron of 23 SAS, including members of 21 SAS, was operating in Helmand for roles against Al Qaeda forces, "with the emphasis on long range reconnaissance". [13] [14] [15] [16] It was reported that the workload undertaken and the results achieved by the territorial SAS in Afghanistan "greatly impressed their American commanders, who are keen to keep using them on operations for as long as possible". [13] In 2007-8 a squadron-sized sub-unit was deployed first from 23 and then from 21 SAS to Helmand for roles including training the Afghan Police and working with the intelligence services. [17] [18] In June 2008, three soldiers from 23 SAS were killed by a landmine their vehicle triggered in Helmand province. [19] [20] [17] [18]

Three SAS reservists were awarded military crosses, and one won a Conspicuous Gallantry Cross in Afghanistan. [21] [22]

On 1 September 2014, 21 and 23 SAS were moved from United Kingdom Special Forces and placed under the command of 1st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Brigade. [23] [24] The units then left that brigade before the end of 2019. [25] Today the two reserve regiments, 21 SAS and 23 SAS are back under the operational command of the Director Special Forces, as an integrated part of United Kingdom Special Forces. [26]

Organisation

The unit structure is as follows:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Army</span> Military unit

The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. As of 1 October 2023, the British Army comprises 75,983 regular full-time personnel, 4,097 Gurkhas, 26,546 volunteer reserve personnel and 4,548 "other personnel", for a total of 111,174.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special Air Service</span> Special forces of the British Army

The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. It was founded as a regiment in 1941 by David Stirling, and in 1950 it was reconstituted as a corps. The unit specialises in a number of roles including counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, direct action and special reconnaissance. Much of the information about the SAS is highly classified, and the unit is not commented on by either the British government or the Ministry of Defence due to the secrecy and sensitivity of its operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special Boat Service</span> Special forces unit of the Royal Navy

The Special Boat Service (SBS) is the special forces unit of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. The SBS can trace its origins back to the Second World War when the Army Special Boat Section was formed in 1940. After the Second World War, the Royal Navy formed special forces with several name changes—Special Boat Company was adopted in 1951 and re-designated as the Special Boat Squadron in 1974—until on 28 July 1987 when the unit was renamed as the Special Boat Service after assuming responsibility for maritime counter-terrorism. Most of the operations conducted by the SBS are highly classified, and are rarely commented on by the British government or the Ministry of Defence, owing to their sensitive nature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special Air Service Regiment</span> Special forces unit of the Australian Army

The Special Air Service Regiment, officially abbreviated SASR though commonly known as the SAS, is a special forces unit of the Australian Army. Formed in 1957 as a company, it was modelled on the British SAS with which it shares the motto, "Who Dares Wins". Expanded to a regiment in August 1964, it is based at Campbell Barracks, in Swanbourne, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, and is a direct command unit of the Special Operations Command.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Army Reserve (United Kingdom)</span> Element of the British Army

The Army Reserve is the active-duty volunteer reserve force of the British Army. It is separate from the Regular Reserve whose members are ex-Regular personnel who retain a statutory liability for service. The Army Reserve was known as the Territorial Force from 1908 to 1921, the Territorial Army (TA) from 1921 to 1967, the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve (TAVR) from 1967 to 1979, and again the Territorial Army (TA) from 1979 to 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Commando Regiment (Australia)</span> Unit of the Australian Army Reserve

The 1st Commando Regiment is an Australian Army Reserve special forces unit, part of Special Operations Command with an integrated structure of regular (full-time) soldiers and reserve (part-time) soldiers, which together with the full-time Australian Army 2nd Commando Regiment, provides the commando capability to Special Operations Command. Raised in 1955 it is the oldest unit within Special Operations Command and in 2008 deployed to Afghanistan to become the first Australian Army Reserve force element on combat operations since World War II. The regiment is the Command's capability lead for special warfare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artists Rifles</span> Unit of the British Army Reserve

The 21 Special Air Service Regiment (Artists) (Reserve), historically known as The Artists Rifles is a regiment of the Army Reserve. Its name is abbreviated to 21 SAS(R).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special Reconnaissance Regiment</span> Special forces regiment of the British Army

The Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR) is a tier 1 special reconnaissance unit of the British Army. It was established on 6 April 2005 and is part of the United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team</span> Active British Army formation

16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team, known simply as 16 Air Assault Brigade from 1999 – 2021, is a formation of the British Army predominantly based in Colchester, Essex. It makes up the Air Assault Task Force, a battlegroup held at high readiness, and is the only brigade in the British Army focused on operating via parachute, helicopter and air-landing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter de la Billière</span> British Army officer

General Sir Peter Edgar de la Cour de la Billière, is a former British Army officer who was Director SAS during the Iranian Embassy siege, and Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in Operation Granby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special Forces Support Group</span> Military unit

The Special Forces Support Group (SFSG) is a special forces unit of the British Armed Forces. The SFSG was formed officially on 3 April 2006 to provide support to the Special Air Service, the Special Boat Service and the Special Reconnaissance Regiment on operations. It is a tri-service unit, composed of the 1st Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, a company of Royal Marine Commandos, and a flight (platoon) from the Royal Air Force Regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Forces casualties in Afghanistan since 2001</span> List of British casualties in Afghanistan since 2001

The United Kingdom was one of the first countries to take part in Operation Enduring Freedom against the Taliban regime in autumn 2001.

The history of the British Army's Special Air Service (SAS) regiment of the British Army begins with its formation during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War, and continues to the present day. It includes its early operations in North Africa, the Greek Islands, and the Invasion of Italy. The Special Air Service then returned to the United Kingdom and was formed into a brigade with two British, two French and one Belgian regiment, and went on to conduct operations in France, Italy again, the Low Countries and finally into Germany.

This is the Operation Herrick ground order of battle, which lists any British ground forces that have taken part in the duration of Operation Herrick between 2002 and 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camp Shorabak</span> Military air base in Afghanistan

Camp Shorabak is a former British Army airbase, located northwest of the city of Lashkargah in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The camp was situated in a remote desert area, far from population centres.

Director Special Forces (DSF) is the senior British Armed Forces officer responsible for Special Forces. The post is a senior role within the Ministry of Defence (MoD). As Director, the incumbent is responsible for the provision of United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF) capability to MoD, and holds Operational Command for discrete Special Forces operations.

18 (UKSF) Signal Regiment is a regiment of the Royal Corps of Signals in the British Army that provides Communications and Information Systems (CIS) support to the United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF). The regiment is under the operational command of the Director Special Forces and includes signal squadrons from both the Royal Corps of Signals and the Royal Navy.

United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF) is a directorate comprising the Special Air Service, the Special Boat Service, the Special Reconnaissance Regiment, the Special Forces Support Group, 18 (UKSF) Signal Regiment and the Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing, as well as the supporting No. 47 Squadron. In British freedom of information law, "special forces" has been defined as "those units of the armed forces of the Crown and the maintenance of whose capabilities is the responsibility of the Director of Special Forces or which are for the time being subject to the operational command of that Director". The Royal Marine Commandos and the Ranger Regiment are special operations–capable forces, but they do not form part of UKSF.

Army 2020 was the name given to the restructuring of the British Army in the early and mid-2010s, in light of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010. The plan, as its name suggested, was intended to be completed by 2020, though most of its reorganisations were completed by the middle of the decade. It was succeeded by Army 2020 Refine, a series of new changes and refinements of Army 2020's restructuring, conducted in light of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Brigade</span> British Army formation

1st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Brigade of the British Army was created as part of the Army 2020 reform, to command military intelligence, ISTAR, and electronic warfare units.

References

  1. ↑ "21 & 23 SAS (Reserve)". www.army.mod.uk.
  2. 1 2 "21 & 23 Special Air Service (SAS)". British Army. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  3. ↑ L. Thompson - SAS : Great Britain's Elite Special Air Service (p.11) published by MBI, 1999, 128 pages, ISBN   1610607422 [Retrieved 2015-06-25]
  4. ↑ Steven Morris - Brecon Beacons Territorial Army Reservists Deaths published by The Guardian Newspaper 15 July 2013 (Guardian News and Media Ltd) [Retrieved 2015-04-26]
  5. ↑ (author is shown one of listed page 659, not available (shown) in copy) - Encyclopedia of Insurgency and Counterinsurgency: A New Era of Modern Warfare (p.527) ABC-CLIO, 29 Oct 2013 (edited by SC. Tucker) ISBN   1610692802 [Retrieved 2015-04-26]
  6. 1 2 R M Bennett (31 August 2011). Elite Forces. Random House. ISBN   978-0753547649 . Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  7. ↑ G Pitchfork MBE - Shot Down and on the Run: The RCAF and Commonwealth Aircrews who Got Home from Behind Enemy Lines, 1940-1945 Dundurn, 2003 ISBN   1550024833 [Retrieved 2015-05-15]
  8. ↑ Benjamin Hurst (26 December 2008). HOME»NEWS»WORLD NEWS»ASIA»AFGHANISTAN. Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  9. ↑ William Seymour British Special Forces: The Story of Britain's Undercover Soldiers, 1985, Pen and Sword, Preface
  10. ↑ Sinai, Tamir (8 December 2020). "Eyes on target: 'Stay-behind' forces during the Cold War". War in History. 28 (3): 681–700. doi: 10.1177/0968344520914345 .
  11. ↑ Obituary of Brigadier Tony Hunter-Choat published 23 Apr 2012 Telegraph Media Group Limited 2015 [Retrieved 2015-05-15]
  12. ↑ de la Billiere, Peter (1995). Looking for Trouble: SAS to Gulf Command. HarperCollins, P 161
  13. 1 2 Rayment, Sean (28 December 2003). "Overstretched SAS calls up part-time troops for Afghanistan". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 23 March 2010
  14. ↑ Smith, Michael (20 November 2005). "Part-time SAS sent to tackle Taliban". Sunday Times.
  15. ↑ Christian Jennings 'Midnight in Some Burning Town British Special forces Operations from Belgrade to Baghdad, p187 & 246
  16. ↑ Neville, Leigh, Special Forces in the War on Terror (General Military), Osprey Publishing, 2015 ISBN   978-1-4728-0790-8,p.75
  17. 1 2 Smith, Michael; Starkey, Jerome (22 June 2008). "Bryant was on secret mission in Afghanistan". The Sunday Times.
  18. 1 2 Farrell, Theo (2017). Unwinnable: Britain's War in Afghanistan, 2001–2014. Bodley Head. ISBN 978-1847923462., p. 246-7
  19. ↑ Harding, Thomas (31 October 2008). "SAS Chief Quits Over 'Negligence That Killed His Troops". The Daily Telegraph . London. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
  20. ↑ Rayment, Sean (28 December 2003). "Overstretched SAS calls up part-time troops for Afghanistan". The Daily Telegraph . London. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
  21. ↑ "Question By Philip Hollobone MP and answer by James Heappey, MO Min AF". Hansard. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  22. ↑ "Revealed: nearly half of Special Forces could go in deepest cuts in 50 years". www.telegraph.co.uk. 3 March 2013.
  23. ↑ Janes International Defence Review, May 2014, p. 4
  24. ↑ Army Briefing Note 120/14, NEWLY FORMED FORCE TROOPS COMMAND SPECIALIST BRIGADES, Quote . It commands all of the Army's Intelligence, Surveillance and EW assets, and is made up of units specifically from the former 1 MI Bde and 1 Arty Bde, as well as 14 Sig Regt, 21 and 23 SAS(R).
  25. ↑ "Force Troops Command Handbook". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  26. ↑ "21 & 23 SAS (Reserve)". www.army.mod.uk. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  27. ↑ Hurst, Ben (26 December 2008). "SAS to march through Birmingham to receive freedom of city". BirminghamLive. Retrieved 5 November 2022. The regimental headquarters ... moved to the TA Centre Kingstanding.
  28. ↑ Asher, Michael (2008). The regiment : the real story of the SAS. London: Penguin Books. ISBN   9780141026527. 23 SAS, with its HQ in Birmingham...
  29. ↑ Firmin, Rusty (2016). The Regiment : 15 years in the SAS (Revised ed.). London. ISBN   9781472817372. 23 SAS headquarters in Kingstanding, Birmingham ... My job was to be the squadron quartermaster sergeant PSI in HQ squadron ... other permanent staff in Birmingham ...{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  30. ↑ "Army Reserve units in the North East". Archived from the original on 19 April 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2022. B Squadron, 23 SAS, Carlton Barracks, Carlton Gate, Leeds, LS7 1H
  31. ↑ "B Sqn 23 SAS". Reserve forces and cadets association. Archived from the original on 22 May 2010. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
  32. ↑ "D Squadron 23 SAS (R)". Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original on 5 November 2010. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
  33. ↑ "G Squadron, 23 Special Air Service Regiment (R)". Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original on 16 October 2009. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
  34. ↑ "'She dreamed of being a soldier. Now she won't be coming home'". Evening Standard. 19 June 2008. Retrieved 5 November 2022. Two of the SAS reservists were members of 'G' Squadron of 23 SAS Regiment, based in Manchester.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.