Quick Reaction Force (QRF)
A Quick Reaction Force (QRF) is any force that is poised to respond on very short notice, typically less than fifteen minutes.
Cavalry Army units are frequently postured as a quick reaction force, with a main mission of security and reconnaissance. The 6th Cavalry Brigade in South Korea maintains a squadron quick reaction force, consisting of an AH-64 Apache troop of eight helicopters and their 30 support personnel.
While the ROK army provides most of the frontline military forces south of the DMZ, as well as more than 1,000 DMZ civil police manning more than 100 guard posts on the 151-mile-long Military Demarcation Line, one US platoon is always in the Joint Security Area [JSA]. Additionally, a US quick-reaction force is always ready to provide reinforcements within minutes. Of the 540 soldiers in the battalion, 60 percent are ROK soldiers and 40 percent are U.S. Army soldiers. The latter serve as security guards or perform administrative, communications and logistics missions.
For a large base, the QRF is usually a platoon or squad. The size of the QRF depends on the threat. Obviously, the greater the threat, the bigger the QRF. The tasks assigned to the quick reaction force are not difficult. A well-trained platoon can assume the role and execute it quickly with minimal effort. Every large US unit stationed in South Korea has a quick-reaction force that stands ready to respond to armed infiltration at the perimeter. When more than military police are needed, a base QRF will be called. They can mobilize in as little as three minutes. They are trucked to within a safe distance of the perimeter and then move, dismounted, to restore order to the perimeter. They are trained to destroy the enemy if he comes through. The QRF uses basic infantry skills. Typically, the only people who do this on a day-to-day basis are infantry and cavalry scouts. So in order to execute the tasks to standard every time, taining is especially critical for combat service support personnel like us, who work as clerk-typists, information management personnel and mailroom clerks.
A forward arming and refueling point (FARP) is a temporary arming and refueling facility organized, equipped, and deployed by an aviation unit commander to support tactical operations. It usually is located close to the area of operations (AO). Quick reaction forces may be formed from attack helicopters in or near the FARP. A quick reaction force may also be formed from nonfying members of the unit that have been organized into a reaction team.
In Somalia in 1993, a residual American presence remained to support the United Nations command. This presence consisted of some members of the UNOSOM II staff, a logistics support command of about 2,800 personnel, and a quick reaction force of about 1,200 troops. The QRF was essentially designed to be a quick-reaction force if somebody got in trouble somewhere in the fighting within all of Somalia. The QRF was a quick-reaction force to reinforce somebody, somewhere in Somalia. What happened, though, unfortunately, was the drawdown of the U.S. forces--the QRF got involved in day-to-day operations in Mogadishu. On June 5, 1993, Pakistani forces engaged in confiscating weapons in accordance with their expanded mission were ambushed by Somali militiamen loyal to Gen. Aideed and 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed. The quick reaction force responded to UNOSOM II's request for assistance and was able to rescue a beleaguered Pakistani unit. As a result of this attack, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 837 authorizing UNOSOM II to "take all necessary measures against all those responsible for the armed attack of 5 June 1993." Some of these measures included quick reaction force and AC-130 gunship operations against weapons storage facilities and command and control facilities, as well as efforts to capture Gen. Aideed and other leaders of his Somali National Alliance.
In October 1998 NATO developed a plan for a quick reaction force. The purpose of this force was to extract members of the ground verification component in Kosovo if there was some requirement to do so.
In March 2001 the 135 members of the 119th Military Police Company, Rhode Island Army National Guard ended a seven-month deployment to the Balkans as part of Stabilization Force Rotation #8 supporting United Nation's activities in the Balkans. The Support Platoon provided a squad as the Quick Reaction Force (QRF). The QRF was charged with responding to any incident on Taszar Air Base or Taszar Main Post within 15 minutes. Additionally, the QRF also responded to incidents in Kaposvar when the local police needed help.
During the summer of 2001 the Kentucky Army National Guard soldiers stationed at Camp Comanche performed many duties and had a busy stay here in Bosnia. The 223rd soldiers organized a Quick Reaction Force to respond almost immediately to trouble. If anything happened in their area of responsibility such as a civil disturbance, (the QRF) responds, with people on QRF 24 hours a day. When they get the call the QRF has ten minutes to get to the vehicles.
Beginning in September 2001, Palehorse Troop was one of the most lethal and versatile units in Task Force Eagle. The Troop's primary focus was to be the eyes and ears for the Commanding General, through reconnaissance and security operations with eight-armed reconnaissance helicopters. Palehorse Troop is part of 4th Squadron 2d Armored Cavalry Regiment and was task organized under Task Force Pegasus Virginia National Guard to support peacekeeping operations in Bosnia. Daily operations include maintaining a Quick Reaction Force to assist the commander to react to any situation as the need arises.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
