Recognizing the need for a highly trained and mobile reaction force, the Army Chief of Staff, General Creighton Abrams, directed the activation of two battalion –sized Ranger units in the fall of 1973. The 2nd Battalion ( Ranger ), 75th Infantry was activated at Ft. Lewis, WA on 1 October 1974.
The 75th Ranger Regiment, also known as Army Rangers, is an elite light infantry special operations force that is part of the United States Army Special Operations Command.
The 75th Ranger Regiment is the U.S. Army's premier light infantry unit, with specialized skills that enable them to perform a variety of operations. Their primary mission is to conduct direct action raids in hostile or sensitive environments worldwide, often killing or capturing high value targets. Besides direct action raids, their other missions include: Airfield seizure, special reconnaissance, personnel recovery, clandestine insertion, and site exploitation.[4][5] The Regiment can deploy one Ranger battalion within 18 hours of alert notification.