The Scout Rangers, known officially as the First Scout Ranger Regiment,[1] is a special operations forces of the Philippine Army (PA) that specialized in combat patrol and scouting behind enemy lines with special operations forces (SOF) style. This unit is similar to the 75th Ranger Regiment of the United States Army (USA).
The regiment is also known as Musangs (in English, Scout Rangers).[1][4]
History
The First Scout Ranger Regiment was formed on November 25, 1950, under the command of former AFP Vice Chief of Staff and Defense Secretary Rafael M. Ileto[5] The unit was modelled after the Alamo Scouts and the US Army Rangers.[6] The FSSR was created due to a growing need to counter the Hukbalahap guerrillas with a force trained in small unit actions.[7] Initially known as the Scout Ranger Training Unit (SRTU), they were made up of 5 man teams, made up of one officer and 4 enlisted men.[8] SRTU teams used deep penetration tactics to infiltrate Huk-held territory and take out their units.[8] In 1954, the Army decided to combine all active SRTU units into the 1st Scout Ranger Regiment.[8]
During the Cold War, the FSRR provided training for prospective commandos of the Royal Laotian Army.[6]
The Scout Rangers participated in the December 1989 coup attempt against the administration of Corazon Aquino.[9] Led by then Captain Danilo Lim, Major Abraham Purugganan and Lieutenant Colonel Rafael Galvez, some 2500 Rangers took over Makati in the most destructive coup attempt against the Aquino administration[10] which left hundreds of civilians and soldiers dead, and hundreds more injured.
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