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.
Quick reaction force
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Quick Reaction Force or (QRF) is a military unit, generally Platoon-sized in the
US Army, that is capable of rapid response to developing situations. They are to
have equipment ready, to respond to any type of emergency, typically within ten
minutes or less, although this is based on unit Standard Operating Procedures
(SOPs). Cavalry Army units are frequently postured as quick reaction forces, with
a main mission of security and reconnaissance.[1]
The QRF is a modern military reserve, and belongs directly to the commander of
the unit it is created from. Depending on the unit size and protocols, the
commander may be the only person authorized to control the QRF force, or he may
delegate this responsibility to one or more additional people. QRF forces are
commonly found in Maneuver Battalion-level Task Forces and above, in addition
to many Operating Bases having their own dedicated QRF to react to threats on or
immediately around the base.
The readiness level of the QRF is based on unit SOPs. Since maintaining a split-
second level of readiness is draining on equipment, fuel and personnel, the QRF is
postured based on the likelihood of being called up. During high-intensity conflict,
the QRF may be forced to maintain that split-second level of readiness, and have
all members in their vehicles with the motors running. However, during low-
intensity conflict, where deployment is less likely and may be more readily
predicted, the command establishes how fast the QRF must be able to react, which
can range from trucks and personnel in a central location with the troops rotating
out of the trucks to the vehicles simply staged close to a unit area, with all
personnel staying close enough for rapid recall. The speed at which a QRF is
expected to react is defined by its Readiness Condition, or REDCON, level.
The mission of a QRF can vary widely, as they are used to respond to any threat
the commander chooses to employ them for. A US Army QRF consists of a
variable number of trucks, generally a mix of M1151 Up-Armored HMMWVs and,
since their introduction, MRAPs. Depending on the mission requirement,
additional units can be attached to an organic platoon to expand their capabilities.
Examples include attaching Explosive Ordnance Disposal, EOD, teams to a QRF
responding to bombs or similar threats and vehicle recovery assets to a QRF
expected to recover damaged trucks.