Light Reaction Regiment

The Light Reaction Regiment (LRR) is the special operations unit of the Philippine Army (PA), under the operational control of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Special Operations Command (AFPSOCOM). It is tasked to conduct rapid response missions, including counter-terrorism.

The LRR was formed with the assistance of the 1st Special Forces Group (1SFG) in the early 2000s in response to several high-profile kidnappings and terrorism in the Philippines.

The LRR's history began in August 1995 when the Armed Forces of the Philippines established an anti-terrorist unit within the ranks of the 1st Special Forces Regiment (Airborne), known as Alpha Two Zero (A-20). It consisted of 20 SFR operators, placed into two 4-man assaulter teams, two 2-man sniper/observer teams, two 2-man breaching teams and a four-man C2 group.

In May 1996, 16 A-20 opearators graduated from the Special Action Force's Special Anti-Terrorist Course (SATC) at Subic Bay, Zambales. The unit became the 33rd Special Forces Company (SFC) and was placed under the control of Task Force Aduana, which was set up under Executive Order No. 196, s. 2000 under the administration of former president Joseph Estrada to be deployed in anti-smuggling operations and other types of fraud committed by organized crime.

A-20's seen as an interim solution as its size was too small to be deployed to combat terrorist threats in the Philippines.

Former Operational Detachment Alpha Team Leader Major Joseph H. Felter, who had previously been deployed to Mindanao in the 1990s, had the idea of creating a counter terrorism special operations unit in the Philippines. Felter spoke to Michael A. Sheehan on creating a counter-terrorism unit in the AFP. In September 2000, Admiral Dennis C. Blair went to the Philippines with a United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) team alongside Special Operations Command Pacific (SOCPAC) personnel, Joint U.S. Military Assistance Group (JUSMAG) officers and 1st Special Forces Group (United States) operators in a meeting with AFP officers and Philippine officials to plan for organizing and equipping the unit under Title 22 Chapter 22 (Mutual Security Assistance) authorities.

Felter met with Major Teodoro A. Llamas, then AFP-SOCOM Assistant Chief-of-Staff for Training. and Major Angel Adrien Sievert II, then AFP-SOCOM Assistant Chief-of-Staff for Operations prior to his meeting with Sheehan.

After years of training under American instructors, the LRC was officially activated on 1 February 2004 and was tasked to be deployed in Mindanao in order to combat Abu Sayyaf Group terrorists responsible for abducting several foreign hostages, with the unit conducting an operation to rescue Gracia Burnham from Abu Sayyaf terrorists. Further exercises had been conducted during the 2006 Balikatan exercises. The LRC had been involved in a rescue operation conducted on a kidnapped Italian priest named Giancarlo Bossi by armed men from a rogue MILF group in 2007.

The unit was involved in the aftermath of the Manila Peninsula rebellion, where they had been deployed to Manila to deter any other Coup d'état attempts. LRC forces have been deployed to Mindanao to conduct anti-terrorist operations in the region. The unit changed its name from the Light Reaction Company to the Light Reaction Battalion in 2008.

50 members of the unit, including 3 officers, were suspended on 9 February 2008, when elements of the LRB came under investigation for the alleged possible killing of innocent civilians on 4 February 2008 during operations in Mindanao against the MILF, known as the Ipil Incident. The unit was cleared of any wrongdoing since the investigation subsequently linked the killings to misinformation provided by an unreliable informant, who was involved in a clan feud and wanted to use the operation to get rid of a rival clan.

In 2014, the unit was again renamed as the Light Reaction Regiment due to its heroic stand in Zamboanga in September 2013. Its elevation to a full regiment was formally sanctioned by Defense Secretary Gazmin on 16 January 2014. A further three companies have been authorized to be added to the three currently operational, bringing the total end strength of the regiment up to 600 soldiers. This could prove difficult for the unit as it has almost always been understrength. When deployed to Zamboanga in 2013, the LRB was at only 40% strength.

All three companies were deployed to Zamboanga City in September, 2013 and led the over 3,000 soldiers and police deployed in the siege. The terrain proved tough for the other units used to fighting rebels in the jungles and remote, uphill areas. The Light Reaction Regiment (still a Battalion at the time) consisted of battle tested soldiers recruited from the Army's elite fighting units, the 1st Scout Ranger Regiment and the Special Forces. The unit was undermanned throughout the operation, only being at 40% authorized manpower and had to be augmented by 45 SEALs from the navy's Naval Special Operations Group. Despite the setbacks, the operation was a success, but it cost the lives of 9 LRB soldiers with a further 37 wounded.

In 2014, the LRR conducted a trojan horse operation at a drag race to either kill or capture Abu Sayyaf target Sihata Latip, who was wanted for kidnapping 21 people in Malaysia in 2000. He went on to conduct a string of kidnappings in the Philippines over subsequent years, but as the Philippines got better at counter terrorism operations, the Islamists were cut off from overseas international terror-finance networks, particularly the ones originating in Saudi Arabia and in order to make up for this loss in income, they engage in kidnapping for ransom. The 24 LRR soldiers trained for a week to execute the mission. They dressed up as if going to a Muslim wedding, rented local jeeps and decorated it. Some soldiers dressed up as women to avoid raising suspicion. One soldier with a M249 light machine gun dressed as a pregnant woman, but forgot to shave on the day of the operation and had to loan a hand fan from one of the female soldiers on the base to cover his goatee. On the way to the drag race one of the jeeps broke down. The commander of the operation decided to go on with the mission with only one jeep and 13 men. When they arrived at the drag race, the LRR operators identified their High Value Target from about 50 civilians and terrorists, approached and drew weapons. A firefight ensued in which the target was killed, but at the loss of a LRR operator who got shot in the neck. The operators loaded up the two bodies and made their getaway, while being shot at by Abu Sayyaf and Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

In May 2017, the regiment spearheaded the army's counter terrorism effort in the Marawi crisis, clearing out the enemy house by house.

On September 4, 2018, the U.S. Counterterrorism Train and Equip Program provided more than 5 million rounds of ammunition worth Php117.4 million ($2.2 million), most of them being used by the LRR.

On 4 May 2020, Col. Monico E. Abang was appointed as the LRR's commander, taking over from Brig. Gen. Monico S. Batle.

On 14 February 2022, Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. vowed to provide more support to the unit during his visit in Nueva Ecija.

The LRR is a regiment-size special operations unit with two Light Reaction Battalions (LRBs) consisting of a Headquarters, Higher Headquarters Company, a Military Police Unit, and Seven Light Reaction Companies (LRCs).

• Headquarters Company - Activated on 29 April 2004. It is the overall governing body of the Light Reaction Regiment, Responsible for Heading, Planning, and Executing Operations.
  • 1st Light Reaction Company "Eximius Ferratus" (1LRC) - Activated on 4 July 2001 after a rigorous 4-Month long training course patterned from JFKSWCS’ SFARTAETC and facilitated by instructors from 1st Special Forces Group’s C/1-1 Company. 1LRC is the Armed Forces of the Philippines' first Counter-Terrorist (CT) Qualified Unit.
  • 2nd Light Reaction Company "Nasiglat" (2LRC) - Activated on 19 August 2003. 2LRC Became the Philippines' Second CT-Qualified Unit.
  • 3rd Light Reaction Company “Wa’y Kurat” (3LRC) - 3LRC is Reported to be the Company in the LRR with the Highest amount of experience in fighting against lawless and renegade forces. The unit was activated on 11 December 2003.
  • 4th Light Reaction Company (4LRC) - Operational by January 2015. It was deployed as security during the visit of Pope Francis in the Philippines.
  • 5th Light Reaction Company "Mandaragit" (5LRC) - The 5th Operational LRC. It went active by October 2015 and was deployed as security during the APEC Summit.
    • Light Reaction Sniper Task Group (LRR-STG) - Also known as “Maligno Sa Tulay” (Filipino: Boogeyman on the Bridge). It is, or was, a 16-man ad-hoc unit that wreaked havoc among the ranks of pro-Islamic State insurgents that attacked Marawi in 2017.
  • 6th Light Reaction Company "Dares Against Odds" (6LRC) - Operational by 5 January 2017. 6LRC was deployed in countless operations, including the Marawi Siege.
  • 7th Light Reaction Company "Molon labe" (7LRC) - Not much is known about the existence of 7LRC. It is believed to be the newest and smallest Light Reaction Company.

The Activation of the 4LRC, 5LRC, and 6LRC was done subsequently after a General Order from the President was ordered which authorized the activation of the Light Reaction Regiment and the creation of its three additional Light Reaction Companies.

Light Reaction School (LRS) - Formerly called as the Counter Terrorist Development and Training School (CTDTS). It is responsible for Recruiting, Selection and Training of Candidates of the Counter Terrorist Course (CTC).

Light Reaction Regiment Military Police - The Light Reaction Regiment has its own Military Police unit for supporting other Light Reaction Companies.

Prior to being qualified for the Light Reaction Regiment's selection and assessment, a candidate must be a graduate of either or both the Scout Ranger Course (SRC) or the Special Forces Operations Course (SFOC) with at least three (3) years worth of combat experience.

• Scout Ranger Course (SRC) - The Scout Ranger Course is a 8-Month long training course taught at the Scout Ranger Training School (SRTS) In Camp Tecson, Bulacan. It is reported to be the most physically demanding course offered by the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
• Special Forces Operations Course (SFOC) - The Special Forces Operations Course is the training program for the Army's Special Forces Regiment: Airborne. It consists of three phases that includes the following
  • Special Forces Candidate Qualification Course (SFCQC) - Special Forces Candidate Qualification Course is a 6-Month long training program designed to train candidates in various combat and survival skills.
  • Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS) - Special Forces Assessment and Selection is a 2-week long phase of SFOC that includes the assessment and selection of candidates that will be inducted on the following phase of their training.
  • Special Forces Operations Course (SFOC) - It is a 8-Month long training course that puts candidates on various parts including an Air Operations Training, Unconventional Warfare Training, and an Survival Escape Resistance and Evasion Training.

• Counter Terrorist Course (CTC) - CTC is a 4-Month long course that embodies the most complex training program in the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It consists of multiple phases that includes a Selection and Assessment Phase, Tactical Combat Casualty Care/Combat Life Saver Phase, a Pistol/Rifle Marksmanship Phase, Combat Marksmanship Phase, Close-Quarters-Battle Phase, an Advanced Phase and a Sniper Course that was formerly referred to as Special Operations Target Interdiction Course.

The Light Reaction School (Formerly known as Counter-Terrorist Development & Training School) is patterned after the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School's SFARTAETC, a CT program that is outside of the 1SFOD-D's Operator's Training Course, ran by the 1st Special Warfare Group at Fort Bragg.

The LRS was based on the Selection and Training Detachment (SATD), composed of USSF instructors with graduates of Counter Terrorist Class One assisting instructors, created in 2002 in order to make way for the future training requirement of the Counter Terrorist Course Class Two and Three. On July 15, 2004, it was replaced by the Selection & Training Platoon, a platoon under the LRB's HQ company.

Due to the increase of instructors, on July 1, 2012, the Selection & Training Platoon was deactivated and replaced by a company-sized SATD separate from the HQ company. As the LRB was activated as a regiment-wide unit, on January 1, 2014, the SATD was renamed CTDTS to meet the expansion which is approved by the LRR'S HHC.

The LRR conducts training with American special forces personnel via bilateral exercises. The LRR has also been training with the Australian SASR and SOCOM units since at least 2013, in exercises Dusk Caracha held in Australia, and Dawn Caracha held in Fort Magsaysay. The unit has trained with British, Indonesian and Malaysian special forces units.

• Villanueva, Francis (2020). Tiradores: Missions and the Men of the Philippine's Light Reaction Regiment. CreateSpace. ISBN 978-1727153507.