Ranger Assessment and Selection Program (RASP)

[LOOON]

RIP is now known as RASP.

http://www.goarmy.com/ranger/index.jsp

To become a member of the 75th Ranger Regiment you must begin by graduating from the U.S. Army's nine week Basic Combat Training (BCT). Upon completion of Basic Training you will then attend Advanced Individual Training to obtain a Military Occupational Specialty (MOS). This training varies in length depending on the selected MOS. Next you must complete Airborne training. Upon graduation from Airborne School you will be assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment to attend the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program (RASP).

If you pass each of the required schools and RASP, you will receive an assignment to the 75th Ranger Regiment. The Regimental Headquarters is located at Fort Benning, Georgia. The 1st Ranger Battalion is located at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia and the 2nd Ranger Battalion is located at Fort Lewis, Washington near Seattle. The 3rd Ranger Battalion and the Regimental Special Troops Battalion are located at Fort Benning, Georgia near Columbus.

• 80% Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT)
• 5-mile run at no slower than 8 minutes per mile
• Successful completion of Combat Water Survival Assessment (CWSA). Candidates must be able to complete a 15-meter swim in ACU's, boots and equipment
• Must complete 12-mile road march in 3 hours or less
• 70% on all exams

Ranger Assessment and Selection Program (RASP) begins when the Ranger Liaison picks up the Ranger candidates immediately after graduation from Airborne School to begin the program.

The purpose of these programs is to ensure each candidate meets or exceeds the Regimental Standards for mental aptitude, moral character, and physical fitness, while also training the candidates on the skills required for service in the Regiment. The Ranger Assessment and Selection Programs screen the candidates to ensure only the best Soldiers are selected for service in the Regiment. For junior enlisted Soldiers, they will attend an eight-week program upon the completion of Basic Training, Advanced Individual Training, and Airborne School. The Ranger Assessment and Selection Program that the junior enlisted Soldiers attend is separated into two phases. The first phase is four weeks long and assesses the candidate's physical fitness, mental toughness, and mental aptitude while training the Soldier on Ranger Combat Skills. The second phase is more specialized and trains the candidate on advanced marksmanship techniques, advanced demolitions and breaching, and combat driving skills. For Non-Commissioned Officers and Officers, they attend a three-week program of instruction, which tests their physical fitness, mental aptitude, mental toughness, and leadership abilities. The program trains these candidates on Special Operations skills in order to prepare them for service within the Ranger Regiment. Upon graduation of these two programs, these Rangers are assigned to one of the four Ranger Battalions. Although the U.S. Army Ranger School is not directly affiliated with the 75th Ranger Regiment, most Rangers will attend Ranger School within their first two years in the Ranger Regiment.

• Daily Physical Training
• Ranger History Test
• Map Reading
• APFT
• Airborne Operation
• Ranger Standards
• Day and night land navigation
• 5-mile run
• Combatives
• Knots
• Combat Water Survival Test
• 6, 8 and 10-mile road marches
• Driver Training (DDC Card)
• Fast Rope Training
• Ranger First Responder certification (Advanced Combat Lifesaver training)

In order to become a Ranger in today's Army, you will need to contact your local Army Recruiter and ask for a Ranger Contract, which will include Basic training, Advanced Individual Training, Airborne School and attendance to the 75th Ranger Regiment's Assessment and Selection Program (RASP).

[bg]

I still don't see "Kick in the Balls" listed under training events.

[LadyDoc]

Although the U.S. Army Ranger School is not directly affiliated with the 75th Ranger Regiment, most Rangers will attend Ranger School within their first two years in the Ranger Regiment.

Loon,
I'm still picking up some of this terminology, so can you give some clarification? For the purposes of identification, if someone has gone through RASP, but has not attended Ranger School, are they considered a Ranger, for the purposes of conversation, or are they just a member of the Ranger Regiment? And, what happens to the guys who do not pass Ranger School - are they thrown out of the Regiment? Is this the difference between "wearing the scroll" and "being tab'd"??

[Garda11B1P]

Loon,
I'm still picking up some of this terminology, so can you give some clarification? For the purposes of identification, if someone has gone through RASP, but has not attended Ranger School, are they considered a Ranger, for the purposes of conversation, or are they just a member of the Ranger Regiment? And, what happens to the guys who do not pass Ranger School - are they thrown out of the Regiment? Is this the difference between "wearing the scroll" and "being tab'd"??

I think there is a difference in the two. Me having served in the Ranger Regiment and did not get the coveted tab I still consider myself as being a Ranger but I will be the first one to say that I didn't got to Ranger School. I think being in Ranger Regiment is more of a lifestyle than anything else. You have to want to be there. You have to volunteer at least three times Army basic, Airborne School, RIP (RASP) then get assigned to a Battalion.

As far as those that don't make it through RIP (RASP) well usually they get what’s called world wide assignment unless things have changed since 1994. I had a few guys that were in my RIP class get dropped for LOM or get injured. Most went to the 82nd and a few got placed in leg land. The injured were given the chance to be holdovers and take RIP again when they healed up. But there is always the exception to the rule. One guy got sent to a RTB which I didn’t really understand at the time.

[LOOON]

Ranger School is just that. It's a school and a fucking tough one at that.

The school is plays a part in being a Ranger in the 75th. Eventually, all Rangers in the Regt attend the school at some point. All of the NCO's and officers in the Regt. have Ranger tabs. Percentage wise, the Regt has more Ranger School grads than any other unit in the military.

Any man from any unit in all four branches of the service can attend Ranger School. But not just anyone becomes a member of the 75th. Most Ranger school grads never set foot in the 75th during their careers.

The Regt teaches the same skills offered in the School. That's why the graduation rate of Batt boys is always high from the school.

While you serve in the Regt, you are a Ranger 24hrs a day, 365 days a year for as long as you can stay in the unit, regardless if you ever get to attend the school or not. If you happen to be in the Army infantry and only attend the school, but never set foot in the Ranger Regt., you were a Ranger for the time you attended the school.

As far as not eating, getting no sleep, and movements that involve miles upon miles, that's just any another day in the Regt.

"The school is a school. The Regt is a way of life"

But, once a Ranger, always a Ranger.

I have met Ranger School grads that have had the gaul to say that "you're not a Ranger if you never attended the school". And I have heard the opposite argument concerning not ever being in the Regt.

Getting a Ranger tab does not qualify anyone for doing the Spec-ops that the Regt does. Only Regt Rangers do the "cool, high speed" shit.

It can be a touchy subject for some.

Now RASP (RIP) is as long as the school. And you need RASP, BAC, and basic, and AIT just to set foot in the Regt. Then after you are there for some time and have proven yourself, you get a shot at Ranger School. As I said, the School is only a part of being a Ranger in the Regt. A PFC in the Regt that has never been to school is every bit the Ranger as someone else that has also been to the school. Tab or not, if you fight and die with a combat scroll on your shoulder, you are a Ranger.

Disclaimer: This is how I view the situation based on my time in the service 20 years ago.

[Garda11B1P]

Well said Looon, and your right it can be a touchy subject for some.

[LadyDoc]

Thank you for the clarification, Loon.

[Falschirmjaeger]

Getting a Ranger tab does not qualify anyone for doing the Spec-ops that the Regt does. Only Regt Rangers do the "cool, high speed" shit.

Only thing I would add here is that when I was in 19th Group, and we were getting ready to send some folks to Cobra Gold, we were trying to flush out the B-Team. Someone at pulled out a Special Operations Command Regulation which read something to the effect of "Deployed personal must be special operations qualified (SF or Ranger)" Which meant my tabbed buddy could go, while I could not.

[LOOON]

"Deployed personal must be special operations qualified (SF or Ranger)" Which meant my tabbed buddy could go, while I could not.

For a tabbed officer or tabbed NCO, the tab allows them to get in the door. But after they get there, they have to start learning as if they were a new private. "imported" tabbed NCO's have a fucking hard assed time after they get there since they are already set in their ways. Some don't last and dx'd pretty quickly.

Tabbed NCO's that were "raised in battalion" are preferred over imports.

[Ops NCO]

For a tabbed officer or tabbed NCO, the tab allows them to get in the door. But after they get there, they have to start learning as if they were a new private. "imported" tabbed NCO's have a fucking hard assed time after they get there since they are already set in their ways. Some don't last and dx'd pretty quickly.

Tabbed NCO's that were "raised in battalion" are preferred over imports.

I've always heard that as well. While it is done (my team leader who later became RSM was an import), it's a hard, hard road, I understand.

Since you've actually been there, you might mention that in MAC11B3V's thread (where's he's pondering which place to shoot for). It wouldn't be appropriate coming from me.

On a note related to the thread, a young man down the street at ar.com is going through the first RASP class. Here are his thoughts below. I don't think there's anything here not publicly viewable, but feel free to purge it as you see fit:

I just finished up the first phase of the new RASP 1. Rasp is broken up into two phases (1 and 2). Phase 1 is just like RIP except you're learning way more. Phase 2 is a Ranger AIT, so when you get to your unit you're deployable. Rasp phase 1 is more than just a smoke session, but Cole Range is all the same (it just sucks). Phase 1 we did a hollywood jump, learned combatives with sgt lacerda (all military champ), call for fires, and Ranger first responder. Cole Range is a secret gem that people have to findout about first hand. That place definately made me a better person and traumatized me at the same time. The pt is brutal, I don't think I ever wanna run again after this, but then again it made my legs massive. Once phase 1 was done we got treated with big boy rules. Phase 2 we're gonna learn humvee mobility, explosives, advanced marksmanship, and pistol training. The mood and atmosphere definately lighten up in phase 2. I'm damn happy I made it this far and I'm damn happy to be here. Never had a greater sense of pride than now.

[Falschirmjaeger]

For a tabbed officer or tabbed NCO, the tab allows them to get in the door. But after they get there, they have to start learning as if they were a new private. "imported" tabbed NCO's have a fucking hard assed time after they get there since they are already set in their ways. Some don't last and dx'd pretty quickly.

Tabbed NCO's that were "raised in battalion" are preferred over imports.

Oh for sure. I was just pointing out that there is some sort of reg which does in fact count the tab as a sort of "Special Ops" qualification. The sad part was that in this case, all non-SF qualified folks that the company wanted to send got DX'd and then we found out that Group sent a bunch from HQ that were non-tabbed. !&*@^&#^!&^!&^

[LOOON]

I'd also like to mention that there are "tabbed" Rangers that ARE NOT airborne qualified. The tab alone will not get them into the Ranger Regt. They would have to attend BAC first.

[Falschirmjaeger]

I'd also like to mention that there are "tabbed" Rangers that ARE NOT airborne qualified. The tab alone will not get them into the Ranger Regt. They would have to attend BAC first.

Used to be an assload of Leg Rangers at Fort Ord. The running joke used to be that they were the 7th Leg Ranger Division. And the Light Leader Course that they ran was "Ranger School for Shitty Swimmers"

[AbnJack]

There was a Ranger tabbed leg Major in my BAC class.

[Weazle23]

There's several leg Rangers in my unit. Two of them are in my company.

My Battalion's Recon Plt made up their own PT shirts with the Ranger Tab on the back and only a handful are Ranger qual'd. I don't think that's too cool, but that's just me.