Military Reaction Force

Military Reaction Force
Active	mid 1971 – early 1973
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Role	Special reconnaissance Counter-insurgency
Size	c. 40
Part of	39th Infantry Brigade
Headquarters	Palace Barracks, Holywood, Northern Ireland
Engagements	Operation Banner (The Troubles)
Commanders
Commander	Cpt. James McGregor (June 1972 onward)
Commander	Cpt. Arthur Watchus (until June 1972)

The Military Reaction Force, Military Reconnaissance Force or Mobile Reconnaissance Force (MRF) was a covert intelligence-gathering and counter-insurgency unit of the British Army active in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, a former member described it as a "legalised death squad". The unit was formed during the summer of 1971 and operated until late 1972 or early 1973. MRF teams operated in plain-clothes and civilian vehicles, equipped with pistols and submachine guns. They were tasked with tracking down and arresting, or killing, members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). The MRF also ran double agents within the paramilitary groups and ran a number of front companies to gather intelligence. In October 1972, the Provisional IRA uncovered and attacked two of the MRF's front companies—a mobile laundry service and a massage parlour—which contributed to the unit's dissolution.

The MRF was succeeded by the Special Reconnaissance Unit (SRU; or 14 Intelligence Company) and, later, by the Force Research Unit (FRU).

The MRF was established in the summer of 1971. It appears to have its origins in ideas and techniques developed by British Army Brigadier Sir Frank Kitson, who had created "counter gangs" to defeat the Mau Mau in Kenya. He was the author of two books on counter-insurgency tactics: Gangs & Counter Gangs (1960) and Low Intensity Operations (1971). From 1970 to 1972, Kitson served in Northern Ireland as commander of the 39th Infantry Brigade. It has been claimed that he was responsible for establishing the MRF and that the unit was attached to his Brigade.

...
Wikipedia