(DoD) Rapidly deployable airborne light infantry organized and trained to conduct highly complex joint direct action operations in coordination with or in support of other special operations units of all Services. Rangers also can execute direct action operations in support of conventional nonspecial operations missions conducted by a combatant commander and can operate as conventional light infantry when properly augmented with other elements of combined arms.
Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. 31 January 2011.
| APA | Military Dictionary (DoD). (2011). rangers. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/rangers/definitions/1958730 |
| Chicago | Military Dictionary (DoD). 2011. "rangers" http://smartdefine.org/rangers/definitions/1958730 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | Military Dictionary (DoD) 2011, rangers, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/rangers/definitions/1958730>. |
| MLA | Military Dictionary (DoD). "rangers" 4 April 2011. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/rangers/definitions/1958730> |