It was established on 6 April 2005 at RMA Sandhurst and is a component of United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF) alongside the Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Service (SBS), supported by the Special Forces Support Group (SFSG). The Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR) was formed in April 2005 to meet a growing worldwide demand a for special reconnaissance capability. The term ‘special reconnaissance’ covers a wide range of highly classified specialist skills and activities related to covert surveillance. The Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR) is a Special Forces Regiment of the British Army. Although the ceremony took place at the Royal Military Academy of Sandhurst (RMAS), the SRRs Headquarters (HQ) is in South Wales (Rayment, 2005). On 05 April 2005, the then Secretary of State for Defence, Geoffrey Hoon, announced that the Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR) would stand up on 06 April 2005 (Hansard, 2005).

The Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR) specializes in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations.