Dunedain Rangers
The second military group loyal to Aragorn is the Rangers of the North, from which the 30 rangers of the Grey Company that fought with Aragorn at Minas Tirith in the books came from. They served as a useful intelligence group prior to the War. Now, the Rangers of the North are the military force for the people left over after the almost complete destruction of the Western Kingdoms by the Witch King. So, all we really know about their operations is that they were secretive and nomadic. Which means a decent amount of speculation and guesswork.
But in another racially problematic element of Lord of the Rings, the Dunedain suffered from low birth rates. Hence why there are so few Rangers of the North. Going back to the World War One era, the racial theories common included fears about demographic replacement. France's right wing was afraid of German population growth giving Germany a military edge. Germans also feared similar trends strengthening the "Russian Steamroller". This led to calls for preemptive war in German military circles and helped justify France's alliance with Russia.
But much more problematic is the human rights abuses this thinking justifies. In these racial theories, low birth rates in the "superior races" were often combined with the above mentioned fears of higher birthrates in the "lesser races". This led to the fears at the heart of the "white replacement/genocide" idiocy. Responses to these anxieties have included eugenics policies promoting large families in the "good races" and forced sterilizations of the "lesser" ones. Which is bad enough. But they have also led to hate crimes, terrorist attacks and genocides against the perceived perpetrators.
Should these demographic fears be translated into Middle Earth, we can expect there to be similar atrocities. And there is evidence to suggest it will. First, the forces of the Free People have been in decline for ages. Forceful actions to promote rejuvenation in the face of the "superior" people will be seen as justified. Then there is the increasing ethnic tensions between the Wild Men and Rohan. The Dunedain too have a history of ethnic strife. One side is the "good" westerners. They are locked in battle with the "evil" eastern races. Which happen to be of darker skin tones. These "lesser" races became evil because of their lower intellect that led them to be more easily swayed by Sauron and the Black Numenoreans. Who then took political control over them and interbred. Which meant the "evil" and "weaker/less civilized/ less intelligent" races merged into one group. Who also just happened to be able to raise huge armies relative to the Realms in Exile and are allied with the never ending hoards of orcs.
This creates a good verses evil narrative that is divided on racial lines. The need to preserve the allegedly superior culture of the claimed superior racial group in the face of racial groups irredeemably hostile and inferior is a breeding ground for atrocity. Especially when one of these racial groups is the Easterlings, one of the great military powers of Middle Earth. The other is the Southrons - the group directly taken over by the Black Numenoreans and a culture likely to have enslaved Gondorians on a more regular basis.
Composition
Manpower
Due to their military weakness, they were more akin to a local militarized police force. They provided local security and were the main group protecting the Shire from external threats.
Now, we can assume that they take no “mass” actions at all. Remember, the area the Rangers operate in is one severely affected by depopulation. Bree is the largest settlement in the area, with 1,300 people. This means that the four total settlements in the area could at most have 5,200 people. Due to the fact that urban areas are naturally going to be the most populated places in a territory, I would expect that 10,000 people would be the highest reasonable population figure. If we take a very generous 20% mobilization rate, that would mean that at any given time 2,000 rangers are active. They then are responsible for providing security against criminals and orcs in a territory 248,540 sq. miles. It therefore seems more likely they would not be conducting any large scale actions at all.
Equipment
Dull grey, brown and green cloth was the basis of their uniforms. The only real armor they used was helmets and (probably buckler) shields. This is party due to economics and partly due to the extra value placed on camouflage and speed/mobility. The sword and bow are more common in the light cavalry compared to the heavy.
Weaponry
Weaponry thus was mainly the spear and bow, but they were rather skilled with swords. Based on their limited support networks, their bows would most likely be modified hunting bows – like composite recurve bows that were used in medieval horse archer units. Sabers were the preferred swords of mounted troops throughout history, but the Rangers would have to fight on foot too. So I would expect some form of general purpose short sword. Spears are much lighter than the traditional lances used for charges, so I would expect that to be the main charging weapon. This also has the benefit of being useful as an infantry weapon and possibly as a more pointy pole one can use in camp. Heater shields are basically mini kite shields. They are cheap, easy to carry and make, light and even were easy to use when paired with lances used during mounted charges. It makes sense to me that the Rangers would opt for these guys.
Vehicles
Unsurprisingly, they were skilled horsemen. It is important to note that their mobility is one of the Rangers’ defining trait. In their journey from the Paths of the Dead to where they take control of the Corsair ships, they travel an average of 52.44 miles a day. Some days they went as much as 110 in a single day. Heavy cavalry would be exhausted by that sort of marching. For comparison, A WW1 division could only be expected to march 15 miles a day. Attempts to push German soldiers to 18 to 25 a day during the opening moves saw two fifths of all cases of heat stroke the German Army suffered occur in the first month. All that to say that it is unreasonable to expect the horses to be able to handle 50 to 110 miles a day with all the extra arms and armor if they were in heavy units.
Structure
The leader of the Rangers of the North was known as the Chieftain of the Dúnedain. It was held by the heir to the Arthedain throne. This was the Kingdom of Arnor last destroyed by the Witch King and the one that the line of Isildur held on to power longer in. Each heir to the post was raised on Rivendell by Elrond. The symbols of their claim to the throne were kept here too. Again, this demonstrates the elven use of proxies to carry out their aims. Their training, assistance and safe harbor provided to the leadership prevented the destruction of the Royal Family.
The high ranging Dunedain are apparently more prone to nobility and goodness. Granted, they are not immune to evil, just closer relative to other men. High ranking Dunedain, like Aragorn, have abnormally high levels of wisdom. Their powers of perception were high too, with some even having prophecies. Which means to me that the Rangers were probably exceptionally well led.
There does appear to be a decent amount of command level cooperation with the Elves, which is what we would expect given everything else we know of the Rangers. The Grey Company was organized by the twin sons of Elrond. This was done on the request of Galariel. Its banner was made by Arwen. They then followed him into the Paths of the Dead and fought with significant skill and bravery at Minas Tirith. Due to their loyalty, connections to the elves and clear bravery, I would suspect that they would form the cadre of Aragorn's future administration.
Tactics
The more law enforcement, total secrecy and absence of an official base would require a different style than what I would expect them to pick up from the elves. For example, when you have no base to return to, the need to survive longer takes more importance. The elves can retreat to their more fortified forest homes if things turn bad. The Northern Rangers cannot rely on this as much. Secondly, the small groups of enemies the Rangers will be mainly fighting would require an entirely different fighting style than when one attacks a regular army.
We can assume that they would primarily be light cavalry and skirmishers. Tactically, they would probably have to rely on hit and run tactics like ambushes and raids on camps at night. This would work well in an area where bandits, small groups of orcs and an occasional troll would be the main enemies encountered. As they don’t really have any powerful neighbors that they would be up against, it seems unlikely that attacks on supply lines would not occur to them. But that would be a common tactic for groups like the Northern Rangers should powerful and hostile enemies be located nearby.
Light cavalry relies on smaller horses, less armor and lighter weaponry. As a result, they are not effective in the sort of shock roles that we would expect from the Rohirrim. Meanwhile, they are much faster and able to be effective reconnaissance, raiding and skirmishing troops. Due to their speed, they are much better equipped to hit areas that are unprepared. Thus flank attacks are quite effective with light cavalry – as is exploiting breakthroughs in enemy lines and pursuing routing enemies.
One unit that was more common in light cavalry compared to heavy is mounted archers. Now, this clearly requires significant amounts of skill to pull off, like what we can expect from a group like the Rangers. The ability to ride past enemy ranks while shooting arrows into them, or to firing backward during a retreat makes this a powerful tactic to add to a group’s arsenal. Normally, there would be dedicated mounted archers that perform the roles of light cavalry while the heavy cavalry serves as a separate arm.
But there were cases of heavy cavalry having bows so they could fire on the ranks they were charging. I would expect that they would most likely keep their distance from their enemies until the arrows have severely depleted the enemy ranks, then charged in for the kill. Historically this would mean 5-6 volleys before pulling out their spears. In larger battles, there would also be horse archer attacks on the flanks. In these attacks, the cavalrymen would approach the enemy, fire one devastating volley, then charge with their swords.
When acting in isolation, as the Rangers of the North have to, light cavalry and horse archers rely on mounted hit and run tactics. But there is no dedicated infantry to exploit their gains. So they would most likely use mixed role tactics described above. Therefore, all troops would have to be ready for all possible actions. To me, this means they would start out with as many volleys as possible with their bows. Then they would essentially have two options. The first would be to charge with their swords if the enemy is surprised and disorganized enough, possibly then dismounting and fight as infantry. The second would be to then turn and flee, firing backwards and enemies pursuing them. This would be the more common tactic for larger or more cohesive enemy bands.
Light cavalry, like light infantry, would use an open line with plenty of space between soldiers. This is done mainly because it makes them less vulnerable to arrow fire. Given the fact these units were not expected to engage in all out charges, the loss of offensive power that resulted was not an issue. Meanwhile, the same number of troops could cover a wider area, thus see more. The result is better for their primary mission requirements. Light cavalry is expected to delay enemy advances, harass enemy ranks, hit flanks and engage in surprise attacks or disrupt the enemy’s planned attacks. One does not need massive power to do these. It must be noted that in the Rangers would be up against mainly small bands of orcs and criminals, not hardened and massive armies.
These tactics would prove quite effective in this context. But even in main battles, these tactics have led to catastrophic defeats for the victims – infantry units have broken ranks, become disorganized and rash in the heat of moment. There is nothing more damaging than that in the era where massed infantry formations were critical to victory. If you can tempt the enemy to break ranks or attack prematurely, you have huge advantages.
Training
We can assume that some degree of training and material assistance would also be provided to the regular members of the Rangers by Rivendell too. If they suck at fighting, the aid to the Chieftains would mean nothing. Which means that the Rangers would all be pretty well trained. But they would also primarily fight in a mutated elvish style. Their basic training would be elvish, but it would certainly be adapted over the years for more human physical characteristics.
We actually see this express itself in the canon versions of the Northern Rangers. Aragorn's sword technique in the movies is said to be effectively elvish. Like the Gondorian Rangers, the Northern ones are actually more comfortable speaking elvish than the human languages.
Logistics
Logistical Support
Their territory includes pretty much everything between the Misty Mountains and the Shire, including Bree and Weathertop. Yet they were very secretive and nomadic, resulting in the local people becoming distrustful of them. Due to this, we can assume that there would be little aid from the local population. The Rangers would probably rely on their hunting and foraging skills for most of their needs.
Due to the fact that these Rangers have to cover much more area, we can expect each ranger to have their own horse. Hence my focus on light cavalry instead of infantry tactics thus far. This means that they would need things that could be carried on a horse for long distances and used in mounted combat. The weight is a key factor, as Rangers would be acting solo or in very tiny groups. They would have no logistical support and shelter to retreat to when deployed behind enemy lines. We can expect that on top of their weaponry, they would be carrying all their camping gear, extra clothing and whatever food they need and can’t forage for.
As I noted elsewhere, they would have low numbers dispersed over a wide area. So, what would we expect then for their support systems? I would imagine that the Grey Company was not a fluke. To expect an area to have threats that one ranger can be expected to routinely handle alone seems unreasonable. Therefore, I would imagine that the Ranger would actually have a network of bases and camps that smaller groups would operate out of. Now, given the large area and nomadic lifestyle of the Rangers, we can expect a large number that can provide refuge for a small number. Each would possibly have a single watcher that makes sure it has enough supplies and to help pass on messages. I would expect this person to be a civilian, as each Ranger would be needed out in the field as much as possible. These bases would provide medical care, a place to repair equipment, get more food, rest and relax. But, a fully stocked safe house would probably not be too practical to have a large network of. So, there would probably be a smaller number of these more impressive ones with a larger network of unmanned ones. The smaller ones would probably have some sort of fire signal or carrier pigeon to call for help, probably also some form of small first aid kit and emergency rations.
Now, lets get a rough guess as to how many of these we can expect. We know that at short notice 30 men were able to answer the call to arms and begin marching to aid Aragorn. This means they must be close to where they met up to begin the trek. Now, as bases of operation for groups of 30 people in a force of at most 2,000, there would only be 67 of these safe houses. As we can expect them to be ready and able to traverse long distances regularly, the 110 mile figure would be the norm we can expect for the distances between them. But, to completely cover all of the land they would need to, they would need a network of 2,260 at least. That is a little impractical for a group of people with no real resource base to call on. This wide gap in the numbers suggests a possible a network of secret, unmanned places are set up or individual rangers have deals with local residents. It also means that the resources they do have would be concentrated near Moria, Rivendel, Bree, Weathertop and the border of the Shire. These areas are their strategic priorities and points where they can be the most easily resupplied from.
Another option likely used by the Rangers to finance their operations is exploiting these safe houses and their skills. One expression of this would see the Rangers selling animal skins and meat to the local civilians or trading them for other supplies. The bigger and more public Ranger bases might over time evolve more into Ranger run inns for travelers. The Rangers could then charge a fee for navigation aid and escort services to the people moving between these inns as well.
Auxilia
Now, I noted the possibility of travel related services run by the Rangers. These would most likely be run by civilians employed by the Rangers for this purpose. These operations would probably turn a profit. A tiny one given the limited economics of the area, but a profit none the less. These civilians would be a natural group to provide skilled labor for the Rangers. Plus, they would be effective procurement agents to buy what could not otherwise be obtained. Just as important is the fact that by virtue of these tasks, these people would have much more direct contact with the wider community. Especially compared to their secretive, nomadic bosses. They would therefore naturally be good sources of human intelligence that the Rangers would find vital.
Upkeep
Elrond's support for the Rangers makes perfect sense on many levels. First, as noted elsewhere, it fits with the proxy and soft power means the Elves would prefer to use to accomplish their ends. Especially for Rivendell, as the Rangers provide security for the city's most exposed side. Should the orcs and trolls west of the Misty Mountains be left unchecked or allowed to unite into a fighting force, Rivendell would be threatened from the west. So providing material support and training to the Rangers would be justified on national security grounds.
This is reinforced by Elrond's personal history. Celebrían was Elrond's wife and the daughter of Galadriel. She was captured and tortured by orcs in the Misty Mountains. So a force that would keep orcs out of the area would keep his own family safe. The Chieftains were also his family. They were decedent from the Royal Family of Numenor - which was started by Elrond's brother. Elrond was witness to this history, so this would feel a bit more personal.
So Rivendell would provide a decent amount of aid to cover the material needs of these Rangers. But the rangers are primarily the rugged outdoors type. They would be quite skilled at fending for themselves and comfortable in their spartan, nomadic living standards. Then, the absence of epic armies means that there would not need to be any major investments in resources. So not only would there be substantial personal and public goods coming from this aid, it would be quite cheap.
Recruitment
So, the Dunedain that formed the demographic core of the Rangers produced the best troops physically in the human world. They had incredibly long life spans and physically superior. Aragorn for example lived to be 210 - which does not appear to be uncommon. They also do not start suffering the effects of old age as soon as other humans. Which means that the Dunedain were stronger and healthier for much longer. Thus could fight better than other humans and for much longer.
History
Due to the area now being rather sparsely populated, there is no real large scale military presence here.
Historical loyalties
Aragorn is descendant from the same line of kings that once ruled the united kingdom before it splintered. His first leadership post was as the leader of the Rangers. Following Gandalf’s request, Aragorn used the Rangers to protect the Shire. Then, given the fact that the Rangers have such wide ranges and have skills useful for spies, they could easily be sources for Gandalf. Through this, he can keep an eye on things in a region sparsely populated. It would not be unreasonable for Gandalf to assume that Sauron or the Witch King might attempt to occupy Angmar again. After all, Dol Guldur being used as a base of operations for Sauron. Angmar was a base used to great effect and it is not like Sauron doesn’t have a track record of using attacks in other areas to hide his plans.
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