Editing Selous Scouts (section)

===Expansion===
Due to the success of the Selous Scouts, Walls directed in mid-1974 that it be expanded from three to six troops. This process was completed by December 1974, and included 50 former insurgents being added to the unit.{{sfn|Cilliers|1985|p=124}} A Reconnaissance Troop was formed in the second half of 1976 to conduct scouting operations in Mozambique and Zambia; this unit had a peak strength of twelve men.{{sfn|Cilliers|1985|p=127}}

As part of the expansion of the Selous Scouts, the Rhodesian Army's Tracking Wing and Tracker Combat Unit were merged into it during 1974. The Tracking Wing became the Selous Scouts' Training Troop. The Selous Scouts continued to deliver training in tracking and trackers for the remainder of the war, with this forming a cover for the unit's actual role. The Tracker Combat Unit was made up of white reservists; while these men were not suitable for Selous Scouts operations, they were retained to help provide cover. These changes reduced the effectiveness of the Rhodesian Army's tracking capabilities.{{sfn|Stapleton|2014|p=240}}

The size of the Selous Scouts increased further over time, and eventually reached 1,800 men. Many of these were territorial soldiers who were not permanently attached.{{sfn|Cilliers|1985|p=130}} The rapid expansion of the Selous Scouts led to a drop in the quality of its personnel, which reduced the effectiveness of pseudo operations. This in turn caused the unit to increasingly undertake offensive operations where it directly attacked insurgents rather than gathered intelligence on them.{{sfn|Cilliers|1985|p=131}} From 1979 former Selous Scouts became part of a scheme where they were armed by the Rhodesian Army and paid bounties for killing insurgents.{{sfn|White|2016|p=12}}

The overlap in roles between the Selous Scouts and the SAS led to friction between the two units.{{sfn|Cilliers|1985|p=133}} They also competed for personnel, with the demands of the Selous Scouts leading to a decline in the effectiveness of the SAS as well as the [[Rhodesian Light Infantry]] and [[Rhodesian African Rifles]].{{sfn|Stapleton|2014|p=240}}

The decline in the effectiveness and discipline within the Selous Scouts led to concerns from other elements of the Rhodesian Army. Selous Scouts were accused of poaching ivory, and Reid-Daly's office was bugged by investigators.  He was convicted by a court-martial after publicly confronting Lieutenant General John Hickman, the commander of the Rhodesian Army, over the bugging and left the Army afterwards.<ref name="Telegraph Reid-Daly obit" />