Colegiul National de Informatica ,,spiru Haret"Suceava

Colegiul National de Informatica ,,Spiru Haret"Suceava
Contents :
Introduction....................................................................................Pg. 2
1. Nany Seals (SUA)....................................................................Pg. 3
2. Special Air Services (UK).......................................................Pg. 7
3. Sayert Matkal (Israel)............................................................Pg. 12
4. GIGN (France).......................................................................Pg. 16
5. Alpha Group (Russia)............................................................Pg. 21
6. Unidad de Operaciones Especiales (Spain)........................Pg. 25
7. Special Services Group (Pakistan).......................................Pg. 29
Conclusion..................................................................................Pg. 32
1
Introduction
Elite special forces are among the best trained fighting units that can boast a country.
They work in places where other soldiers are afraid to go, they prevent possible threats,
strategic objectives and establish their lead daring rescue mission.
These soldiers have gone through rigorous training exercises designed to eliminate
them those of them who can not cope with demanding standards. In a world where size does
not necessarily mean military country and professionalism, these special forces members are
those who face threats to their lead missions to complete.
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Navy Seals (SUA)
The United States Navy's "Sea, Air, and Land" Teams, commonly abbreviated as
the Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy'sprimary special operations force and a component of
the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting
small-unit maritime military operations that originate from, and return to, a river, ocean,
swamp, delta, or coastline. The SEALs are trained to operate in all environments (sea, air, and
land) for which they are named.
As of August 2017, all active SEALs are currently male and members of the U.S.
Navy. The CIA's highly secretive and elite Special Operations Group (SOG) recruits operators
from SEAL Teams, with joint operations going back to the MACV-SOG during the Vietnam
War. This cooperation still exists today, as evidenced by military operations in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
Scouts and Raiders
Recognizing the need for a beach reconnaissance force, a select group of Army
and Navy personnel assembled at Amphibious Training Base Little Creek, Virginia on August
15, 1942 to begin Amphibious Scouts and Raiders (joint) training. The Scouts and Raiders
mission was to identify and reconnoiter the objective beach, maintain a position on the
designated beach prior to a landing, and guide the assault waves to the landing beach.
The first group included Phil H. Bucklew, the "Father of Naval Special Warfare,"
after whom the Naval Special Warfare Center building is named. Commissioned in October
1942, this group saw combat in November 1942 during Operation Torch on the North African
Coast. Scouts and Raiders also supported landings in Sicily, Salerno, Anzio, Normandy,
and southern France.
A second group of Scouts and Raiders, code-named Special Service Unit No. 1,
was established on 7 July 1943, as a joint and combined operations force. The first mission, in
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September 1943, was at Finschhafen in Papua New Guinea. Later operations were
at Gasmata, Arawe, Cape Gloucester, and the east and south coasts of New Britain, all
without any loss of personnel. Conflicts arose over operational matters, and all non-Navy
personnel were reassigned. The unit, renamed 7th Amphibious Scouts, received a new
mission, to go ashore with the assault boats, buoy channels, erect markers for the incoming
craft, handle casualties, take offshore soundings, clear beach obstacles and maintain voice
communications linking the troops ashore, incoming boats and nearby ships. The 7th
Amphibious Scouts conducted operations in the Pacific for the duration of the conflict,
participating in more than 40 landings.
The third and final Scouts and Raiders organization operated in China. Scouts and Raiders
were deployed to fight with the Sino-American Cooperative Organization, or SACO. To help
bolster the work of SACO, Admiral Ernest J. King ordered that 120 officers and 900 men be
trained for "Amphibious Raider" at the Scout and Raider school at Fort Pierce, Florida. They
formed the core of what was envisioned as a "guerrilla amphibious organization of Americans
and Chinese operating from coastal waters, lakes and rivers employing small steamboats and
sampans." While most Amphibious Raider forces remained at Camp Knox in Calcutta, three
of the groups saw active service. They conducted a survey of the upper Yangtze River in the
spring of 1945 and, disguised as coolies, conducted a detailed three-month survey of the
Chinese coast from Shanghai to Kitchioh Wan, near Hong Kong.
Grenada
Main article: Invasion of Grenada
Both SEAL Team FOUR and SEAL Team SIX, the predecessor to DEVGRU,
participated in the US invasion of Grenada. The SEALs' two primary missions were the
extraction of Grenada's Governor-General and the capture of Grenada's only radio tower.
Neither mission was well briefed or sufficiently supported with timely intelligence and the
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SEALs ran into trouble from the very beginning. On 24 October 1983, twelve operators from
SEAL Team SIX and four Air Force Combat Control Team members (CCT) conducted a
predawn combat airborne water insertion from C130 Hercules with Zodiac inflatable rubber
boats 40 kilometers north of Point Salinas, Grenada. The team inserted with full combat gear
in bad weather with low visibility conditions and high winds. Four SEALs drowned and were
never recovered. SEALs split into two teams and proceeded to their objectives. After digging
in at the Governor's mansion, the SEALs realized they had forgotten to load
their cryptographic satellite phone. As Grenadian and Cuban troops surrounded the team, the
SEALs' only radio ran out of battery power, and they used the mansion's land line telephone
to call in AC-130 gunship fire support. The SEALs were pinned down in the mansion
overnight and were relieved and extracted by a group of Marines the following morning.
The team sent to the radio station also ran into communication problems. As soon as
the SEALs reached the radio facility they found themselves unable to raise their command
post. After beating back several waves of Grenadian and Cuban troops supported by BTR-
60 armoured personnel carriers, the SEALs decided that their position at the radio tower was
untenable. They destroyed the station and fought their way to the water where they hid from
patrolling enemy forces. After the enemy had given up their search the SEALs, some
wounded, swam into the open sea where they were extracted several hours later after being
spotted by a reconnaissance aircraft.
Iran–Iraq War
Main article: Operation Prime Chance
During the closing stages of the Iran–Iraq War the United States Navy began
conducting operations in the Persian Gulf to protect US-flagged ships from attack by Iranian
naval forces. A secret plan was put in place and dubbed Operation Prime Chance. Navy SEAL
Teams 1 and 2 along with several Special Boat Units and EOD techs were deployed on
mobile command barges and transported by helicopters from the Army's 160th Special
Operations Aviation Regiment. Over the course of the operation SEALs
conducted VBSS(Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure) missions to counter Iranian mine laying
boats. The only loss of life occurred during the take down of the Iran Ajr. Evidence gathered
on the Iran Ajrby the SEALs later allowed the US Navy to trace the mines that struck
the USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58). This chain of events lead to Operation Praying Mantis,
the largest US Naval surface engagement since the Second World War.
During Operation Desert Shield and Storm, Navy SEALs trained Kuwaiti Special
Forces. They set up naval special operations groups in Kuwait, working with the Kuwaiti
Navy in exile. Using these new diving, swimming, and combat skills, these commandos took
part in combat operations such as the liberation of the capital city.
Panama
Main article: United States invasion of Panama
The United States Navy contributed extensive special operations assets to the
invasion of Panama, codenamed Operation Just Cause. This included SEAL Teams 2 and 4,
Naval Special Warfare Unit 8, and Special Boat Unit 26, all falling under Naval Special
Warfare Group 2; and the separate Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU).
DEVGRU fell under Task Force Blue, while Naval Special Warfare Group 2 composed the
entirety of Task Force White. Task Force White was tasked with three principal objectives: the
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destruction of Panamanian Defense Forces (PDF) naval assets in Balboa Harbor and the
destruction of Manuel Noriega's private jet at Paitilla Airport (collectively known
as Operation Nifty Package), as well as isolating PDF forces on Flamenco Island.
The strike on Balboa Harbor by Task Unit Whiskey is notably marked in SEAL
history as the first publicly acknowledged combat swimmer mission since the Second World
War. Prior to the commencement of the invasion four Navy SEALs, Lt Edward S. Coughlin,
EN-3 Timothy K. Eppley, ET-1 Randy L. Beausoleil, and PH-2 Chris Dye, swam underwater
into the harbor on Draeger LAR-V rebreathers and attached C4 explosives to and destroyed
Noriega's personal gunboat the Presidente Porras.
Task Unit Papa was tasked with the seizure of Paitilla airfield and the destruction of
Noriega's plane there. Several SEALs were concerned about the nature of the mission
assigned to them being that airfield seizure was usually the domain of the Army Rangers.
Despite these misgivings and a loss of operational surprise, the SEALs of TU Papa proceeded
with their mission. Almost immediately upon landing, the 48 SEALs came under withering
fire from the PDF stationed at the airfield. Although Noriega's plane was eventually
destroyed, the SEALs suffered four dead and thirteen wounded. Killed were Lt. John
Connors, Chief Petty Officer Donald McFaul, Torpedoman's Mate 2nd Class Issac Rodriguez,
and Boatswain's Mate 1st Class Chris Tilghman.
Persian Gulf War

Main article: Gulf War
In August 1990, SEALs were the first western forces to deploy to the Persian Gulf as
part of Operation Desert Shield. They infiltrated the capital city of Kuwait within hours of the
invasion and gathered intelligence and developed plans to rescue US embassy staff should
they become hostages. SEALs were also the first to capture Iraqi Prisoners of War when they
assaulted nine Kuwaiti Oil platforms on 19 January 1991. On 23 February 1991, a seven-man
SEAL team launched a mission to trick the Iraqi military into thinking an amphibious assault
on Kuwait by coalition forces was imminent by setting off explosives and placing marking
buoys 500 meters off the Kuwaiti coast. The mission was a success and Iraqi forces were
diverted east away from the true coalition offensive. The SEALs were first into Kuwait City
in their Desert Patrol Vehicles when it was recaptured.
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Special Air Services (UK)
The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. The SAS
was founded in 1941 as a regiment, and later reconstituted as a corps in 1950 .The unit
undertakes a number of roles including covert reconnaissance, counter-terrorism, direct
action and hostage rescue. Much of the information and actions regarding the SAS is
highly classified, and is not commented on by the British government or the Ministry of
Defence due to the sensitivity of their operations.
The corps currently consists of the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, the regular
component under operational command of United Kingdom Special Forces, as well as
the 21st (Artists) Special Air Service Regiment (Reserve) and the 23rd Special Air Service
Regiment (Reserve), which are reserve units under operational command of the 1st
Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Brigade.
The Special Air Service traces its origins to 1941 and the Second World War. It was
reformed as part of the Territorial Army in 1947, named the 21st Special Air Service Regiment
(Artists Rifles). The 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, which is part of the regular army,
gained fame and recognition worldwide after its televised rescue of all but one of the hostages
held during the 1980 Iranian Embassy siege.
Second World War
The Special Air Service was a unit of the British Army during the Second World
War that was formed in July 1941 by David Stirling and originally called "L" Detachment,
Special Air Service Brigade—the "L" designation and Air Service name being a tie-in to a
British disinformation campaign, trying to deceive the Axis into thinking there was a
paratrooper regiment with numerous units operating in the area (the real SAS would "prove"
to the Axis that the fake one existed). It was conceived as a commando force to operate
behind enemy lines in the North African Campaign and initially consisted of five officers and
60 other ranks. Its first mission, in November 1941, was a parachute drop in support of
the Operation Crusader offensive. Due to German resistance and adverse weather conditions,
the mission was a disaster; 22 men, a third of the unit, were killed or captured. Its second
mission was a major success. Transported by the Long Range Desert Group, it attacked three
airfields in Libya, destroying 60 aircraft with the loss of 2 men and 3 jeeps. In September
1942, it was renamed 1st SAS, consisting at that time of four British squadrons, one Free
French, one Greek, and the Folboat Section.
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SAS patrol in North Africa during WW2
In January 1943, Colonel Stirling was captured in Tunisia and Paddy

Mayne replaced him as commander. In April 1943, the 1st SAS was reorganised into the
Special Raiding Squadron under Mayne's command and the Special Boat Squadron was
placed under the command of George Jellicoe. The Special Raiding Squadron fought in Sicily
and Italy along with the 2nd SAS, which had been formed in North Africa in 1943 in part by
the renaming of the Small Scale Raiding Force. The Special Boat Squadron fought in
the Aegean Islands and Dodecanese until the end of the war. In 1944 the SAS Brigade was
formed from the British 1st and 2nd SAS, the French 3rd and 4th SASand the Belgian 5th
SAS. It was tasked with parachute operations behind the German lines in France and carried
out operations supporting the Allied advance through France,
(Operations Houndsworth, Bullbasket, Loyton and Wallace-Hardy) Belgium, the Netherlands
(Operation Pegasus), and eventually into Germany (Operation Archway). As a result of
Hitler's issuing of the Commando Order on 18 October 1942, the members of the unit faced
the additional danger that they would be summarily executed if ever captured by the Germans.
In July 1944, following Operation Bulbasket, 34 captured SAS commandos were summarily
executed by the Germans. In October 1944, in the aftermath of Operation Loyton another 31
captured SAS commandos were summarily executed by the Germans.
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Post-war
At the end of the war the British government saw no further need for the force and
disbanded it on 8 October 1945.
The following year it was decided there was a need for a long-term deep-penetration
commando unit and a new SAS regiment was to be raised as part of the Territorial Army.
Ultimately, the Artists Rifles, raised in 1860 and headquartered at Dukes Road, Euston, took
on the SAS mantle as 21st SAS Regiment (V) on 1 January 1947.
Malayan Scouts
21 SAS soldier after a night parachute drop exercise in Denmark, 1955
In 1950, a 21 SAS squadron was raised to fight in the Korean War. After three
months of training in Britain, it was informed that the squadron would no longer be required
in Korea and so it instead volunteered to fight in the Malayan Emergency. Upon arrival in
Malaya, it came under the command of Mike Calvert who was forming a new unit called the
Malayan Scouts (SAS). Calvert had already formed one squadron from 100 volunteers in the
Far East, which became A Squadron—the 21 SAS squadron then became B Squadron; and
after a recruitment visit to Rhodesia by Calvert, C Squadron was formed from 1,000
Rhodesian volunteers. The Rhodesians returned home after three years service and were
replaced by a New Zealand squadron. By this time the need for a regular army SAS regiment
had been recognised; the 22nd SAS Regiment was formally added to the army list in 1952 and
has been based at Hereford since 1960. In 1959 the third regiment, the 23rd SAS Regiment,
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was formed by renaming the Reserve Reconnaissance Unit, which had succeeded MI9 and
whose members were experts in escape and evasion.
22 SAS Regiment
Since serving in Malaya, men from the regular army 22 SAS Regiment have taken part
in covert reconnaissance and surveillance by patrols and some larger scale raiding missions
in Borneo. An operation against communist guerillas included the Battle of Mirbat in
the Oman. They have also taken part in operations in the Aden Emergency, Northern
Ireland, and Gambia. Their Special projects team assisted the West German counterterrorism
group GSG 9 at Mogadishu. The SAS counter terrorist wing famously took part in a hostage
rescue operation during the Iranian Embassy Siege in London. During the Falklands War B
squadron were prepared for Operation Mikado before it was subsequently cancelled while D
and G squadrons were deployed and participated in the raid on Pebble Island. Operation
Flavius was a controversial operation in Gibraltar against the Provisional Irish Republican
Army (PIRA). 22 SAS also directed NATO aircraft onto Serb positions and hunted war
criminals in Bosnia. They were also involved in the Kosovo War helping KLA guerillas
behind Serbian lines. According to Albanian sources one SAS sergeant was killed by Serbian
special forces.
The Gulf War, in which A, B and D squadrons deployed, was the largest SAS
mobilisation since the Second World War, also notable for the failure of the Bravo Two
Zero mission. In Sierra Leone it took part in Operation Barras, a hostage rescue operation, to
extract members of the Royal Irish Regiment. Following the September 11 attacks on the
United States by al-Qaeda in 2001, 2 squadrons of 22 SAS, reinforced by members of both
the territorial SAS units deployed to Afghanistan as part of the Coalition invasion at the start
of the War in Afghanistan (2001–present), to dismantle and destroy al-Qaeda and to deny it a
safe base of operations in Afghanistan by removing the Taliban from power in the War on
Terror. The Regiment carried out Operation Trent – the largest operation in its history, which
included its first wartime HALO parachute jump. Following the invasion, the Regiment
continued to operate in Afghanistan against the Taliban and other insurgents until 2006, where
its deployment Iraq became its focus of operations until 2009, when the SAS redeployed to
Afghanistan.
Special projects team
The special projects team is the official name for the Special Air Service anti–
hijacking counter–terrorism team. It is trained in Close Quarter Battle
(CQB), sniper techniques and specialises in hostage rescue in buildings or on public
transport. The team was formed in the early 1970s after Prime Minister Edward Heath asked
the Ministry of Defence to prepare for any possible terrorist attack similar to the massacre at
the 1972 Summer Olympics therefore ordering that the SAS Counter Revolutionary Warfare
(CRW) wing be raised.
Once the wing had been established, each squadron rotated on a continual basis
through counter–terrorist training including hostage rescue, siege breaking, and live firing
exercises—it has been reported that during CRW training each soldier expends as many as
100,000 pistol rounds. Squadrons refresh their training every 16 months, on average. The
CRW's first deployment was during the Balcombe Street Siege. The Metropolitan Police had
trapped a PIRA unit; it surrendered when it heard on the BBC that the SAS were being sent
in.
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The first documented action abroad by the CRW wing was assisting the West
German counter-terrorism group GSG 9 at Mogadishu. In 1980, the SAS were involved in a
dramatic hostage rescue during the Iranian Embassy Siege.
The CT role was shared amongst the squadrons, initially on a 12-month and later
six-month rotation basis to ensure that all members are eventually trained in CT and CQB
techniques. The SAS train for the CT role at Pontrilas Army Training Area in a facility that
includes the Killing House (officially known as Close Quarter Battle House) and part of
a Boeing 747 airliner that can be reconfigured to match the internal layouts of virtually any
commercial aircraft. The on-call CT squadron is split into four troops, two of which are on
immediate notice to move and are restricted to the Hereford-Credenhill area, whilst the other
two conduct training and exercises across the UK, but are available for operational
deployment should the need arise.
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Sayert Matkal (Israel)
General Staff Reconnaissance Unit or Unit 269, more commonly known

as Sayeret Matkal is a special forces unit of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). First and
foremost a field intelligence-gathering unit, conducting deep reconnaissance behind enemy
lines to obtain strategic intelligence, Sayeret Matkal is also tasked with counter-
terrorism and hostage rescue beyond Israel's borders. The unit is modeled after the British
Army's Special Air Service, taking the unit's motto "Who Dares, Wins". The unit is the Israeli
equivalent of Delta Force of the United States and to the UK's Special Air Service.[1] It is
directly subordinate to the IDF's Directorate of Military Intelligence.
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History
In 1954 Israel's first special operations unit—Unit 101—was disbanded following
the outcry provoked by the Qibya massacre. This left the IDF without a dedicated special-
forces unit other than the Navy's Shayetet 13, a naval commando unit which could not fully
replace Unit 101. In 1957 Avraham Arnan (né Herling), a former yeshiva student
and Palmach fighter, petitioned the IDF General Staff to create a unit that could be dispatched
to enemy-held territory to carry out top secret intelligence-gathering missions. Arnan's idea
(backed by David Ben-Gurion and Yitzhak Rabin) was to create a unit that would recruit only
the best and the brightest of Israeli youth. Prospective fighters were to be hand-picked, being
physically and intellectually the best soldiers available. Originally part of Aman's Unit 157,
Sayeret Matkal began to operate independently a year later as the General Staff's special
operations force, modeled after the British Special Air Service. Members of the unit were
trained by Bedouin trackers in order to obtain a better understanding of their
adversaries. Established a year after the formation of Israel's first helicoptersquadron, the
close co-operation between the two units allowed Sayeret Matkal to deploy longer and deeper
inside Arab territory than its predecessor. Arnan's vision for Sayeret Matkal (of which he was
the first commander) was of a unit that would carry out strategic intelligence-gathering and
other operations; as such it would receive its missions only from the General Staff. Sayeret
Matkal would also evaluate new weapons and doctrines that could influence the entire IDF.
In the early 60s Sayeret Matkal conducted several intelligence-gathering operations in
the Sinai Peninsula - the last of which was launched just four months before the outbreak of
the Six-Day War. But, due to the extensive training, planning and preparation that had to be
undertaken before its missions, Sayeret Matkal ended up not seeing any action during the war
itself. It was however engaged extensively in the following War of Attrition. After 1967, with
the rise of Arab terrorism perpetrated by groups such as the Palestine Liberation
Organization (PLO), Sayeret Matkal began developing the first hostage-rescue and counter-
terrorism techniques in the world. Beginning with Operation Isotope, the unit carried out
several high-profile operations that thrust it into the limelight as an "elite paratroopers" unit
(Sayeret Matkal's existence was classified at the time). In 1972, before the Munich massacre,
Sayeret Matkal's operatives were sent to West Germany to cooperate with German authorities
and, if necessary, perform the hostage-rescue themselves. Their advice though, was not
heeded. In the subsequent Operation Wrath of God, Sayeret Matkal struck the PLO in Beirut.
The Yom Kippur War in 1973 brought a profound change to the unit. With Israel
fighting on two fronts and the General Staff busy with managing the war, Sayeret Matkal
found itself without missions to perform. Sayeret Matkal officers then split into two camps:
those who believed that the unit should be kept in reserve and not be lightly sent to missions
where it could endure heavy casualties, and those that wanted to go into action, even if that
meant missions with little planning and more akin to a commando force than to the strategic-
oriented Sayeret Matkal. The latter prevailed and Sayeret Matkal was tasked with operations
on both fronts. After the war, Sayeret Matkal began developing plans for wartime in advance,
so that when war came, the unit could go into action immediately, without waiting for the
General Staff's orders and missions. A reserve company of Sayeret Matkal was also
designated specifically for cooperation with the Israeli Air Force, shown by the war to be
lacking. This would later evolve into Shaldag Unit.
In 1974 Sayeret Matkal suffered a heavy blow when a failed rescue attempt resulted
in the Ma'alot massacre. The debacle led to the creation of the Yamam to deal with domestic
counter-terrorism/hostage-rescue missions, while Sayeret Matkal would focus on foreign
counter-terrorism/hostage-rescue. Two years later came the most famous mission of the unit
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when it spearheaded Operation Entebbe to rescue hostages held in Uganda. The mission was a
resounding success, although there were 4 hostages killed as well as the commander of the
Unit, Lieutenant Colonel Yonatan Netanyahu.
Although a top-secret unit, Sayeret Matkal had tremendous influence on the IDF. It
was the original developer of helicopter infiltration techniques in Israel. In addition, their
extensive use of the Uzi led them to convince Israel Military Industries to produce an Uzi
with a folding stock for increased accuracy while maintaining its small frame.
In 2015 the unit received a honorable mention for its activities during Operation Protective
Edge.
Recruitment and training
A Sayeret Matkal soldier
The unit was kept top-secret during its initial years. Fighters and commanders were
selectively hand-picked, based on personal acquaintances. Since the 1970s, while still
secretive, the unit opened to voluntary recruits. Twice a year it holds a notoriously grueling
selection camp (Gibbush) for potential recruits lasting several sleepless days. The recruits are
constantly monitored by doctors and psychologists. Those who make it through with a passing
grade are admitted. During the 1990s, this selection practice was picked up by other IDF
special forces (Sayeret).
Once admitted to the unit, recruits train for 18–19 months, with heavy emphasis
on small arms, martial arts, navigation, camouflage, reconnaissanceand other skills required
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for survival behind enemy lines. They must also complete the 120-kilometre (75 mi) Beret
March in the final four days to receive their red beret. The training regime consists of the
following:
 Four months of basic infantry training, held in the Paratroopers basic training base; it
is part of the regular Paratroopers basic training routine.
 Two months advanced infantry training, within the unit.
 Three weeks parachuting course in the IDF Parachuting School.
 Five weeks counter-terror (CT) course in the IDF Counter-Terror Warfare School,
followed by more inner-unit CT training.
 The rest of the training is dedicated to long-range reconnaissance patrol training, and
especially to navigation/orienteering, which is of vast importance in the unit. While most
of the orienteering training is done in pairs for safety reasons, as in every other unit in the
IDF, Sayeret Matkal is one of the handful of IDF units which conducts long-range solo
navigation exercises.
Although Sayeret Matkal has its own insignia, it is also one of only two units in the
IDF, the other being Duvdevan, whose soldiers are not allowed to wear it in public due to its
classified nature. Ironically, this lack of insignia often leads to Sayeret Matkal operators being
recognized as such, as the fact that Matkal troopers don't wear insignia is well known.
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GIGN(France)
GIGN National Gendarmerie Intervention Group is the elite Police tactical

unit of the French National Gendarmerie. Its missions include counter-terrorism, hostage
rescue, surveillance of national threats, protection of government officials, and targeting
organized crime.
GIGN was established in 1974 following the Munich massacre. Created initially as a
relatively small tactical unit specialized in sensitive hostage situations, it has since grown into
a larger and more diversified force of nearly 400 members, with expanded responsibilities.
GIGN shares jurisdiction of French territory with the National Police special-response units.
GIGN is headquartered in Versailles-Satory near Paris. Although most of its
operations take place in France, the unit, as a component of the French Armed Forces, can
operate anywhere in the world. Many of its missions are secret, and members are not allowed
to be publicly photographed. Since its formation, GIGN has been involved in over 1,800
missions and rescued more than 600 hostages, making it one of the most experienced counter-
terrorism units in the world.
The unit came into prominence following its successful assault on a hijacked Air
France flight at Marseille Marignane airport in December 1994.
History
GIGN was formed in Maisons-Alfort (near Paris) in 1973 in the wake of the Munich
massacre and other less well known events in France. Initially named ECRI (Équipe
Commando Régionale d’intervention or Regional Commando Tactical Team), it became
operational in March 1974, under the command of then-lieutenant Christian Prouteau and
performed its first mission ten days later. Another unit, named GIGN, was created
simultaneously within the Gendarmerie parachute squadron in Mont-de-Marsan in southwest
France but the two units were merged under Prouteau's command in 1976 and adopted the
GIGN designation. GIGNs initial complement was 15, later increased to 32 in 1976, 78 by
1986, and 120 by 2005. GIGN moved to Versailles-Satory in 1982.
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In 1984, it became the police tactical unit of a larger organisation called GSIGN
(French: Groupement de sécurité et d'intervention de la Gendarmerie nationale), together with
EPIGN (French: Escadron Parachutiste d'Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale),
the Gendarmerie Parachute Squadron, GSPR (French: Groupe de sécurité de la présidence de
la République), the Presidential Security group and GISA (French: groupe d'instruction et de
sécurité des activités), a specialized training center.
On 1 September 2007, a major reorganization took place. In effect, GSIGN was
renamed GIGN and its former components (the original GIGN, EPIGN, GSPR and GISA)
became "forces" of the new GIGN which now reached a total complement of 380 operators.
More than a simple name swap, the new organization aimed at:
 reinforcing command and control functions

 providing better integration through common selection, common training and stronger
support.
 improving the unit's capability to handle complex situations such as mass hostage-
takings similar to the Beslan crisis.
In 2009, the Gendarmerie, while remaining part of the French Armed Forces, was
attached to the Ministry of the interior, which already supervised the National Police. The
respective areas of responsibility of each force did not change however as Police already had
primary responsibility for major cities and large urban areas while the Gendarmerie was in
charge of smaller towns, rural areas as well as specific military missions. Under the new
command structure, GIGN gendarmes can still be engaged in military operations outside of
France due to their military status.
Coordination between GIGN and RAID, the national police elite team, is handled
by a joint organization called Ucofi (French: Unité de coordination des forces d’intervention).
A "leader/follower" protocol has been established for use when both units need to be engaged
jointly, leadership belonging to the unit operating in its primary areas of responsibility.
Since its creation, the group has taken part in over 1800 operations, liberated over
600 hostages and arrested over 1500 suspects, losing two members killed in action and seven
in training. The two fatalities in action were sustained when dealing with armed deranged
persons.
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Missions
GIGN operators in training
 Counter-terrorism.
 Hostage rescue.
 Arrest of dangerous or deranged armed persons.
 Resolution of prison riots.
 Surveillance and observation of criminals and terrorists.
 Military special operations.
 Protection of officials.
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 Critical site protection (embassies in war torn countries).

 Training.
Operations
Boarding of the Pascal Paoli by the GIGN, on 28 September 2005. The ship had been occupied by the Corsican
trade union STC.
GIGN truck
GIGN reports directly to the Director general of the Gendarmerie Nationale

(DGGN) i.e. the chief of staff of the Gendarmerie who in turn reports directly to the Ministry
of the interior. The DGGN can take charge in a major crisis; however, most of the day-to-day
missions are conducted in support of local units of the Departmental Gendarmerie. GIGN is
also a member of the European ATLAS Network, an informal association consisting of the
special police units of the 28 states of the European Union.
Some of the best known GIGN operations include:
 The liberation of 30 French pupils from a school bus captured by the FLCS (Front de
Libération de la Côte des Somalis, "Somali Coast Liberation Front") in Loyada,
near Djibouti in 1976. GIGN snipers and French Foreign Legion troops neutralized the
19
hostage takers in an operation that was only partially successful as two children were
killed.
 Planning the liberation of diplomats from the French embassy in San Salvador in 1979
(the hostage-takers surrendered before the assault was conducted).
 Advising Saudi authorities on regaining control during the Grand Mosque
Seizure in Mecca, Saudi Arabia in November and December 1979.
 Arrest of several Corsican terrorists of the National Liberation Front of Corsica in
Fesch Hostel in 1980.
Helicopter demo using ESCAPE, a device designed by the group
 Liberation of hostages of the Ouvéa cave hostage taking in Ouvea in the New
Caledonia in May 1988.
 Protection of the 1992 Olympic Winter Games in Albertville.
 Liberation of 229 passengers and crew from Air France Flight 8969 in Marseille in
December 1994. The airliner had been hijacked by four GIA terrorists who were shot
during the assault. Three passengers had been executed during the negotiations with
the Algeriangovernment before the plane was allowed to leave Algiers, but the assault
resulted in no further loss of life for the passengers and crew, at the cost of 25 persons
wounded (13 passengers, 3 aircrew and 9 GIGN). The mission received a wide coverage
as news channels broadcast the assault live.
 Arrest of the mercenary Bob Denard and his group during a coup attempt in 1995
in Comoros (Operation Azalee).
 Operations in Bosnia to arrest persons indicted for war crimes.
 Capture of 6 Somali pirates and recovery of part of the ransom after ensuring that Le
Ponant luxury yacht hostages were freed in the coast of Puntland in Somalia on the Gulf
of Aden. In conjunction with French Commandos Marines (Naval commandos) in April
2008.
20
 Deployment of tactical teams in Afghanistan in support of French Gendarmerie

POMLT (Police Operational Mentoring Liaison Team) detachments 2009-2011.
 Neutralization of the two terrorists involved in the Paris Charlie Hebdo shooting in
January 2015.
 Deployment following an Al-Qaeda hostage situation at the Radisson Blu hotel in
Bamako, Mali on November 20, 2015, (but the situation had already been taken care of by
local police with assistance from US and French special forces when the GIGN team
arrived).
The GIGN was selected by the International Civil Aviation Organisation ( ICAO) to
teach the special forces of the other member states in hostage-rescue exercises aboard planes.
Alpha Group(Russia)
Spetsgruppa "A", also known as Alpha Group (a popular English name), or Alfa,
whose official name is Directorate "A" of the FSB Special Purpose Center (TsSN FSB), is
an elite, stand-alone sub-unit of Russia's special forces. It is a dedicated counter-terrorism task
force of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), which primarily prevents and responds
to violent acts in public transportation and buildings. It was created by the Soviet KGB in
1974. Although little is known about the exact nature of its primary directives, it is speculated
that the unit is authorised to act under the direct control and sanction of Russia's top political
leadership, similar to its sister unit, the Directorate "V" (Vympel), which is officially tasked
with protecting Russia's strategic installations. It is also available for extended police duties,
for paramilitary operations, and for covert operations, both domestically and internationally.
Creation and organization
21
On 28 July 1974, Alpha Group was created on the orders of

the KGB Chairman, Yuri Andropov, in the aftermath of the 1972 Munich massacre. It might
have been established as a response to West Germany's creation of the Grenzschutzgruppe
9 (or the GSG 9). By attaching a special-purpose unit to the office of the First Chief
Directorate in Moscow (later the Seventh Directorate), it was hoped that the Soviet Union's
defensive capacity against terrorist attacks would increase significantly. At the time, other,
more offensive special forces of the KGB included the groups Zenit and Kaskad/Omega.
Another important mission for Alpha was to provide security for the Soviet leadership against
enemy special forces in times of crisis or war.
Later, territorial Alpha units were established across the Soviet Union: in
the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic(Krasnodar Krai, Khabarovsk
Krai and Sverdlovsk Oblast), the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic (Minsk Oblast),
the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (Almaty Oblast), and the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist
Republic (Kiev Oblast). Two commanding officers of Group "A" were awarded the title Hero
of the Soviet Union: Gen. Viktor Karpukhin and Gen. Gennady Zaitsev.
Operations
Initially, this special-purpose counter-terrorism unit was involved in delicate
operations which necessitated its members have a unique skill set. In 1979, the Alpha Group
shot a young Soviet Ukrainian, named Yuri Vlasenko, who was occupying a room in the
Consular Section of the Embassy of the United States in Moscow, demanding he be granted
asylum in the United States. He was either killed by gunfire, or by the detonation of his home-
made bomb, which also slightly damaged the building. Throughout the 1980s, Alpha became
increasingly deployed domestically to respond to a rising number of hostage taking situations,
including at least two cases which involved buildings being taken over and hostages taken by
violent groups of deserters from the Soviet Army, as well as other armed
organizations. Notably, the 1983 hijacking of Aeroflot Flight 6833 in Tbilisi, Georgian Soviet
Socialist Republic, was thwarted when Alpha stormed the airplane, killing three and capturing
three other hijackers who were attempting to escape to the west, which also resulted in the
loss of five hostages. The unit also became involved in the ethnic conflicts throughout the
Soviet Union in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Alpha was also used as the "spearhead" of
KGB counterintelligence operations, interdicting hostile intelligence operations on Soviet
territory and seizing enemy spies such as CIA agent Adolph Tolkachev in 1985.
22
Conflicts in Chechnya and the North Caucasus
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Alpha officers during a visit to Gudermes, Chechnyain 2011
The Alpha Group was involved in the First Chechen War of 1994–1996, following
the Chechens' declaration of independence from the Russian SFSR and then the Soviet Union
in 1990–1991. In the fall of 1994, Alpha provided personal security details for the main
commanders of the invasion of Chechnya, Defense Minister Pavel Grachev and federal
Interior Minister Viktor Yerin, as they travelled to the Mozdok airbase in North Ossetia, which
was the main headquarters, staging area and logistics base for Russian forces entering
Chechnya. Later, many Alpha troops served in "mobile anti-terror groups" (mobilnye gruppy
antiterrora), as well as providing security for the pro-Moscow Chechen government complex
and the regional FSB headquarters in the Chechen capital Grozny. In August 1996, when the
city was retaken by Chechen separatist forces, 35 of them (including 14 members of the
territorial Alpha unit from Krasnodar Krai) took part in a defence of the FSB headquarters.
The separatist forces began to systematically retake individual buildings which were being
defended by cut-off groups of Russian military and security forces. By the war's final
ceasefire, the main FSB office was one of the few key structures still being held by federal
forces in central Grozny, but at the cost of 70 of its defenders' lives in some of the fiercest
fighting during the last battle.
Allegations arose, following the Khasavyurt Accord of August 1996, that the ATC
carried out clandestine operations intended to discredit the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, so
that it would not receive international recognition of its independence. According to Jonathan
Littell, the service "... was most likely deeply involved ..." in many of the high-profile
kidnappings which damaged Chechnya's reputation. Littell wrote: "It is impossible to say
whether these provocations were part of a more general FSB policy or whether the [ATC] and
its departments were running their own show; certainly it did not reflect the official policy of
the government, nor of those officials like Ivan Rybkin, the Secretary of the Security Council,
tasked with the Chechen dossier between 1996 and 1999."
Alpha was active during the Second Chechen War that began in 1999, as well as the
subsequent Insurgency in the North Caucasus. During the 2000 Battle of Komsomolskoye,
Alpha snipers attached to Vladimir Shamanov's Western Group of federal forces, were
deployed in an attempt to suppress Ruslan Gelayev's snipers in the village. According to the
23
unit's veterans, operations in which Alpha took part led to the arrest of Chechen
commander Salman Raduyev in 2000, the killing of Chechen commander Arbi Barayev in
2001, the killing of Chechen separatist President Aslan Maskhadov in 2005, and the killing of
foreign militant leader Abu Hafs in Dagestan in 2006. Following the transfer of responsibility
for operations in Chechnya from the Ministry of Defence to the FSB in January 2001, and
prior to the "Chechenization" policy that began in 2003, Alpha members (along with the other
Russian personnel and pro-Moscow Chechen militia) participated in at least 10 mixed
"combined special groups" (svodnye spetsialnye gruppy, SSGs), considered death squads by
human rights groups and outside observers. It is believed that the SSGs were behind many of
the numerous "name/address cleansings" (imeny/adressny zachistki): usually night-time raids
by masked men in unmarked vehicles, targeting specific active or former rebel combatants,
their supporters, their relatives, or other civilians for either forced disappearance or
outright extrajudicial killing. In 2005, Human Rights Watch declared that the disappearances
had reached the scale of a crime against humanity, and that "Russia has the inglorious
distinction of being a world leader in enforced disappearances." Chechnya's UFSB also
formed a local Alpha unit, believed to be similar in its role to the SSGs.
Mass hostage crises
Alpha Group members during a training exercise in 2009
The group was instrumental in the Russian government's attempts to forcibly bring
an end to a series of mass hostage crisis incidents, in which groups of Chechen and other
separatist militants took hostages. These events took place in Russia's southern territories near
Chechnya as well as in the Russian heartland, and were made up of the Budyonnovsk hospital
hostage crisis in June 1995, the Kizlyar-Pervomayskoye hostage crisis in January 1996,
the Moscow theatre hostage crisis in October 2002, and the Beslan school hostage crisis in
September 2004. Each of these high-profile incidents resulted in hundreds of fatalities and
injuries among the hostages and, with the exception of the Moscow siege, significant losses
among the unit's personnel.
At Budyonnovsk (Budennovsk) in Stavropol Krai, two abortive storming attempts by Alpha
and Vympel killed scores of hostages in a major public relations disaster for the Russian
government, as the carnage was televised live across the country. In the first, a pre-dawn raid,
only 86 out of more than 1,500 hostages were freed, but more than 30 hostages were killed
before the rescuers were forced to retreat after four hours of fighting, which also resulted in
the deaths of several men on both sides. After that, the leader of the hostage-takers, Chechen
commander Shamil Basayev, agreed to release pregnant and nursing women, and to allow
emergency services to put out a fire in the main building and to collect and remove dead
24
bodies. The assault was then resumed at noon and included the use of tear gas; it stopped after
over an hour later when Basayev agreed to release the remaining women and children. The
overall death toll of more than 120 people included three Alpha members. In the end, the
crisis was resolved through negotiations that led to an agreement involving a ceasefire in
Chechnya and high-level peace talks, both of which later broke down, with full-scale
hostilities resuming in October 1995. Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin claimed
that both attacks had not been authorised by the government, but were launched by troops
acting without orders.
Unidad de Operaciones Especiales (Spain)
25
The Unidad de Operaciones Especiales (Special Operations Unit - UOE) was the
elite special operations force of the Spanish Navy and Marines from 1967 to 2009. In June
2009, the unit was absorbed into the newly formed Naval Special Warfare Force (Fuerza de
Guerra Naval Especial). The UOE, which was formerly garrisoned in the Tercio de
Armada in San Fernando, Cádiz, operated under the direct control of the Admiralty and Naval
Special Warfare Command. It was thought to comprise approximately 100 men organized into
three Operational Teams (Estoles) as well as command and support personnel.
The UOE was tasked with Special Operations in maritime, coastal and inland
environments usually up to 50 km from the sea, though this was not a restriction and its teams
were known to operate deep inland. The unit's remit covered all aspects of modern Naval
Special Warfare, including: Maritime Counter-Terrorism, shipboarding (MIO-Non
Compliant), combat diving and swimming, coastal infiltration, airborne insertion, Special
Reconnaissance, Direct Action, VIP protection and escort, and Combat Search and Rescue
(CSAR).
For these purposes the UOE employed a wide range of naval and other military
platforms, including submarines, frigates, soft- and rigid-hull inflatable boats, land vehicles,
as well as helicopters and airplanes for airborne insertions.
History
La Unidad ("The Unit"), as it was informally known in Spain, traces its roots to the
Amphibious Climbing Company (Compañía de Escaladores Anfibios), established in 1952 as
an all-volunteer unit tasked with coastal assaults and infiltration. In 1967, using the US Navy
SEALs and British SBS as its guides, the unit expanded its mandate and range of skills to
include combat diving, underwater demolitions, airborne insertions and direct action missions.
In 1985 the UOE was re-designated COMANFES (Comando Anfibio Especial), but reverted
to its original name in the early 1990s. Today, the unit is one of two operational elements
within the Spanish Navy's Naval Special Warfare Force.
The UOE collaborated and trained closely with similar NATO units, such as
the United States Navy SEALs, the Italian Navy's COMSUBIN, the French Commando
Hubert, and the Portuguese DAE, as well as with special intervention units of the Spanish
police forces (UEI and GEO).
The UOE and its parent Naval Special Warfare Force are one of only three units in the
Spanish military formally tasked with Special Operations, along with the Army's MOE and
the Air Force's EZAPAC.
26
Selection and training
UOE commandos rendezvous with a submarine.
After completing basic training and having served in a conventional unit, candidates
aspiring to attain the "green beret" must undergo comprehensive medical and psychological
reviews as well as physical trials, and then, if approved, pass a selection course
(Capacitación). The course is divided into Basic and Advanced phases and is staffed
exclusively by UOE officers and NCOs, all of them fully qualified in special operations.
The Basic phase lasts for about four weeks and is aimed at testing the physical and
psychological endurance of candidates through a gruelling combination of intense physical
exercise, long-distance marches carrying up to 50 kg of weight, and numerous trials at sea and
in mountain environments. The Advanced phase of selection lasts for about two months and,
though the physical rigor of the course steadily increases, candidates also receive more
specific training in basic naval commando skills:
 Combat swimming
27
 Small-craft navigation
 Shipboarding
 Mountaineering and rappelling
 Demolitions
 Marksmanship
 Communications
 Hostage rescue
 Orienteering
 Escape and evasion in enemy territory
 Land/maritime survival techniques
 Battlefield medicine
Candidates are free to drop out of the course at any moment, from the first day to the
last. Though some drop-outs result from physical injury (or even death), most instances are
voluntary. The attrition rate for the UOE selection process can occasionally be as high as
100% and averages from 70 to 80%—the highest failure rate of any course in the Spanish
armed forces. It is not uncommon that by the end of the course the instructor-candidate ratio is
3:1. The unit's harsh entrance criteria have furnished its official motto, "Entra quien puede, no
quien quiere" ("He who can enters, not he who wants").
Successful candidates are immediately sent to parachuting school upon arrival at the
UOE and proceed to more advanced and specialised training in Naval Special Warfare skills
(diving, sniping, intelligence, etc.).
Deployments
UOE team boards North Korean vessel. (Source: Armada Española)
28
The UOE always maintains one of its three operational teams on maximum alert
(Alpha-1) for immediate deployment on a rotational basis.
The UOE was first deployed overseas in 1969, just two years after it was founded,
when it spearheaded the evacuation of Spanish citizens from the former Spanish colony
of Equatorial Guinea in Africa. Since then, the unit has been reported to have participated in
the fight against Basque ETA violence inside Spain (though today this is strictly the preserve
of civilian police forces).
More recently, among its publicly known missions, the UOE was deployed to the
former Yugoslavia as part of the Spanish IFOR and SFOR contingents. Also, in December
2002, while participating in Operation Enduring Freedom in the Indian Ocean,
UOE commandos stormed a suspect North Korean vessel, the So San, transporting a shipment
of SCUD missiles destined for Yemen. The unit is also known to have recently deployed its
teams on undisclosed missions in the Middle East.
The UOE is a central element of the Spanish Maritime Counter-Terrorism capability.
29
Special Services Group (Pakistan)
The Special Service Group (SSG) is the primary special operations forceof
the Pakistan Army. The SSG is a regiment-sized unit, and is headquartered
at Tarbela Cantonment. It is headed by a major-general and divided into eight battalions. Each
battalion comprises 700 men in four companies, with each company split into platoons and
then into 10-man teams. Each battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel.
History
19th Baluch (SSG Pak)

SSG Pak was raised by amalgamating 7th/10th Baluch (19 Baluch) and 312 Garrison
Company. Based out of Cherat and Attock, the SSG was created in 1956. In the same year, 19
Baluch was selected for conversion to a special operation force. Consequently, the SSG has
inherited many of the traditions and insignia of the Baloch Regiment. The 19th Baluch
Regiment's first commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel (later Major
General) Aboobaker Osman Mitha who commanded it for six years till 1961. The first
commander of its Alpha Company was Major (later Lieutenant Colonel) Gaideen Khan
Abdullai Mahsud. Their initial training and orientation as regards tactics was based on the US
Special Forces pattern with whom they co-operated closely in the Cold War years. The SSG
initially had 6 companies and each company had specialization units, specialized in desert,
mountain, ranger, and underwater warfare. The desert companies participated in training
exercises with US Army Special Forces Mobile Training Team in late 1964. In August 1965,
scope of SSG was raised from a battalion size force to larger Special Operations outfit and
instead of 19 Baluch (SSG) they simply adopted the name Special Service Group. The scuba
company in Karachi was renowned for its tough physical training. Later on, Chinese training,
tactics, weapons, and equipment were also introduced.
1965 India-Pakistan War
30
The SSG guerrillas were initially deployed along the Afghan border to repel Afghan
incursions into Pakistan, but their first major deployment came during the war of 1965. By
1971, the SSG had grown to 3 battalions with 1 permanently stationed in East Pakistan.
1971 India-Pakistan War

In 1971, SSG comprised three battalions of which one (3rd Commando Battalion)
was stationed in East Pakistan. In one of the raids on an Indian artillery regiment during the
1971 Indo-Pak war, 1 Commando Battalion incapacitated number of their guns.
1979-1988 Soviet-Afghan War
During Operation Magistral, it is alleged that the SSG came into regular contact with
Soviet forces. One of these incidents was the Battle for Hill 3234, where a company of Soviet
paratroopers engaged a force of Mujahideen believed to be SSG. The Mujahideen wore black
uniforms with rectangular black-yellow-red stripes. It is claimed by at least two sources that
the Mujahideen were actually members of the SSG. According to the Soviet estimates, the
SSG lost over 200 men.
Another battle reported as having been fought between the Pakistanis and Soviet
troops occurred in Kunar Province in March 1986. But the Russians claim that the battle was
actually fought between the GRU 15th Spetsnaz Brigade and the Asama Bin Zaid regiment of
the Afghan Mujahideen under Commander Assadullah, belonging to Abdul Rab Rasul
Sayyaf's faction.
Siachen and Kargil Wars
The SSG was also active on the eastern border with India and they have fought in
Siachen.
Musa Company
In 1980, the SSG's Musa Company, which was originally formed in 1970 as a
combat diver unit, was given the anti-terrorist operations role. Musa Company got the best
founders in the beginning like Major Faiz Akbar Shah and Captain Sajjad Ali Shah. They
were UDT/Seals qualified from class 79 of American Navy Seals. Captain Sajjad, who later
retired as a lieutenant colonel, was a salvage expert and had the intensive training of under
water demolition. Musa Company was trained by British SAS advisers in mid-1981.
Training
SSG officers must have at least two years of prior military experience and
volunteer from other formations for two-year assignments with the SSG; non-commissioned
officers and enlisted men volunteer from other formations to serve permanently in the SSG.
All trainees must participate in a nine-month SSG course at Cherat. The SSG course
emphasizes physical conditioning, including a 36-mile march in 24 hours. Following the SSG
course, trainees must go through the airborne training to get their commando wings from
the SSG Airborne School. The course lasts four weeks, with wings awarded after five day-
jumps and three night-jumps. After the completion of the basic commando course, the newly
inducted commandos are put through their paces in the advanced commando course which
runs an additional 25 weeks. Only at the end of these two grueling phases are operators
considered to be integral members of the SSG. The SSG recruits get trained in hand-to-hand
combat training and very hard physical fitness training; only about 5% of recruits make it
through to the Pakistan SSG due to the very tough training course.
31
Many in the SSG school are selected for additional specialist training.
A HALO course is given at Peshawar with a "Skydiver" tab awarded after 25 freefall jumps.
A "Mountain Warfare" qualification badge is given after completing a course at the Pakistan
Military Academy kakul,Abbotabad. A "Combat Diver" badge is awarded for the course held
by the Naval Special Service Group (SSGN) at Karachi. (Three classes of combat swimmers
are recognized: 1st class to those completing an 18-mile swim, 2nd class to those finishing a
15-mile swim, and 3rd class for a 10-mile swim.) Due to the Siachen crisis,a High-Altitude
Mountain Warfare School has been established at Khappalu to train the SSG and other Army
units for operations on the Siachen Glacier.Other areas of the commando training include
internal security, assault and small unit tactics, sniping, demolition, survival, languages, small
arms familiarization, Fighting In Built Up Areas (FIBUA), Close Quarter Battle tactics
(CQB), Long Range Recce Patrol (LRRP), Martial arts, espionage, psychoanalytic training,
and criminal psychology courses.
Interaction with other special forces

SSG conducts regular (bi-annual) exercises with the Turkish Special Forces which
have been designated as the "Ataturk" series. The first of these exercises was held in
December 1998. The Turkish force included 21 officers and 14 non-commissioned officers.
The second exercise of this series was held in November 2000, while Atatürk-III concluded in
September 2002.
During the 1980s and then into the 1990s, SSG held many similar training exercises
with US Special Forces called "Inspired Venture". These exercises were usually held during
the early months of January and February with approximately 150 US troops. The exercises
were focused on weapon familiarization and use, mountain-warfare along with tactics, raids
and ambushes, and eventually airborne operations.
The SSG also conducts exercises with Chinese special forces. In 2006, China and
Pakistan conducted an eight-day exercise called the Pakistan-China Joint Exercise Friendship-
2006.
SSG has also been reported to train with the Jordanian Royal Special Forces and
Iranian Quds Force and conducts training for special forces of other Middle Eastern countries
at Cherat
Deployment
Components of the battalions are constantly rotated between Cherat, Attock, Tarbela
and any other hot spots (such as Pakistan-India border or when Pakistani forces are deployed
overseas as part of the UN peace keeping operations) in order to provide experience to the
operators. The SSG are used to provide security to various vital points such as the strategic
nuclear facilities in Pakistan. It is thought that a number of SSG operators are stationed
in Saudi Arabia for the protection of the Saudi royal family. Many SSG officers and other
ranks are routinely seconded to the Directorate of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)
for clandestine and reconnaissance missions. SSG has planted some of their operatives under
command of ISI within various civilian government and private institutions for various
security purposes. The details of the operatives are highly classified. Most of the operatives of
this "covert" division are planted in educational institutes.
32
Conclusion
In a world where absolute military size of a country is not the only guide to its
effectiveness, these are troops that states have the highest expectations
They are going where other bands are afraid to go, eliminating potential threats,
destroying strategic objectives and executing daring rescue mission. In the current
geopolitical context they are the nightmare of any enemy.
Because these people dressed in black clothes we are safe when walking down the
street, the park or elsewhere. Even if we do not see them, they see us when we are in danger
and do their job. Without these people we could not cope with the risk of terrorist attacks and
many other unpleasant events, so I respect them and maybe one day I'll be like them
Fighters Special Forces were formed and form a team, were able to overcome the
difficulties, loved and truly love being a cop making structure in carrying out their duties,
what it is today - a service intervention with personality feared criminals appreciated by
professionals .
33

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1. Nany Seals (SUA)....................................................................Pg. 3

2. Special Air Services (UK).......................................................Pg. 7

3. Sayert Matkal (Israel)............................................................Pg. 12

5. Alpha Group (Russia)............................................................Pg. 21

6. Unidad de Operaciones Especiales (Spain)........................Pg. 25

7. Special Services Group (Pakistan).......................................Pg. 29

Navy Seals (SUA)

Persian Gulf War

Special Air Services (UK)

SAS patrol in North Africa during WW2

In January 1943, Colonel Stirling was captured in Tunisia and Paddy

21 SAS soldier after a night parachute drop exercise in Denmark, 1955

Sayert Matkal (Israel)

General Staff Reconnaissance Unit or Unit 269, more commonly known

Recruitment and training

A Sayeret Matkal soldier

GIGN National Gendarmerie Intervention Group is the elite Police tactical

 reinforcing command and control functions

GIGN operators in training

 Critical site protection (embassies in war torn countries).

GIGN reports directly to the Director general of the Gendarmerie Nationale

Helicopter demo using ESCAPE, a device designed by the group

 Deployment of tactical teams in Afghanistan in support of French Gendarmerie

Creation and organization

On 28 July 1974, Alpha Group was created on the orders of

Conflicts in Chechnya and the North Caucasus

Alpha Group members during a training exercise in 2009

Unidad de Operaciones Especiales (Spain)

Selection and training

UOE commandos rendezvous with a submarine.

UOE team boards North Korean vessel. (Source: Armada Española)

Special Services Group (Pakistan)

19th Baluch (SSG Pak)

1971 India-Pakistan War

Interaction with other special forces

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