United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF)

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SKB
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United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF)

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The Special Air Service Regiment (22 SAS)
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^ SAS beret, motto: 'Who dares wins'.

Introduction
The Special Air Service (SAS) is a unit of the British Army founded in 1941 as a regiment, and later reconstituted as a corps in 1950. Serving as a model for special forces around the world, the unit undertakes a number of roles including covert reconnaissance, counter-terrorism, direct action and human intelligence gathering.

The corps presently comprises 22 Special Air Service Regiment, the regular component, under the operational command of United Kingdom Special Forces, and 21 (Artists) Special Air Service Regiment and 23 Special Air Service Regiment, which are reserve units under the operational command of 1st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Brigade.

The Special Air Service traces its origins to 1941 and the Second World War, and was reformed as part of the Territorial Army in 1947, named the 21st Special Air Service Regiment (Artists Rifles). 22 Special Air Service Regiment, part of the regular army, later gained fame and recognition worldwide after successfully assaulting the Iranian Embassy in London and rescuing hostages during the 1980 Iranian Embassy siege, lifting the regiment from obscurity outside the military establishment.

History
The Special Air Service was a unit of the British Army during the Second World War, 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 success: transported by the Long Range Desert Group, it attacked three airfields in Libya, destroying 60 aircraft without loss. 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.

In January 1943, 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 SAS and 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 Belgium, the Netherlands (Operation Pegasus), and eventually into Germany (Operation Archway). As a result of Hitler's issuing of the Commando Order 18 October 1942, the members of the unit face 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 31 captured SAS commandos were summarily executed by the Germans.

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 head-quartered at Dukes Road, Euston, took on the SAS mantle as 21st SAS Regiment (V) on 1 January 1947.

In 1950, a 21 SAS squadron was raised to fight in the Korean War. After three months of training in England, 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; 22 SAS Regiment was formally added to the army list in 1952 and has been based at Hereford since 1960. In 1959 the third regiment, 23 SAS Regiment, 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 counter-terrorism 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 whilst 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. In the Iraq War, it formed part of Task Force Black and Task Force Knight, with A Squadron 22 SAS being singled out for exceptional service by General Stanley McChrystal, the American commander of NATO forces: during a six-month tour it carried out 175 combat missions. In 2006, members of the SAS were involved in the operation to free peace activists Norman Kember, James Loney and Harmeet Singh Sooden. The three men had been held hostage in Iraq for 118 days during the Christian Peacemaker hostage crisis. Operations against the Taliban in Afghanistan involved soldiers from 21 and 23 SAS Regiments.

Various British newspapers have speculated on the SAS involvement in Operation Ellamy and the 2011 Libyan civil war, the Daily Telegraph reports that "defence sources have confirmed that the SAS has been in Libya for several weeks, and played a key role in coordinating the fall of Tripoli." While The Guardian reports "They have been acting as forward air controllers – directing pilots to targets – and communicating with NATO operational commanders. They have also been advising rebels on tactics."

A significant force of the Special Air Service was deployed to Northern Iraq in late August 2014, and according to former MI6 chief Richard Barrett will be sent to Syria, tasked with trying to track down the Islamic State terrorist group the Beatles using a range of high-tech equipment and with potentially freeing their hostages. In October 2014, the SAS began executing raids against ISIS supply lines in western Iraq, using helicopters to drop light vehicles manned by sniper squads. It has been claimed that the SAS have killed up to eight ISIS fighters per day since the raids began.

In recent years SAS officers have risen to the highest ranks in the British Army. General Peter de la Billière was the Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in the 1990 Gulf War. General Michael Rose became commander of the United Nations Protection Force in Bosnia in 1994. In 1997 General Charles Guthrie became Chief of the Defence Staff the head of the British Armed Forces. Lieutenant-General Cedric Delves was appointed Commander of the Field Army and Deputy Commander in Chief NATO Regional Headquarters Allied Forces North in 2002–2003.

Influence on other special forces
Following the post-war reconstitution of the Special Air Service, other countries in the Commonwealth recognised their need for similar units. The Canadian Special Air Service Company was formed in 1947, being disbanded in 1949. The New Zealand Special Air Service squadron was formed in 1954 to serve with the British SAS in Malaya. Australia formed the 1st SAS Company in July 1957, which became a full regiment of the Australian Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) in August 1964. On its return from Malaya, the C (Rhodesian) Squadron formed the basis for creation of the Rhodesian Special Air Service in 1961. It retained the name "C Squadron (Rhodesian) Special Air Service" within the Rhodesian Security Forces until 1978, when it became 1 (Rhodesian) Special Air Service Regiment.

Non-Commonwealth countries have also formed units based on the SAS. The Belgian Army's Special Forces Group, which wears the same capbadge as the British SAS, traces its ancestry partly from the 5th Special Air Service of the Second World War. The French 1st Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment (1er RPIMa) can trace its origins to the Second World War 3rd and 4th SAS, adopting its "who dares wins" motto. The American unit, Delta Force, was formed by Colonel Charles Alvin Beckwith, who served with 22 SAS as an exchange officer, and recognised the need for a similar type of unit in the United States Army. The Israeli Sayeret Matkal has also been modelled after the SAS, sharing its motto. The Philippine National Police's Special Action Force, heavily engaged in counter-insurgency in the Mindinao region, was formed along the lines of the SAS.

Organisation
Little publicly verifiable information exists on the SAS, as the United Kingdom Government does not usually comment on special forces matters due to the nature of their work. The Special Air Service comprises three units: one Regular and two Army Reserve (AR) units. The regular army unit is 22 SAS Regiment and the reserve units are 21 Special Air Service Regiment (Artists) (Reserve) (21 SAS(R)) and 23 SAS Regiment (23 SAS (R)), collectively, the Special Air Service (Reserve) (SAS(R)).

Squadrons
22 SAS Regiment has four operational squadrons: A, B, D and G. Each squadron consists of approximately 60 men commanded by a major, divided into four troops (each troop being commanded by a captain) and a small headquarters section. Troops usually consist of 15 men, and each patrol within a troop consists of four men, with each man possessing a particular skill: signals, demolition, medic or linguist in addition to basic skills learned during the course of his training. The four troops specialise in four different areas:

* Boat troop – are specialists in maritime skills using scuba diving, kayaks and Rigid-hulled inflatable boats and often train with the Special Boat Service.

* Air troop – are experts in free fall parachuting, High Altitude-Low Opening (HALO) and High Altitude-High Opening (HAHO) techniques.

* Mobility troop – are specialists in using vehicles and are experts in desert warfare; they are also trained in an advanced level of motor mechanics to field-repair any vehicular breakdown.

* Mountain troop – are specialists in Arctic combat and survival, using specialist equipment such as skis, snowshoes and mountain climbing techniques.

In 1980 R Squadron (which has since been renamed L Detachment) was formed; its members are all ex-regular SAS regiment soldiers who have a commitment to reserve service.

Recruitment, selection and training
All members of Her Majesty's Armed Forces can be considered for special forces selection, but historically the majority of candidates have an airborne forces background. Selections are held twice yearly, in summer and winter, in Sennybridge in the Brecon Beacons. Selection lasts for five weeks and normally starts with about 200 potential candidates. On arrival candidates first complete a Personal Fitness Test (PFT) and an Annual Fitness Test (AFT). They then march cross country against the clock, increasing the distances covered each day, culminating in what is known as Endurance: a 40 miles (64 km) march with full equipment scaling and descending Pen y Fan in 20 hours. By the end of the hill phase candidates must be able to run 4 miles (6.4 km) in 30 minutes and swim two miles (3.2 km) in 90 minutes.

Following the hill phase is the jungle phase, taking place in Belize, Brunei, or Malaysia. Candidates are taught navigation, patrol formation and movement, and jungle survival skills. Candidates returning to Hereford finish training in battle plans and foreign weapons and take part in combat survival exercises, the final one being the week-long escape and evasion. Candidates are formed into patrols and, carrying nothing more than a tin can filled with survival equipment, are dressed in old Second World War uniforms and told to head for a point by first light. The final selection test is arguably the most gruelling: resistance to interrogation (RTI), lasting for 36 hours.

Typically, 15–20% of candidates make it through the hill phase selection process. From the approximately 200 candidates, most will drop out within the first few days, and by the end about 30 will remain. Those who complete all phases of selection are rewarded with a transfer to an operational squadron.

Uniform distinctions
Normal barracks headdress is the sand-coloured beret, its cap badge is a downward pointing Excalibur, wreathed in flames (often incorrectly referred to as a winged dagger) worked into the cloth of a Crusader shield with the motto 'Who Dares Wins'. SAS pattern parachute wings, designed by Lieutenant Jock Lewes and based on the stylised sacred Ibis wings of Isis of Egyptian iconography depicted in the décor of Shepheard's Hotel in Cairo, are worn on the right shoulder. Its ceremonial No 1 dress uniform is distinguished by a light blue stripe on the trousers. Its stable belt is a shade of blue similar to the blue stripe on the No 1 dress uniform.

Battle honours
In the British Army, battle honours are awarded to regiments that have seen active service in a significant engagement or campaign, generally with a victorious outcome. The Special Air Service Regiment has been awarded the following battle honours:

North-West Europe 1944–45
Tobruk 1941
Benghazi Raid
North Africa 1940–43
Landing in Sicily
Sicily 1943
Termoli
Valli di Comacchio
Italy 1943–45
Greece 1944–45
Adriatic
Middle East 1943–44
Falkland Islands 1982
Western Iraq
Gulf 1991

Memorials
The names of those members of the SAS who have died on duty were inscribed on the regimental clock tower at Stirling Lines. This was rebuilt at the new barracks at Credenhill. Those whose names are inscribed are said by surviving members to have "failed to beat the clock". Inscribed on the base of the clock is a verse from The Golden Road to Samarkand by James Elroy Flecker:

'We are the Pilgrims, master; we shall go
Always a little further: it may be
Beyond that last blue mountain barred with snow
Across that angry or that glimmering sea ...'

The other main memorial is the SAS and Airborne Forces memorial in the cloisters at Westminster Abbey. The SAS Brigade Memorial at Sennecey-le-Grand in France commemorates the wartime dead of the Belgian, British, and French SAS and recently a memorial plaque was added to the David Stirling Memorial in Scotland. There are other smaller memorials "scattered throughout Europe and in the Far East".

The local church St Martins has part of its graveyard set aside as an SAS memorial, over twenty SAS soldiers are buried there. There is also a wall of remembrance displaying memorial plaques to some who could not be buried, including the 18 SAS men who lost their lives in the Sea King helicopter crash during the Falklands Campaign on 19 May 1982.

Active 1941–1945 / 1947–present
Country United Kingdom
Branch British Army
Type Special forces
Role
Special operations
Counter-terrorism
Reconnaissance
Size
21 SAS Regiment
22 SAS Regiment
23 SAS Regiment
Part of
22 SAS: UKSF
21 & 23 SAS:1 ISR Brigade
Garrison/HQ
Regimental: Hereford
21: London
22: Credenhill
23: Birmingham
Nickname The Regiment
Motto Who Dares Wins
Colours Pompadour blue
March
Quick: Marche des Parachutistes Belges
Slow: Lili Marlene
Engagements
World War II
Malayan Emergency
Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation
Dhofar Rebellion
Aden Emergency
Northern Irish Troubles
Falklands War
Gulf War
NATO intervention in Bosnia
Kosovo War
Operation Barras
War In Afghanistan
Iraq War
Operation Ellamy
Operation Shader
Commanders
Colonel-Commandant Field Marshal The Lord Guthrie
Notable commanders
Colonel David Stirling
Lieutenant-Colonel Paddy Mayne
Brigadier Mike Calvert
Major-General Anthony Deane-Drummond
General Peter de la Billière
General Michael Rose
Lieutenant-General Cedric Delves

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SKB
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United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF)

Post by SKB »

A bit hard to find videos of the SAS, obviously... ;)

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SKB
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Re: United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF)

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The Special Boat Service (SBS)
Image
^ SBS beret, motto: 'By strength and guile'

Introduction
The Special Boat Service (SBS) is the special forces unit of the Naval Service of the United Kingdom. Together with the Special Air Service, Special Reconnaissance Regiment and the Special Forces Support Group, they form the United Kingdom Special Forces and come under joint control of the same Director Special Forces.

The Special Boat Service is described as the naval special forces of the United Kingdom and the sister unit of the SAS. The operational capabilities of both units are broadly similar, however, the SBS (being the principal Royal Navy contribution to UKSF) has the additional training and equipment to lead in the maritime, amphibious and riverine environments. Both units come under the operational command of HQ Directorate of Special Forces (DSF) and undergo an identical selection process, enjoy significant interoperability in training and on operations.

In times of armed conflict and war, the Special Boat Service (SBS) and 22 Special Air Service Regiment (22 SAS) are required to operate in small parties in enemy-controlled territory. Operations of this nature require men of courage and high morale who have excellent tactical awareness be it knowledge of special tactics or simply knowing one's place in a polyvalent unit. Self-discipline neatly ties into this. Intelligence, reliability, determination and also being physically fit are key skills. These men possess mental, moral and physical stamina.

Principal roles of the SBS are Surveillance Reconnaissance (SR), including information reporting and target acquisition; Offensive Action (OA), including direction of air strikes, artillery and naval gunfire, designation for precision guided munitions, use of integral weapons and demolitions; and Support and Influence (SI), including overseas training tasks. The SBS also provide immediate response Military Counter Terrorism (CT) and Maritime Counter Terrorism (MCT) teams.

The SBS can trace its origins to the Second World War, when they were formed as the Special Boat Section in 1940. They became the Special Boat Squadron after the Second World War and the Special Boat Service in the 1980s.

The SBS is manned by ranks drawn mostly from the Royal Marines and carries out a role that is similar to the Special Air Service, but with a traditionally stronger focus on amphibious operations. Their training involves parachute exercises, helicopter training and boat training, which recruits will get the chance to earn their licence for.

Two of the SBS's four squadrons, C and X, are configured for general operations. Z squadron specialises in the use of minisubs and small boats and M squadron specialises in Maritime Counter Terrorism. The SBS also operates on land, with recent operations in the mountains of landlocked Afghanistan and in the deserts of Iraq. Their main tasks include intelligence gathering, counter-terrorism operations (surveillance or offensive action), sabotage and the disruption of enemy infrastructure, capture of specific individuals, close protection of senior politicians and military personnel, plus reconnaissance and direct action in foreign territory.

History
The Special Boat Section was founded in July 1940 by a Commando officer, Roger Courtney. Courtney became a commando recruit in mid-1940, and was sent to the Combined Training Centre in Scotland. He was unsuccessful in his initial attempts to convince Admiral of the Fleet Sir Roger Keyes and later Admiral Theodore Hallett, commander of the Combined Training Centre, that his idea of a folding kayak brigade would be effective. He decided to infiltrate HMS Glengyle, a Landing Ship, Infantry anchored in the River Clyde. Courtney paddled to the ship, climbed aboard undetected, wrote his initials on the door to the captain's cabin, and stole a deck gun cover. He presented the soaking cover to a group of high-ranking Royal Navy officers meeting at a nearby Inveraray hotel. He was promoted to captain, and given command of twelve men, the first Special Boat Service/Special Boat Section.

It was initially named the Folboat Troop, after the type of folding canoe employed in raiding operations, and then renamed No. 1 Special Boat Section in early 1941. Attached to Layforce, they moved to the Middle East, they later worked with the 1st Submarine Flotilla based at Alexandria and carried out beach reconnaissance of Rhodes, evacuated troops left behind on Crete and a number of small-scale raids and other operations. In December 1941 Courtney returned to the United Kingdom where he formed No2 SBS, and No1 SBS became attached to the Special Air Service (SAS) as the Folboat Section. In June 1942, they took part in the Crete airfield raids. In September 1942, they carried out Operation Anglo, a raid on two airfields on the island of Rhodes, from which only two men returned. Destroying three aircraft, a fuel dump and numerous buildings, the surviving SBS men had to hide in the countryside for four days before they could reach the waiting submarine. After the Rhodes raid, the SBS was absorbed into the SAS due to the casualties they had suffered.

In April 1943, 1st SAS was divided into two with 250 men from the SAS and the Small Scale Raiding Force, forming the Special Boat Squadron under command Major the Earl Jellicoe. They moved to Haifa and trained with the Greek Sacred Regiment for operations in the Aegean.

They later operated among the Dodecanese and Cyclades groups of islands in the Dodecanese Campaign and took part in the Battle of Leros and the Battle of Kos. They with Greek Sacred Band took part in the successful Raid on Symi in July 1944 in which the entire German garrison was either killed or captured. In August 1944, they joined with the Long Range Desert Group in operations in the Adriatic, on the Peloponnese, in Albania, and, finally, Istria. So effective were they that, by 1944, 200–300 SBS men held down six German divisions.

Throughout the war, No.2 SBS did not use the Special Boat Squadron name, but instead retained the name Special Boat Section. They accompanied Major General Mark Clark ashore before the Operation Torch landings in November 1942. Later, one group, Z SBS, which was based in Algiers from March 1943, carried out the beach reconnaissance for the Salerno landings and a raid on Crete, before moving to Ceylon to work with the Special Operations Executives, Force 136 and later with Special Operations Australia. The rest of No. 2 SBS became part of South-East Asia Command's Small Operations Group, operating on the Chindwin and Irrawaddy rivers, and in the Arakan, during the Burma campaign.

Postwar
In 1946, the SBS, whether of Commando or SAS parentage, were disbanded. The functional title SBS was adopted by the Royal Marines. It became part of the school of Combined Operations under the command of "Blondie" Hasler. Their first missions were in Palestine (ordnance removal) and in Haifa (limpet mine removal from ships). The SBS went on to serve in the Korean War deployed on operations along the North Korean coast as well as operating behind enemy lines destroying lines of communication, installations and gathering intelligence. It was during the Korean War that the SBS first started operating from submarines. In 1952, SBS teams were held at combat readiness in Egypt in case Gamal Abdel Nasser's coup turned more violent than it did. The SBS were also alerted during the Suez Crisis of 1956 and coup against King Idris I of Libya (1959), but in both cases they did not see action. In 1961, SBS teams carried out reconnaissance missions during the Indonesian Confrontation (see Operation Claret). In the same year, Iraq threatened to invade Kuwait for the first time, and the SBS put a detachment at Bahrain. In 1972, the SBS and SAS came into prominence when members of a combined SBS and SAS team parachuted into the Atlantic Ocean after a bomb threat on board the cruise liner RMS Queen Elizabeth 2. A thorough search of the ship found no evidence of any device drawing the conclusion that it was a hoax.

Special Boat Squadron
In 1977, their name was changed to the Special Boat Squadron and in 1980 the SBS relinquished North Sea oil rig protection to Comacchio Company. In 1982, after the Argentinian invasion of the Falkland Islands, they deployed to South Georgia. The only losses to the SBS during the Falklands War occurred when the SBS and SAS were operating behind the lines and two members of the SBS were shot by an SAS patrol, who had mistaken them for Argentinians.

Special Boat Service
In 1987, they were renamed Special Boat Service, and became part of the United Kingdom Special Forces Group alongside the Special Air Service and 14 Intelligence Company. In the first Gulf War the SBS carried out one of its most high profile operations when it liberated the British Embassy in Kuwait, abseiling from helicopters hovering above the embassy. They were also responsible for carrying out diversionary raids along the Kuwaiti coast which in effect diverted a number of Iraqi troops to the SBS area of operations and away from the main thrust of the coalition build up. In September 1999 the SBS were involved in operations in East Timor. A small SBS team landed and drove out the back of a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft in Land Rover Defenders at Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport in Dili.

21st century
In September 2000, the SBS was involved in Operation Barras, a hostage rescue operation in Sierra Leone. In November 2001 the SBS had an extensive role in the invasion of Afghanistan and were involved in the Battle of Tora Bora. The SBS was used in vital phases of the invasion of Afghanistan. A small SBS contingent secured Bagram Airbase prior to the deployment of larger forces that would become the main staging area for allied forces during Operation Enduring Freedom. Members of the SBS helped quell an Afghan prison revolt during the Battle of Qala-i-Jangi near Mazar-i-Sharif, in November 2001.

Iraq
In the invasion of Iraq in 2003, Corporal Ian Plank was killed when his patrol was engaged by Iraqi insurgents during a house-to-house search for a wanted high-ranking militia leader. The SBS was also very active as part of Task Force Black. M squadron was involved in various operations in Iraq. Operation Marlborough involved a joint SBS led and SAS sniper raid on a house with suspected suicide bombers. The raid was the first real success for Task Force Black. Again in early 2003, M squadron was involved in a fierce firefight, which has since been commended by senior British officials. Sixty Men from M squadron with the call sign Zero Six Bravo travelled 1,000 km (620 mi) into Iraq to take the surrender of the Iraqi 5th Corps. The call-sign was engaged in a fierce firefight that saw most of its vehicles destroyed. The SBS squadron escaped by splitting up, two men escaped on quad bikes to Syria. C squadron also had a 3-month tour in Iraq in 2003.

Afghanistan
On 27 June 2006, Captain David Patten, SAS, and Sergeant Paul Bartlett, SBS, were killed and another serviceman seriously injured in a Taliban ambush in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan. It was reported that the ambushed vehicle was part of an SBS patrol. On 12 May 2007, a joint SBS and Special Forces Support Group (SFSG) team killed the Taliban leader Mullah Dadullah in Helmand province after a raid on a compound where his associates were meeting. On 18 February 2008, Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Matin and one of his sub-commanders, Mullah Karim Agha, were travelling through the desert on motorbikes when they were ambushed and killed by an SBS unit dropped into his path by helicopter. On 9 September 2009, a joint SAS-SBS team rescued Times journalist Stephen Farrell after he was captured by the Taliban. On 15 April 2012, during the Taliban attack on Kabul SBS operators cleared Taliban militants from a central location overlooking foreign embassies. In 2013, Captain Richard Holloway was serving with the SBS when he was killed by two Taliban bullets while conducting an operation to suppress the Taliban in east Kabul ahead of the Afghanistan elections.

Libya
On 27 February 2011, during the Libyan Civil War, the BBC reported that C Squadron assisted in the evacuation of 150 oil workers in three flights by RAF C-130 Hercules from an airfield near Zella to Valletta.

Nigeria
On 8 March 2012, a small Special Boat Service (SBS) team, along with members of the Special Forces Support Group (SFSG), attempted to rescue two hostages, Chris McManus (British) and Franco Lamolinara (Italian), being held in Nigeria by members of the Boko Haram terrorist organisation loyal to al-Qaeda. The two hostages were killed before or during the rescue attempt. All the hostage takers were reportedly killed.

Present day
The Ministry of Defence does not comment on special forces matters, therefore little verifiable information exists in the public domain. The SBS is under the Operational Command of Director Special Forces and are based in Hamworthy barracks, Poole, Dorset.

In 1987, when renamed the Special Boat Service, the SBS was also reformed along SAS lines, with 16 man troops instead of the traditional sections. About 200–250 men make up the SBS at any one time, and once qualified, personnel are known as "Swimmer Canoeists". They are experts in swimming, diving, parachuting, navigation, demolition and reconnaissance.

There are four active squadrons and a reserve unit:

* C and X Squadrons – responsible for combat swimmer, canoe and small boat operations. C & X Squadrons were recently the SBS's designated 'green' squadrons i.e. focusing on operations on land, mostly in Afghanistan.

* Z Squadron – specialises in underwater attack and insertion using swimmer delivery vehicles.

* M Squadron – responsible for maritime counter-terrorism and ship boarding operations. The "Black Group", a counter–terrorist sub-unit which specialises in heliborne assault, is part of M Squadron.

* SBS Reserve or SBS(R) – provides individual reservists to augment the regular SBS, rather than forming independent teams. Only candidates with previous military experience are eligible to enlist. The SBS(R) is located at locations throughout the United Kingdom, but training is carried out in the South of England.

Recruitment, selection and training
In the past, the SBS was staffed almost entirely by the Royal Marines. Volunteers for the SBS are now taken from all branches of the British Armed Forces, although volunteers still predominantly come from the Royal Marines Commandos. Candidates wishing to serve with the SBS must have completed two years regular service and will only be accepted into the SBS after completion of the selection process.

Until recently, the SBS had its own independent selection program in order to qualify as a Swimmer Canoeist, but its selection program has now been integrated into a joint UKSF selection alongside candidates for the SAS. All male members of the United Kingdom armed forces can be considered for special forces selection, but historically the majority of candidates have an airborne forces background. There are two selections a year, one in winter and the other in summer, and all the instructors are full members of the Special Air Service Regiment.

Before being loaded on to a UKSF Selection course, a candidate must complete a two-week Special Forces Briefing Course. The course tests the candidates physical fitness and looks of their willingness to conduct water-borne operations.

The UKSF course is broken down into two main parts, Selection and Continuation Training.

Selection
Aptitude Phase (hill phase) - 4 weeks. This phase is conducted in the Brecon Beacons, South Wales.
The Aptitude Phase is designed to select those individuals who are suitable for Special Forces training. The initial three weeks are devoted to gradual physical training and progressive exercises designed to develop physical and navigational ability. Volunteers will be expected to complete the Basic Combat Fitness Test (Infantry) on the first day of the course. Exercise HIGH WALK (Fan dance) will take place on Day 6 and takes the form of an escorted hill march over approximately 23 km (14 mi). As with all assessment marches, additional time may be added for inclement weather conditions. Exercise HIGH WALK identifies those individuals that are not adequately prepared to continue on the course. All other training during this initial period is directed at preparing volunteers for "Test Week" which is the fourth and final week of Aptitude. "Test Week" consists of five timed marches of between 23–28 km (14–17 mi) conducted on consecutive days followed by a final Endurance march of 64 km (40 mi); this must be completed within 20 hours. Bergen weights carried during "Test Week" increase from 40 lb (18 kg) to 55 lb (25 kg) for the Endurance march; in addition a rifle is carried on all marches. Volunteers are also required to pass the UKSF swimming test that consists of; high water entry (3 m (9.8 ft)), treading water for nine minutes followed immediately by a swim of 500 m (1,600 ft) wearing Combat 95. The test finishes with an underwater swim of 10 m (33 ft) including a retrieval of a small weight.

Continuation Training
Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs) - 9 weeks
Those who pass the Aptitude Phase will undertake an intensive period of instruction and assessment of Special Forces Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs), including SF weapons and Standard Operation Procedures. The majority of this period is spent in the jungle, an environment that is suitable for SF training and ideal to achieve the purpose of this phase. Much of the training is aimed at discovering an individual's qualities. Continuation training, which consists of SOP and Tactical training in temperate and jungle environments, lasts nine weeks. This is conducted in the UK and Brunei.

Employment Training - 14 weeks
Employment Training consists of surveillance and reconnaissance training (2 weeks), army combat survival (2 weeks), SF parachute training (4 weeks), counter terrorist course (3 weeks), signals training (1 week), patrol training and squadron induction training (2 weeks), and 1 week officers week for potential officers. At the end of the resistance to interrogation phase the surviving candidates are transferred to an operational squadron.[43]

When accepted into an operational squadron, the candidates must complete the SBS Swimmer Canoeist Course, SC3 Course. The course lasts for several months and covers long distance Dives, Swims and Kayaks in open sea, often in poor weather. Underwater demolitions, Maritime counter terrorism, are also practised. On completing SBS troopers will be put on one year probation.

Reserve selection
For SBS(R) selection, only candidates with previous military experience are eligible to enlist. Training is carried out in the South of England and candidates are required to complete the following tests over the four-day initial selection course:

Combat Fitness Test (CFT) – 12.8 km (8 mi) carrying 25 kg (55 lb) within 1 hour 50 minutes.
Swim test – 500 m (1,600 ft) using any stroke in uniform and retrieve an object from 5 m (16 ft).
Gym tests.
Advanced CFT 1 – 15 km (9.3 mi) carrying 25 kg (55 lb).
Advanced CFT 2 – 24 km (15 mi) carrying 30 kg (66 lb).

The Special Boat Service wear the green commando beret, but with their own cap badge.


Active 1940–present
Country United Kingdom
Branch Naval Service
Type Special forces
Role Special operations, Counter-terrorism
Size One Regiment
Part of United Kingdom Special Forces
Garrison/HQ RM Poole
Motto "By strength and guile"
Engagements
World War II
Korean War
Indonesian Confrontation
Falklands War
Persian Gulf War
Operation Barras
War in Afghanistan
Operation Herrick
Iraq War
2003 invasion of Iraq
Libyan Civil War
Boko Haram insurgency
Commanders
Captain-General: HRH The Duke of Edinburgh (Captain-General, Royal Marines)
Colonel of the Regiment: Admiral The Lord Boyce
Notable commanders
George Jellicoe, 2nd Earl Jellicoe
Anders Lassen
Blondie Hasler
Paddy Ashdown

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SKB
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Re: United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF)

Post by SKB »

Literally, the only SBS video I could find on Youtube ;)

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raven111
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Re: United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF)

Post by raven111 »

...I think that's an Australian SAS beret up there, not a British one.

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just-me-again
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Re: United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF)

Post by just-me-again »

as far as i know there is little to no difference between the two so even if it is then it is still a fairly accurate representation of the british version.

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The Armchair Soldier
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Re: United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF)

Post by The Armchair Soldier »

A video of an F-16 providing close air support to SBS in Iraq in 2003:



A longer version can be found here.

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SKB
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Re: United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF)

Post by SKB »

raven111 wrote:...I think that's an Australian SAS beret up there, not a British one.
Thanks. Wasn't sure of it either. Have swapped it for a genuine, albeit, smaller one. :)

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raven111
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Re: United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF)

Post by raven111 »

just-me-again wrote:as far as i know there is little to no difference between the two so even if it is then it is still a fairly accurate representation of the british version.
British ones don't have metal cap badges. Aussie and possibly Kiwi ones do.

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just-me-again
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Re: United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF)

Post by just-me-again »

yes but it still has the same general design and badge so you wont be a million miles away from a british version

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Re: United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF)

Post by arfah »

..................
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Opherrick
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Re: United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF)

Post by Opherrick »

Any Photos on UK Special Forces Support Group please ?
Per Ardua

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just-me-again
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Re: United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF)

Post by just-me-again »

try googling it mate the first few are sfsg iirc.

Tinman
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Re: United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF)

Post by Tinman »

Opherrick wrote:Any Photos on UK Special Forces Support Group please ?

Try 1 Para instead, as they provide the majority.

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Re: United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF)

Post by The Armchair Soldier »

Military Take Part In London Terror Exercise
Four hundred soldiers, thought to include members of the SAS, have been involved in the staging of a city-wide exercise aimed at testing London's ability to respond to a "marauding terrorist attack".

It comes on the day RAF planes and medevac teams flew home victims of the Tunisia terror massacre.

Elite Police firearms units, the Armed Forces, Government officials and members of the Security Services responded to a series of rolling mock attacks on locations across the capital.

The exercise - codenamed Strong Tower - is London's largest counter-terrorism exercise to date.
Read More: http://forces.tv/35196220 (video included)

Here's another video from YouTube:



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raven111
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Re: United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF)

Post by raven111 »

The Armchair Soldier wrote:Front page of tomorrow's Daily Star:

[imgsnip]
Couldn't they get a more modern stock photo than a couple of guys in fake Nimrod kit?

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Re: United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF)

Post by The Armchair Soldier »

raven111 wrote:
The Armchair Soldier wrote:Front page of tomorrow's Daily Star:

[imgsnip]
Couldn't they get a more modern stock photo than a couple of guys in fake Nimrod kit?
I thought that, too. :lol:

Still, it's better than this abomination which they often use, showing them in NVG's at daytime:

Image

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raven111
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Re: United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF)

Post by raven111 »

The Armchair Soldier wrote:
raven111 wrote:
The Armchair Soldier wrote:Front page of tomorrow's Daily Star:

[imgsnip]
Couldn't they get a more modern stock photo than a couple of guys in fake Nimrod kit?
I thought that, too. :lol:

Still, it's better than this abomination which they often use, showing them in NVG's at daytime:

[imgsnip]
True.

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Re: United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF)

Post by The Armchair Soldier »

SAS and SBS Face Manpower Crisis
BRITAIN’S special forces are facing the worst manpower crisis in their 75-year history.

The elite Special Air Service (SAS) is officially classed as “overstretched”, with troops taking part in operations and training missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, north and central Africa and South America, according to well-placed military sources.

Details of the crisis emerged less than a fortnight after the prime minister said he wanted to spend more of the defence budget on the special forces, spy planes and drones to combat the threat of Isis terrorists.
Read More: http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/new ... 585701.ece (paywalled)

Little J
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Re: United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF)

Post by Little J »

Its double trouble really, firstly, they're doing all these op's (overstretch). Secondly, with all the troop cuts, the pool to choose from must be shrinking as well...

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Re: United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF)

Post by arfah »

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raven111
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Re: United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF)

Post by raven111 »

Somehow I don't think this is the solution though.

SAS selection test 'to be softened'
Recruitment tests to join the SAS will be "softened" in response to the deaths of three reservists during a selection march, the Times has claimed.

The newspaper says test marches in the Brecon Beacons could be postponed in the case of extreme temperatures, humidity and winds.

The decision has angered SAS insiders and their US counterparts who fear it may lower standards, the paper claimed.
Read More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33833155

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Re: United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF)

Post by arfah »

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raven111
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Re: United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF)

Post by raven111 »

arfah wrote:"Softened"

Risk assessed in order to safeguard.

I doubt the selection tests will be made any easier by having additional caches of water.

Postponing the event when the weather is too severe isn't making it any more soft.

British weather is typically four seasons in a day so any postponement is only likely to be a day or two at the most.
Plus I don't see how softening the Hill Phase makes the Jungle or SERE phases any easier.

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