Thai Navy Special Forces Specialists - Best in Southeast Asia
The military units include police special forces, in particular, the border patrol unit, ranger battalion, air supply police and royal special forces, which include the command of special combat operations at sea.
April 17 this year marks 57 years from the moment the first special unit of the Royal Navy appeared. Maritime special operations units, which are subordinate to the command of military special operations, have Thai Royal SEALs fleet and an amphibious company of a reconnaissance battalion of marines.
In 1965, an amphibious reconnaissance group was formed in the Marine Corps. The main task of this unit was to conduct airborne and ground reconnaissance operations, conduct coastal intelligence activities, as well as search for obstacles and obstacles set by the enemy forces to counter the airborne assault forces. However, the most important task of the intelligence units was to conduct special operations in order to assist the units of the marines.
In late autumn 1978, the company turned into a battalion. In a similar composition unit exists at the present time.
Marines intelligence units have significant combat experience. Thus, in 1972, a small unit of reconnaissance marines as part of a voluntary battalion was sent to Laos, where it was engaged in conducting combat operations against the communist guerrilla formations.
A little later, in 1989, the Marine Special Forces units were stationed along the Cambodian borders, and the reconnaissance company was part of a unit that was engaged in conducting special operations in this district.
As for the present period of time, the Marine Corps reconnaissance unit is deployed at the Sattahip naval base. It consists of 4 units: a staff company with a division of service dogs, an amphibious company consisting of combat swimmers, and two motorized companies equipped with armored V-150 vehicles. In addition, the unit has a small in number anti-terrorist formation. If necessary, the companies of the reconnaissance battalion are transferred to the regiments of the marines.
Selection to the reconnaissance battalion takes place in tough conditions. First of all, candidates who previously served in the Marine Corps are considered. Applicants must master the program of amphibious intelligence, the duration of which is three months, and is carried out at the naval base Sattahip at the Center for Special Warfare. The program includes amphibious operations, long-distance patrols, hydrographic studies, and in addition, special tactics that are used in the course of combat operations on land.
Then, after the end of this course, candidates need to master the course of landing training, which is conducted on the basis of a parachute school. For the entire course, the reconnaissance marines must make 8 parachute jumps, which also includes night and water jumps. And only after successful completion of all courses, candidates receive a naval parachutist badge.
Those servicemen who were selected to the reconnaissance battalion continue training, which consists of in-depth parachute training (the skills acquired are used in operations with long jumps and high-altitude jumps with immediate opening of the parachute, as well as training in conducting anti-terrorism measures.
The staff company has a platoon of trained service dogs, which are used for reconnaissance during operations. By the way, dogs also undergo a parachute training course - they are landed along with the guides, fastening them to the harness. The Thai Navy intelligence unit conducts joint exercises with similar military units of the United States of America in the area of the Cambodian border.
If we take a closer look at each unit that is part of the Marine Corps reconnaissance battalion, then it should be noted that the amphibious group is considered an elite unit among all special units of the armed forces of the Kingdom. This is due to the fact that among the tasks of the group, there are operations and assault actions not only on water, but also under water. In addition, the group performs certain tasks aimed at combating terrorist organizations. Military personnel who serve in an amphibious company undergo training in the course of American infantrymen, so among them there are both parachutists and light divers. Most of the operations they conduct (both submarine and surface) are in the river basins. As for the weapons of an amphibious company, it is mostly American-made. In addition, the group undergoes regular joint training and training with US marines and special forces.
If we talk about teams SEALs, then their story It begins in the years of the Second World War, when special forces were actively created and used by the opposing sides. They were small groups of soldiers who were trained to destroy the port infrastructure, ships, sabotage and secret missions. When the war ended, the need for such special units did not significantly decrease. On the contrary, the process of personnel training was only improved, new types of equipment were adopted weapons and technology, the Bole high level came out and the tactics of special forces, so that these units reached unrealistic heights in earlier times.
In 1952, the Thai Defense Ministry decided on the need to form groups of subversive submarine operations by analogy with the American submarine subversive teams. A meeting was held between representatives of the military departments of Thailand and America, which was designed to solve the issues of implementing this idea. As a result, the Kingdom adopted a resolution on the creation of such a team. But a problem arose - there were not enough qualified American instructors to train the Thai team. Therefore, the implementation of this program was temporarily suspended. But already in 1953, the CIA naval intelligence company was tasked with promoting the formation and training of the submarine submarine crews of the royal fleet and the air force reinforcement unit of the state.
The first group, which began a course of study on the American program, consisted of seven naval officers and eight police officers. The course started at the beginning of March 1953. She was trained on the island of Zulu. Two months later it was successfully completed, after which the naval command came out with a proposal to create a training unit for the training of submarine submarine teams.
As a result, in 1954, a small division of combat swimmers was formed within the structure of the Royal Navy, which took as a basis the training program and the structure of the American subversive submarine teams. Some time later, the training of Thai subversive teams began to be carried out on a more advanced program. But despite the fact that the times are changing, and the methods of waging modern war are significantly different from those used previously, discipline, reasonable initiative and ingenuity, determination and resilience, as well as the ability to think, evaluate the situation and act ahead.
Two years after the formation of the first team, the first platoon of submarine submarine teams appeared, and a year later another staff of this kind was opened on the orders of the headquarters. And the unit itself was transferred to the island of Pra, to the naval base. In 1965, certain changes took place in the division. The number of platoons was significantly increased, so the unit was divided into two platoons. The first platoon was reorganized into the SEAL team, and the second was similar to the American underwater subversive teams.
In 1971, according to the order of the headquarters, the staff of this formation was approved, which had two platoons in its structure, and a range of tasks was determined for the training command of the navy. One of the platoons at the same time became an assault underwater team, and the second - a subversive submarine team.
With regard to the training of teams SEALs, then first of all it should be noted that they are staffed exclusively by active military personnel of the Navy. The course lasts about six months. But before the applicant is accepted into the group, he must complete a special course at the center of combat special operations on the island of Sattahip.
As a rule, a quarter of the total number of applicants can manage the course program. After all, not everyone will be able to go through one of the most difficult trials, which is held during the selection to the team and which is not for nothing called “hell week”. They even say that those who coped with it can be called supermen. Soldiers are subjected to tremendous physical exertion, remaining virtually awake for 120 hours. As a rule, after this week, about half of those willing are eliminated.
In the process of preparation, candidates acquire a large amount of necessary knowledge and skills. In particular, they master the techniques of conducting hand-to-hand combat, skills of conducting patrols in small groups, and conducting combat operations in the conditions of the jungle. In addition, applicants are learning to carry out sabotage underwater, storm and seize ships, fight against pirates and international terrorists, collect intelligence information, parachute, carry out submarine work underwater, and perform many other tasks in the interests of the naval forces of Thailand.
It should also be noted that the training course for underwater teams is the most difficult among all training programs for military units of the Kingdom. Its duration is 31 week. In addition to the “hell of a week” mentioned above, which is the most difficult, the fifteenth week is recognized as the most dangerous, when recruits from underwater teams must descend to a depth of about 30 meters without equipment. After they return to the surface, they must hold their breath for another minute - because exhalation will mean certain death due to sudden changes in pressure. For such underwater training over the past fifteen years, a special reservoir has been used.
After the 15 week, approximately 78 people drop out of 40 recruits due to injury or complete exhaustion of the body. Note also that during the tests of this kind, not only a large number of serious injuries, but also several deaths were recorded. In this case, the barotrauma of the lungs or ear here is a common phenomenon, which is no longer paying attention.
Those fortunate enough to complete a training program are given the opportunity to take an in-depth training course, during which their skills and knowledge are improved. In addition, combat swimmers, in the course of training, conduct joint training five times a year with American combat swimmers.
In addition to training swimmers, the training center provides training for its program and military personnel of other departments and security agencies of the Kingdom. The number of those who manage to successfully complete a training course, as a rule, does not exceed 30 percent of the total number of applicants. In the process of training, cadets acquire skills in the use of breathing apparatus for navigation under water, which will be useful for them in the future, in particular, when conducting surveys of the underwater part of ships. Despite the fact that the training program is very complicated, the number of people willing to attend the course is not reduced. There is a logical explanation for this - those who graduate from courses, receive an increase in salary, automatically receive the qualification of a combat swimmer. And then they can be sent to special training for underwater repairs, underwater demining and mine destruction.
In addition, combat swimmer training units are training civilian divers to protect marine resources. Every year, a group of divers recruits 60 people who upon completion of the course will be engaged in the protection of the underwater world and the removal of debris from coastal waters.
In 2008, in order to increase the number of special forces and increase their effectiveness, all units of SEAL were united under the command of the naval command of special combat operations. The number of command is 400 people, and in the composition there are two groups of SEALs. Each group is divided into 4 platoons and totals 144 man. In addition to them, there is a secret command to suppress military weapons.
If we talk about the weapons of the special operations forces of Thailand, they have at their disposal weapons mainly of American and German production. These include G36 KV assault rifles, MP5 K submachine guns, MP5 SD and UMP9, HK23 E machine guns, MSG 90 and PSG-1 semi-automatic rifles, SIG 516 assault rifles. In addition, snipers are also armed with semi-automatic sniper rifles SR25, as well as American-made sniper rifles Barrett M95 and Barrett M82.
One of the priorities of the special forces is the preservation and development of military traditions. To this end, an assault underwater team’s museum was created, which provides detailed information on the history of the team’s creation, its achievements, some equipment, photos, and much more.
Materials used:
http://www.bratishka.ru/archiv/2012/07/2012_7_12.php
http://www.bratishka.ru/archiv/2006/3/2006_3_9.php
http://sof-mag.ru/spec_arms/tailand_cco.html
http://sof-mag.ru/spec_arms/tailand_morpex.html
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