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Physical selection for various worldwide Military units
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01-02-2008 10:48PM#1
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14 Int/the Det was set up in 73 by officers from the SAS's counter revolutionary warfare wing. Selection was not only physically demanding, it also had a large psychological aspect with recruits tested often in real situations to see how they would react under extreme psychological pressure.
Det operators operated in republican heartlands, driving skills were taught, such as J turns, as a means of escape and evasion if operators were stopped by PIRA ASU VCPs. Its only since the peace process that info on the Det has become declassified. All files relating to Det operations have been destroyed. British army soldiers of Irish Catholic background were particularly encouraged to become Det operators, especially females from the Wrens etc.
Training
The relatively small Walter PPK was used by a backup weapon, often in a ankle-holster, or as a primary weapon for female operatives with especially small hands. With its magazine of 8 .22 rounds, the PPK lacked the stopping power of the Browning HP, but its concealability made it more suitable for use when wearing certain outfits.
The training of 14 Company covered all the skills required of a surveillance operators.- Advanced driving courses were taught including - sustained high speed driving, using a vehicle as a weapon, controlled crashes, skid recovery and anti-ambush skills.
- Photography is a vital skill and the candidates first learnt the basics then moved onto advanced nighttime Infra-red photography. They also learnt how to conceal still and video cameras in their clothing and in cars.
- The demanding disciplines of surveillance - from hiding in ditches or attics, to following on foot , to surveillance from vehicles - were all taught. The ability to observe, follow and communicate over the radio network, all covertly, were ingrained in the operators.
- Operators also learnt how to plant electronic eavesdropping devices (bugs) and covert video cameras. They also practiced planting tracking devices on cars, in weapon caches and even on people. Breaking into houses and businesses and planting bugs and gathering intelligence without being detected was also taught, as were the arts of lock-picking and key-copying.
- Whilst trained to avoid direct contact, 14 Company members were highly skilled in close quarters combat (CQB). Members become experts at using pistols (usually browning high powers or Walter PPKs), sub machine guns such as HK MP5ks, carbines (HK53) and assault rifles (G3KA4). 14 company members were taught how to employ their weapons from within vehicles as part of anti-ambush drills. It was not uncommon for det operatives to have an extra pistol - often another browning hp with extended 20 round magazine - stowed within easy reach in their vehicles. A remington 870 shotgun was also hidden inside Det cars. The remington could be used to blast out the windscreens of their vehicles, allowing the operatives inside to fire their other weapons.
- Unarmed combat was taught to Det operatives, particularly techniques to disarm and neutralise knife or gun-weilding assailants.
Though not exactly up to James Bond standards, the Det employed some specialised equipment. Operators wore microphones and earphones hidden in their clothing to enable them to talk on 'the net' whilst in public. Special covert holsters were worn that allowed an operator conceal their pistols in their waistbands.
14 Company drove a range of cars that from the outside looked like everyday civilian saloons, but in fact had some special features built-in.
The modified Q cars driven by 14 Company operators in Northern Ireland had many suprises hidden beneath their seemingly ordinary exteriors.- These so-called 'Q' cars had covert radios with hidden speakers and microphones that could not be easily spotted from the outside.
- Video and still cameras were often secreted about the vehicles, allowing the operators to film surreptitiously.
- The brake lights on Q cars could be disabled by a switch so as to allow them to covertly pick up or drop off fellow operatives at night.
- Engine cut-off switches were fitted as an hijacking countermeasure.
- Operator's cars would also be fitted with systems to detect any tampering with the vehicle's electronics - a sign that a car bomb had been planted.
- Q cars were fitted with covert kevlar armour plating. Gaps were left in the armour to allow operatives to fire through the bodywork - a requirement in some anti-ambush drills.
- A flashbang dispenser was secreted beneath the car. When triggered by a foot switch, multiple stun grenades would fly out in all directions before detonating. The flashbangs were for emergencies such as escaping a terrorist roadblock or dispersing a hostile crowd.
The many pseudonyms of the unit included:- NITAT
- Intelligence and Security Group (NI)
- Int & Sy Group
- 14 Intelligence and Security Company
- 14 Intelligence Company
- 14 Company
- 14 Int
- The Det
A flight of Army Air Corps (AAC) Gazelles, nicknamed the 'Bat flight' were used on 14 Company operations. The Gazelles carried sophisticated electronic surveillance gear in pods beneath the fuselage. These video and Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) cameras were slaved to a sight usually used to fire wire-guided missiles. At least one Det operator would ride in the helicopter and follow suspects through the sighting system, usually high up, out of sight or sound of anyone below.
14 Company Operations
From their inception until the Troubles played out, 14 Company carried out numerous operations, mostly following and observing suspected terrorists. These painstaking intelligence gathering efforts often led to the arrest of terrorists by the RUC as well as discoveries of weapons caches. In addition to simple surveillance, they also liaised with SAS assault teams, acting as addition eyes and ears and often providing covert transportation for SAS operations. On rare occasions 14 Company members would end up in firefights with terrorists, usually the result of their covers being compromised. Tragically, several 14 Company operators lost their lives in Northern Ireland.
It's believed that during the nineties, the role of 14 Company was expanded to include operations in Bosnia and the Middle East. The unit has now been absorbed into the recently formed Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR), with a remit to fight the global war against terror.0 -
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Rhodesian Selous Scouts (Now defunct), NCOs were usually ex SAS who had fought in Malaya and Kenya.Perhaps the best comment on the fighting ability of the Selous Scouts is the fact that during Rhodesia’s anti-terrorist war they accounted for more dead ‘terrs’ than the rest of the Rhodesian Army combined. Formed in 1974 as the Tracker Combat Unit and eventually performing long range recon missions, tracking terrorists internally, and undertaking cross border raids against terrorist strongholds, the Selous Scouts were highly skilled, parachute trained long range recon/raiders. Their selection process was somewhat similar to that of the British SAS. In addition to parachute training, bush survival and tracking were emphasized during Scout training. Clandestine and counter-guerrilla skills were also taught. The Selous Scouts normally made operational jumps from about 500 feet using the T10 static-line parachute, but many members within the unit were also free-fall parachutist trained.In August, 1976, the Selous Scouts launched the first cross border strike against terrorist bases in Mozambique. In that raid alone, they killed 1,184 terrorists. Later, the Selous Scouts under took many missions in conjunction with the Rhodesian SAS which had a strength of 110 men, many of them former members of the British SASONE
The Selous Scouts as a regiment did not have a traditional Color, but a Standard. The dangling fly-wisks on the Standard are traditional protectors against evil spirits.
During bushcraft / survival training Selous Scouts are made to drink the innards of gutted game animals. Due to the many valuable nutrients that may be drunken to supplement ones diet in extreme situations.
Two Selous Scouts conducting night SCUBA training perform the back-roll method of entry into the water. They are training with open-circuit rigs, which emit the tell-tail bubbles.
A rubber raiding craft loaded with Selous Scouts performing night training operations. Which will encompass boat handling and SCUBA diving.
A Selous Scout being inserted by helicopter with a tracking dog, to close the gap on a follow-up operation.
Selous Scouts rapidly exiting an aging DC-3, via static-line parachute.
All Selous Scouts were trained static-line parachutist, with many also being free-fall trained.
Learning to gut and quarter game was an essential skill taught to all Selous Scouts during there time at the Tracking and Bushcraft course.
Here two Selous Scouts remove the innards of what appears to be a antelope. Scouts were also trained to eat rotten carcasses by boiling. This technique would only work once, if the scout reheated the meat a second time it would poison through a chemical change in the meat.
Here a Selous Scout instructor is teaching the finer points of botany. By describing signs to look for to retrieve water from vines and not poisons or irritants.
Selous Scout instructor demonstrating how to retrieve water from a vine.0 -
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Even though it belongs to the regular Army, the ARW is a unit apart. This unique unit, due as much to its missions in Ireland as to the individuals that comprise it, is considered capable of carrying out the most difficult of tasks. Moreover the Australian Commander in Chief of INTERFET in East Timor had no hesitation in saying that he had never known any Special Forces unit as modest and discreet as the Army Ranger Wing.Officially, the ARW is called "Sciathan Fianóglach an Airm" which can be translated as Army Ranger Wing. In any case it is a modern translation since Fianóglach is a Gaelic word borrowed from the ancient Fianna, the legendary Irish warriors. These traditions of ancient Ireland are as evident in Ireland's armed forces (Óglaigh na h-Éireann) as they are among rangers, who carry the Fianóglach flash on their shoulders.
ARW SelectionThere is no age limit for prospective rangers who must undergo a Ranger selection course which takes place annually. According to the Commander age does not count, only physical condition makes the difference. The oldest is 44 and average age is 31. In Timor they mixed the old with the new in a way that made the unit very cohesive. Every year between 40 and 80 candidates arrive and after 4 weeks of a selection course less than 15% remain. These 4 weeks are organised into 2 distinct phases. In phase 1 everybody starts at zero - the instructors showing the basic requirements to become a Ranger, that is to say a special forces soldier. Candidates must also pass a number of physical tests, water confidence training, assault courses training, individual navigation tests as well as an 8 Km combat run test. On average they will get 4/5 hours sleep per night and are put under constant pressure from instructors and the course alike. If a candidate fails more than 3 out of the 9 basic tests he is returned to his home unit. A selection course may only be attempted 3 times by any candidate. The 3rd and 4th weeks consist of long range reconnaissance patrolling which incorporates training as well as testing of personnel. Candidates are taught special forces tactics, reconnaissance and surveillance, intelligence gathering and the achievements such as the search for enemy forces teams and the organisation of ambushes. The course culminates in a 45 Km march which must be completed in a set time. All candidates who successfully complete the Ranger course are presented with the Fianóglach shoulder flash. When it comes to selection the Officers and NCO's meet to assess the candidates. The best are retained according to the number of places available. On average, Officers spend between 3 and 4 years in the unit.
Is is important to emphasise that during this selection course the tests are the same for Officers, NCO's and men. During these weeks there is no rank - only the qualities of the candidates count. For those selected there is still a long way to go. For 6 months they must undergo a Basic Skills Course, this time in an instructional detachment where they continue to wear the black beret. The candidates will receive instruction on all weapons available to the ranger, and all the other skills need to allow them to integrate into the unit. It is only after this course is completed that successful candidates get to wear the coveted green beret of the Army Ranger Wing.
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![[1]](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Arw_End_of_selection_cse..jpg){kind=link}
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