Special Service Group (Navy)

The Pakistan Navy Special Service Group (

There is no official report on the actual strength or their military missions since their operational works are subjected to the secrecy by the federal government of Pakistan; knowledge of their works and tactics known in public through the only authorized media works and nonfiction works by the navy veteran.^[6]

History

Birth of the Navy SSG

After the

The establishment of the Special Service Group (Navy) lies from the contribution by the Pakistan Army's Special Service Group whose frogmen team— the Musa Company— first initially trained the Navy personnel on the military combat diving in 1966.^{: contents [8]} Initially training of the personnel volunteered for the Special Service Group (Navy) took place in Cherat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, first initially getting trained for the coastal defenses.^{: contents [10]}

Crucial training on getting trained on the

Since the 1970s, the Navy SSG teams are occasionally sent to the United States for specialized courses and training conducted with the United States Navy SEALs.^[12]

Deployments, covert actions and current history

In March 1971, the Navy SSG were deployed in the

The Navy SSG's focused moves towards the special military operations to combating terrorism from the seaborne platform after the

Due to their selective competitiveness, the demanding military physicals, and the commitment required by the Navy's special operations, the Navy Special Service Group is much more tighter contingent compared to the Army Special Service Group, though the selection for the Navy's Special Service Group is open to all naval personnel serving in the different combat branches of the Navy.^[5] The Navy SSG is much more discreet than the Army SSG since their operations and works are subjected to the secrecy marked by the Navy though it is known that it is an all-male special operation force.^[5]

The control and command structure of the Navy Special Service Group is based in the PNS Iqbal— the naval base in Karachi, Sindh in Pakistan— and their operations are controlled through the Naval Special Operations Training Center (NSOTC).^[20] Their armed forces diving training establishment and structure was initially based in the PNS Himalaya but later consolidated their entire structure with the commissioning of the Iqbal Naval Base on 19 March 1967.^[21]

The organizational structure of the Navy Special Service Group follows their

According to the Navy's official website, the Navy Special Service Group is organized with the Iqbal Naval Base that is having responsible to control the each command.^[21]

In 1968, the Navy Special Service Group was operating at least six

The military administration at the PNS Iqbal also facilitates the advance training of the selected personnel of the Navy special Service Group to be trained with the U.S. Navy SEALs in California and Virginia.^[12]

SEALs Teams in the Special Services Group (SSGN)

The Navy Special Service Group is composed of the three sub-commands: CO PNS Iqbal, CO SEAL Group, and CO VBSS Group— all are trained in their specialized tasks and considered specialists in the specific type of war operations.^[12]

The maritime authors and historians of the Pakistan Navy have provided the rough and the guessed estimation of personnel which was neared around 1,000 SSGN operatives but the department of navy has never issued an actual strength number of its personnel serving in the Navy Special Service Group.^{: 73 [18][5]}

The official strength and the identities of its personnel serving in each sub-commands are subjected to the

Sources: Pakistan Navy official website and GlobalSecurity.org by John Pike.^[25]

Selection process and training

Qualification and military physicals

Drop out attrition rates from the physical standards of the Navy is average between the 80-to-90%, matching the Army Special Service Group's drop rate in Cherat^[6] Those who have failed the mental and physical requirements are then sent to their regular jobs in the Navy.^[6] The military physical standards, examinations, and criteria are same for the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines' special forces selections and training, often training in close coordination.^[27] There are three special operations schools in the Pakistan, the Navy's sniper and frogmen school criteria follows the military physical requirement:

• Naval Special Operations Training Center (Naval SOTC)
  • Must meet army qualifications with swimming standards.^[1]
• Sniper School
  • Must have 20/20 or corrected to 20/20 in both near and distant vision in both eyes.^[28]
  • Medical Category "A".^[27]
• Frogman School
  • Medical Category "A".^[27]
  • Must have qualification in Chamber test up to 180 feet sea water.^[27]
• Swimming Standards
  • Should be able to swim 200 meters in 7 minutes (breast stroke).^[27]
  • Should be able to swim 25 meters Underwater.^[27]

Selection and training

The military physicals for the getting accepted in the Navy is maintained to be very high standard and requires the prospective individual has to spend nearly five years in the Navy that validates their commitment to their profession and the Navy— this is the same requirement for the

• • 18-week Clearance Diving Course.[21]
  • 10-week Advance Frogman Course .^[21]
  • 4-week Re-Compression Chamber Course.^[21]

Training of the Navy Special Service Group also included the training on the

Once the 8-month course is complete, the navy sailors who are volunteering to join the SSGN are then given specialized training in maritime and amphibious warfare at the specialized training school located in Karachi.^[26]

The Combat Diver badge is awarded for the course held by the Navy Special Service Group— there are three classes of combat swimmers are recognized: 1st class to complete an 18-mile or more swim in the designated time period; 2nd class to those finishing a 12-mile swim; and 3rd class for a 6-mile swim.

Since its establishment in 1966, the Navy Special Service Group provided military training to the Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Iran and Sri Lanka, also conducts training exercise with Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Bahrain.[21]

Appearance and equipment

The Special Forces in Pakistani military adopted their Battle Dress Uniform in favor of the U.S. woodland (or M81) with a maroon berets in 1990.^{: 100 [3]} The Special Forces in Pakistan follows the combat gear of the Pakistan Army as the Army Special Service Group authorized the U.S. woodland (M81) as their battle dress uniform with a maroon berets, a common color for the airborne forces, with a silver metal tab on a light blue felt square with a dagger and lightning bolts, and a wing on the right side of the chest.^{: 100 [3]}

The Navy Special Service Group closely follows the Army Special Service Group, adopting to wear the U.S. woodland (or M81) with a maroon berets, a common color for the airborne forces.^{: 71 [17]}

The Navy Special Service Group is only distinguished by their officially issued berets— a dark blue beret with three versions of the "fouled anchor" badge for all of its personnel.^{: 71 [17]} A metal SSGN qualification badge featuring a vertical dagger superimposed over a midget submarine is worn over the left pocket on dress uniforms. Parachute wings are worn over the right pocket.^{: 71 [17]}

Weaponry

Pistols

•  
  Glock pistol
•  
  Beretta 92FS

Sub-machine guns

•  Germany Heckler & Koch MP5
•  Belgium FN P90

Assault rifles

•  
  M4A1 Carbine
•  Austria Steyr AUG
•   Switzerland SIG SG 550

Sniper rifles

•  Pakistan POF PSR-90M
•  USA Barrett M82
•  
  Accuracy International AW
•  UK SC-76/86 Thunderbolt
•  South Africa Truvelo CMS .308/.338

Light Machine guns

•  Belgium FN Minimi
•  
  M249

Air Defence & Rocket Launchers

•  
  RPG7
•  
  SMAW
•  Pakistan Anza MANPADS

Helmets

•  Pakistan POF Standard Helmet
•  USA Light Weight Helmet

Bullet Proof Jacket/Armor

•  Pakistan POF Standard Body Armor

See also

• 1st Marines Battalion (Pakistan)
• Special Service Group (Pakistan Army)
• Special Service Wing
  (Pakistan Air Force)
• List of military special forces units

References