British Special Air Service (SAS)
Special Projects Team - Special Air Service (SAS)
a/k/a: Counter Revolutionary Warfare Squadron (CRW)
Founded: 1942
Headquarters: Sterling Lines, Hereford, UK (soon to relocate to RAF
Credenhill)
The British Special Air Service (SAS) is perhaps the best known special
operations group in existence today. Thus, it should come as no surprise
that the Special Projects (SP) team of the Special Air Service is perhaps the
best known counterterrorist organization in the world. The SP team is
normally made up of approximately 80 personnel who are divided into four
troops of sixteen men. And while the SP operates similarly to the other
squadrons during periods of training, the picture changes significantly when
a terrorist incident occurs. In these instances, a segment of the alert
troop is broken down into a surveillance/sniper unit, while the remaining
soldiers form the assault group.
An explanation is required. The SP squadron is not a permanent entity.
Instead, all SAS squadrons are rotated through CT duty, via the
Counterrevolutionary Warfare section (the SP team is commonly misidentified
as the CRW Squadron). These CRW duty training cycles normally last six
months. Contributing to the skill of the SAS is the Operations Research Unit
which develops unique equipment for use by the SP team. It is this unit that
developed the now-widely used stun ("flash-bang") grenade. Other equipment
included specialized ladders for train and airplane assaults, night vision
goggles, and audio/video equipment.
Unlike most special operations groups, the SAS rotates all of its squadrons
through CRW duty. Because of this, all SAS operatives are considered
counterterrorist-qualified and refresher training is constant.
Organizationally, the Special Projects unit is broken down into 65-man Red
and Blue Teams, each with snipers and EOD trained experts.
SAS proficiency in firearms, already very high, is refined for close quarters
battle in the "Killing House". The basic course is six weeks, during which
troopers may fire in excess of 2,000 rounds. This skill is further enhanced
during a squadron's SP duty. Adding an element of realism to the training is
the use of live personnel as hostage during room clearing operations.
SAS counterterrorist and hostage rescue training is facilitated by the
highest members of the UK government, many of whom (including the Prime
Minister) take part in actual training exercises. A Royal Air Force C-130
remains on standby at RAF Lyneham at all times should the unit require its
services.
The SAS has engaged in antiterrorist operations, mostly in Northern Ireland,
although reports have pointed to SAS activity in Libya as well. There are a
number of organizations worldwide who also use the SAS name, such as the New
Zealand SAS and the Australian SAS. There is some debate as to when
Britain's other legendary special operations group, the Special Boat Service
(SBS) would be used in the counterterrorist role. This issue is still a
matter of speculation, however some experts speculate that the SBS would not
be deployed unless a large scale terrorist incident occurred which tapped the
SAS beyond their personnel levels. SAS and SBS are known to have deployed
together on a bomb scare involving the ocean liner Queen Elizabeth II. In
any case, maritime operations are not a skill which the SAS has forgone.
Each squadron maintains its own Boat Troop who devote their time to It is
possible to envision such an incident occurring, however. Such an instance
might be the simultaneous hijacking of two or more oil rigs in the North Sea.
This event is not beyond the realm of possibility and indeed is an occasion
for which the SAS and SBS have trained. There does exists a high degree of
respect and cooperation between the two groups in spite of the fact that SAS
does garner the lion's share of the attention.
For all of the reasons listed above, the SAS is the most sought after
exchange partner in the world of counterterrorism. Their troopers have
trained other troopers from all of the following organizations: The United
States' Delta Force, the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team (HRT), France's GIGN,
Germany's GSG-9, Spain's GEO, the Royal Dutch Marines, and the SAS groups
from Australia and New Zealand, to name a few. In return, these
organizations have allowed British SAS members to train along side their own
units in a reciprocal swap of information. These exchange programs have had
the effect of raising counterterrorist skills worldwide to higher and higher
levels. For as good as the SAS is, they have always been the first to state
that they still have skills they can improve on and as a result are always on
the lookout for a better way to do things. It has also been documented that
at least one or two SAS personnel have been present at every major
counterterrorist operation involving a friendly country in recent memory.
Their presence has oftentimes been in an official advisory role, but ex-SAS
members have revealed that the group has often sent men to the scene of an
incident, just to learn as much as they can about the success or failure of
an operation. This information is, in turn, brought back to Hereford where
it is disseminated and applied accordingly.
Having said this, it is interesting to note that rumors abound of a
deep-seated distrust of the Israelis, another of the world's best. Due to
this sentiment, the SAS for a time refused to engage in any sort of training
or exchange program. This is no longer the case, and the two units enjoy a
good, if low-visibility, relationship.
Most recently, at least six SAS men, two officers and four senior NCOs were
sent to Lima Peru in December 1996 to provide assistance and advice to the
Peruvian government prior to the April 1997 assault which resulted in the
rescue of 71 of the 72 remaining hostages.
Sources: The Terrorism Research Center |