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United Kingdom Special Forces

 
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The United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF) is a UK Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)

The Ministry of Defence is the Departments of the United Kingdom Government responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
 Directorate
Directorate

A directorate is an government agency usually headed by a...
 which also has the capability to provide a Joint Special Operations
Special operations

Special operations are military operations that are considered "special" .Examples of special operations include such operations such as reconnaissance/military intelligence, unconventional warfare, and counter-terrorism actions....
 Task Force Headquarters. UKSF is commanded by Director Special Forces (DSF), a Major General
Major General

Major General or Major-General is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of Sergeant Major General. A Major General is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of Lieutenant General and senior to the ranks of Brigadier and Brigadier General....
.

Formation
UKSF was formed in 1987 to draw together the Army's Special Air Service
Special Air Service

The Special Air Service is a special forces regiment within the British Army which has served as a model for the special forces of other countries....
 (SAS) and the Special Boat Squadron Royal Marines
Royal Marines

The Royal Marines are the marine and amphibious warfare infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service....
 (SBS), which was renamed the Special Boat Service
Special Boat Service

The Special Boat Service is the special forces unit of the British Royal Navy. The service's motto is "By Strength and Guile". It forms part of the United Kingdom Special Forces group, alongside the Special Air Service , Special Reconnaissance Regiment , Special Forces Support Group and 18 Signal Regiment....
 at the same time, into a unified command, based around the former Director SAS who was given the additional title of Director Special Forces.






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Encyclopedia


The United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF) is a UK Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)

The Ministry of Defence is the Departments of the United Kingdom Government responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
 Directorate
Directorate

A directorate is an government agency usually headed by a...
 which also has the capability to provide a Joint Special Operations
Special operations

Special operations are military operations that are considered "special" .Examples of special operations include such operations such as reconnaissance/military intelligence, unconventional warfare, and counter-terrorism actions....
 Task Force Headquarters. UKSF is commanded by Director Special Forces (DSF), a Major General
Major General

Major General or Major-General is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of Sergeant Major General. A Major General is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of Lieutenant General and senior to the ranks of Brigadier and Brigadier General....
.

Formation


UKSF was formed in 1987 to draw together the Army's Special Air Service
Special Air Service

The Special Air Service is a special forces regiment within the British Army which has served as a model for the special forces of other countries....
 (SAS) and the Special Boat Squadron Royal Marines
Royal Marines

The Royal Marines are the marine and amphibious warfare infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service....
 (SBS), which was renamed the Special Boat Service
Special Boat Service

The Special Boat Service is the special forces unit of the British Royal Navy. The service's motto is "By Strength and Guile". It forms part of the United Kingdom Special Forces group, alongside the Special Air Service , Special Reconnaissance Regiment , Special Forces Support Group and 18 Signal Regiment....
 at the same time, into a unified command, based around the former Director SAS who was given the additional title of Director Special Forces. The Directorate
Directorate

A directorate is an government agency usually headed by a...
 has been expanded by the creation of the Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing
United Kingdom Special Forces

The United Kingdom Special Forces is a Ministry of Defence Directorate which also has the capability to provide a Joint Special Operations Task Force Headquarters....
, the Special Reconnaissance Regiment
Special Reconnaissance Regiment

The Special Reconnaissance Regiment is a Special Forces regiment of the British Armed Forces, which conducts special reconnaissance, predominantly, but not exclusively, in a Counter-Terrorism posture....
 and the Special Forces Support Group
Special Forces Support Group

The Special Forces Support Group is a special operations unit of the British Armed Forces. It was initially composed exclusively of personnel from the British Army's Parachute Regiment , the Royal Marines and the RAF Regiment....
.

Roles and tasks

UKSF assets undertake a number of roles, with a degree of interaction and interoperability:

  • Counter Terrorism
  • Covert Reconnaissance
    Reconnaissance

    Reconnaissance is a military and medical term denoting exploration conducted to gain information. Militarily, its shorthand Australian, Canadian, and British form is recce , its American usage form is recon ....
  • Special reconnaissance
  • Direct Action
    Direct action (military)

    In the context of military special operations, direct action consists of:"Short-duration strikes and other small-scale offensive actions conducted as...
  • Close Protection
    Bodyguard

    A bodyguard is a type of security guard or government agent who protects a person?usually a famous, wealthy, or politically important figure?from assault, kidnapping, assassination, stalking, loss of Confidentiality, or other threats....
  • Counter Revolutionary Warfare
  • Reconnaissance of the deep battlespace
  • Offensive operations in the deep battlespace
  • Battlespace
    Battlespace

    Battlespace is a unified military strategy to integrate and combine armed forces for the military Theater , including Aerial warfare, Information warfare, Ground warfare, Naval warfare and Space battle to achieve Strategic goal ....
     preparation in Transition To War
    Transition To War

    Transition To War is a NATO military term referring to a period of international tension during which government and society move to an open war footing....
  • Infrastructure disruption
  • Capture of subjects of interest
  • Human intelligence (HUMINT
    HUMINT

    HUMINT, a Syllabic abbreviation#Types of abbreviations of the words HUMan INTelligence, refers to Intelligence by means of interpersonal contact, as opposed to the List of intelligence gathering disciplines such as SIGINT, IMINT and MASINT....
    ) collection
  • Defence Diplomacy
  • Training of other nations' armed forces

Insignia

The badge of each UKSF unit shares a representation of the Sword of Damocles (or Excalibur
Excalibur

Excalibur is the legendary sword of King Arthur sometimes attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Great Britain....
) in common.

Special Force units


Army


  • 22 Special Air Service
    Special Air Service

    The Special Air Service is a special forces regiment within the British Army which has served as a model for the special forces of other countries....
    • L Detachment
  • 21 Special Air Service (Reserve)
  • 23 Special Air Service (Reserve)
  • Special Reconnaissance Regiment
    Special Reconnaissance Regiment

    The Special Reconnaissance Regiment is a Special Forces regiment of the British Armed Forces, which conducts special reconnaissance, predominantly, but not exclusively, in a Counter-Terrorism posture....


Royal Navy


  • Special Boat Service
    Special Boat Service

    The Special Boat Service is the special forces unit of the British Royal Navy. The service's motto is "By Strength and Guile". It forms part of the United Kingdom Special Forces group, alongside the Special Air Service , Special Reconnaissance Regiment , Special Forces Support Group and 18 Signal Regiment....
    • Special Boat Service
      Special Boat Service

      The Special Boat Service is the special forces unit of the British Royal Navy. The service's motto is "By Strength and Guile". It forms part of the United Kingdom Special Forces group, alongside the Special Air Service , Special Reconnaissance Regiment , Special Forces Support Group and 18 Signal Regiment....
       (Reserve)
      Royal Marines Reserve

      The role of the Royal Marines Reserve of the United Kingdom is to support the regular Royal Marinesin times of war or national crisis. The RMR consists of some 600-1000 trained ranks distributed among the five RMR Centres within the UK....
       -


Support units


The UKSF is supported by a number of units:

Special Forces Support Group


  • Special Forces Support Group
    Special Forces Support Group

    The Special Forces Support Group is a special operations unit of the British Armed Forces. It was initially composed exclusively of personnel from the British Army's Parachute Regiment , the Royal Marines and the RAF Regiment....
    • 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment
      Parachute Regiment

      Parachute regiment can denote*Kayseri Hava Indirme Tugayi*Parachute Regiment *Parachute Regiment *Paratroopers Brigade *44 Parachute Regiment ...
    • F Company, Royal Marines
      Royal Marines

      The Royal Marines are the marine and amphibious warfare infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service....
    • RAF Regiment
      RAF Regiment

      The Royal Air Force Regiment is a specialist airfield defence Corps founded by Royal Warrant in 1942. After a 29 week training course, its members are responsible for defending airfields, and training Royal Air Force personnel in military skills....
       elements


Signals


  • 18 (UKSF) Signal Regiment
    18 (UKSF) Signal Regiment

    18 Signal Regiment is a Regiment of the British Army Royal Corps of Signals which provides communications and information systems support to the force elements of the United Kingdom Special Forces....
    • 264 (SAS) Signals Squadron, attached to 22 SAS
    • 267 (SRR) Signals Squadron, attached to the Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR)
    • 268 (UKSF) Signals Squadron, specialist sp to UKSF
    • SBS Signals Squadron, attached to the Special Boat Service
    • 63 (SAS) Signal Squadron, reserve unit attached to 21 and 23 SAS


Aviation


The Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing
Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing

The Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing is a tri-service organisation which provides aviation support to United Kingdom Special Forces, using both fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft....
 provides fixed-wing and rotary-wing support to UKSF. Four units of the Army Air Corps (AAC) and the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the United Kingdom's air force, the oldest independent air force in the world. Formed on 1 April 1918, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history ever since, playing a large part in World War II and in more recent conflicts....
 (RAF) are thought to have the task of supporting British Special Operations:

  • 8 Flight Army Air Corps
    8 Flight Army Air Corps

    8 Flight Army Air Corps is one of the Independent Flights within the British Army Army Air Corps . 8 Flight is attached to the Special Air Service and based alongside them in Hereford....
    , which has four Eurocopter AS 365N Dauphin
    Eurocopter Dauphin

    The Eurocopter SA 365/AS365 Dauphin is a medium-weight multipurpose twin-engine helicopter manufactured by Eurocopter ....
     light utility helicopters and two Aérospatiale Gazelle
    Aérospatiale Gazelle

    The Gazelle is a France-designed helicopter, created by the company Sud Aviation, which later became A?rospatiale, and later still Eurocopter Group....
     helicopters. The aircraft are painted in civilian colours (which are regularly changed) and are rumoured to be used in counter-terrorist missions.
  • 47 Squadron (RAF)
    No. 47 Squadron RAF

    No. 47 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the C-130 Hercules from RAF Lyneham, Wiltshire....
    , operating special forces versions of the C-130 Hercules
    C-130 Hercules

    The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft built by Lockheed. It is the main tactical airlifter for many military forces worldwide....
    . These are six Hercules C.1 (C-130K), modified after the Falklands War
    Falklands War

    The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict/Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands....
     (an RWR
    Radar warning receiver

    Typically fitted to military aircraft, radar warning receivers detect the radio emissions of radar systems, whether ground-based or on-board other aircraft....
     and AN/ALQ-157
    ALQ-144

    The AN/ALQ-144, AN/ALQ-147, and AN/ALQ-157 are United States infra-red guided missile countermeasure devices . They were developed by Sanders Associates in the 1970s to counter the threat of infra-red guided surface to air missiles like the SA-7 Grail....
     infra-red countermeasures device were added); two have been lost.
  • Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing (JSFAW)
    • 7 Squadron (RAF)
      No. 7 Squadron RAF

      No. 7 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the CH-47 Chinook RAF Chinook from RAF Odiham, Hampshire.7 Sqn is earmarked as the operator of the eight RAF Chinook#HC.3s on order, if the problems with the helicopters are ever resolved....
      , uses Chinook HC.2 heavy-lift helicopters (equivalent to the CH-47D Chinook). This squadron took part in Operation Barras
      Operation Barras

      Operation Barras was the name given to a hostage rescue operation by the British people Special Air Service, Special Boat Service, and Parachute Regiment in Sierra Leone on 10 September, 2000....
       in 2000, and is earmarked as the operator of the eight Chinook HC.3s (intended to be equivalent to the US Army's MH-47E Chinook) ordered in 1995, but not yet operational.
    • 651 Squadron (AAC), which uses Defender AL.1 fixed wing aircraft
    • 657 Squadron (AAC), which uses Lynx AH.7
      Westland Lynx

      The Westland Lynx is a British helicopter designed by and built Westland Helicopters at its factory in Yeovil. Originally intended as a utility craft for both civil and naval usage, military interest led to the development of both battlefield and naval variants, which went into operational usage in 1977 and were later adopted by the armed for...
       helicopters


Six Hercules C.3 (C-130H-30), upgraded in C.3A standard (with more countermeasures and navigation systems), were added to the "SF Flight" because of SF needs after 11 September 2001 attacks.

See also


  • United Kingdom Special Forces Selection
    United Kingdom Special Forces Selection

    United Kingdom Special Forces Selection is the selection and training process for members of the United Kingdom's three Special Forces formations: Special Air Service, Special Boat Service, and Special Reconnaissance Regiment....
  • British Army
    British Army

    The British Army is the Army branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707....
    • Structure of the British Army
      Structure of the British Army

      The structure of the British Army is broadly similar to that of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, being divided into two Commands as top-level budget holders: Land Command and the Adjutant-General to the Forces....
    • 16 (Air Assault) Brigade
      British 16 Air Assault Brigade

      16 Air Assault Brigade is a formation of the British Army.It was formed as part of the defence reforms implemented by the Strategic Defence Review on 1 September 1999 by the merging of 24 Airmobile Brigade and elements of British 5th Infantry Brigade....
  • Royal Navy
    Royal Navy

    The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British Armed Forces . From the mid-18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early 1940s....
    • Royal Marines
      Royal Marines

      The Royal Marines are the marine and amphibious warfare infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service....
  • List of special forces units
    List of special forces units

    This list is about military units. For other units, see:* List of special police units* Paratrooper forces around the world* Marine * List of defunct special forces units...


External links