The Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) is the principal special forces unit of the British Army. While a small and secretive institution, it sometimes attracts a disproportionate amount of media coverage.
The SAS forms the core of the United Kingdom Special Forces, alongside the Special Boat Service (SBS), the Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR), and the Special Forces Support Group (SFSG). The SAS, ranked by many as one of the best special forces units in the world, today serves as a model for similar units fielded by other countries.
The SAS can trace its existence back to 1941, when British Army volunteers conducted raids behind enemy lines in the North African Campaign of WWII. The Regiment's motto is "Who Dares Wins".
Current SAS roles are believed to include:[1]
- Intelligence collection in the deep battlespace.
- Battlespace preparation by sabotage and offensive raiding in the medium and deep battlespace.
- Counter Terrorism operations inside United Kingdom territory in conjunction with police forces.[citation needed]
- Counter Terrorism operations outside UK territory.
- Training special forces of other nations
- Counter Revolutionary Warfare activities in support of UK government Foreign Policy.
- Protection of senior British dignitaries and VIPs.
Command, control and organisation
The Special Air Service is under the Operational Control (OPCON) of Director Special Forces and is considered a strategic asset. However, OPCON may be delegated to Operational and Tactical commanders as required.
The Special Air Service Regiment is a Corps of the British Army under the United Kingdom legal system which authorises the raising of military forces and comprises three battalion-sized units, one Regular and two reserve units in the Territorial Army (TA), each styled as 'regiments' in accordance with British Army practice; 22 SAS Regiment being the Regular unit, with 21 SAS Regiment (Artists Rifles) and 23 SAS Regiment as the TA reserve units, known together as the Special Air Service (Reserve) (SAS(R)). The Artists Rifles appellation comes from the amalgamation in 1947 with an unusual pre-existing TA Regiment originally raised from the artistic community at a time when the Rifle Volunteer movement was at its height. The Artists Rifles (Originally Artists' Rifles until the apostrophe was officially dropped from the full title as it was so often misused) were of such quality they were used as an officer-producing unit in both World Wars, although the 1st Battalion fought as part of the Royal Naval Division in the latter years of World War I.
UK Special Forces are supported by a signal regiment, 18 (UKSF) Signal Regiment, which includes one TA squadron, 63 (SAS) Signal Squadron (Volunteers)[citation needed] and by the Joint Special Forces Air Wing, with 8 Flight Army Air Corps attached to 22 SAS.
Each Regiment comprises a number of "Sabre" Squadrons with some supporting functions being undertaken within 22 SAS; Headquarters, Planning, and Intelligence Section, Operational Research Section, Counter Revolutionary Warfare Wing, and Training Wing. ('Sabre' Squadrons are so called to distinguish the operational squadrons from administrative or HQ squadrons.)
Each 'Sabre' Squadron of 22 SAS is divided into four 16-man Troops, each with different functional responsibilities (Air Troop, Boat Troop, Mobility Troop, and Mountain Troop).
The CRW Wing is nominally made up of the personnel drawn from a single squadron, originally designated "Pagoda", which is relieved every 6 – 9 months. The squadron is split up into two combined troops, "Red" and "Blue", with each troop made up of an assault group and a sniper team. Though the counter-terrorist teams are based at RHQ in Hereford, a specialist eight-man team are based within the outer London region (4, south London border & 4, north London border/Hertfordshire). This team rapidly responds to any situation in London, as required.
'L' Detachment, formerly 'R' Squadron, is a TA unit comprising former Regular soldiers and assigned to 22 SAS for the provision of casualty replacements. Optionally it also had its own role in the event of limited or general war.
The three regiments have different roles:
- 21 SAS - Medium and deep battlespace Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) and offensive operations.[citation needed]
- 22 SAS - Medium and deep battlespace ISTAR and offensive operations, Counter Revolutionary Warfare (CRW), Counter-Terrorism (CT), close protection and defence diplomacy.
- 23 SAS - Medium and deep battlespace ISTAR and offensive operations.[citation needed]
Each TA Squadron includes attached regular personnel as Permanent Staff Instructors- a ruling established by the then Brigadier Peter de la Billière, as Director SAS, specifying that promotion within the Regiment for any officer or senior NCO would be predicated on experience with the SAS(R).[citation needed]. The SAS also provide Permanent Staff Instructors to the Honourable Artillery Company a non SF Territorial Army unit based in London.
The SAS were based at Hereford, Herefordshire in the west of England. Stirling Lines, named after Sir David Stirling(formerly Bradbury Lines), was initially the home base but in 1999 they moved to the former RAF station Credenhill.
1: 'G' Squadron of 22 SAS (So named because it was primarily drawn from personnel of the disbanding Guards Independent Parachute Company) is primarily made up of volunteers from the Household Division.
The Royal Signals also maintains 264 (SAS) Signal Squadron (renamed 18 (UKSF) Signal Regiment in early 2005) and one Territorial Army SAS Squadron; 63 (SAS) Signal Squadron (Volunteers) Thorney Island/Southampton/Portsmouth/Bournemouth/Chichester/London. Soldiers of this unit wear the SAS beret with the Royal Signals cap badge.
[edit] Troops
'Sabre' Squadrons in 22 SAS are organised as four specialised Troops, although personnel are broadly skilled in all areas following 'Selection' and 'Continuation' training. The specialised troop provide a focus for particular skillsets and personnel may move between Troops over the length of a career. 21 and 23 SAS do not so distinguish.
[edit] Air Troop
Air Troop personnel specialise in airborne insertion from fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft. Leaving the aircraft at high altitude personnel are capable of delivering personnel and equipment into the deep battlespace far beyond the forward edge of battle area in support of their ISTAR or offensive operations.
Personnel are trained in three principal forms of parachute infiltration; Standard conventional military automatic or static line parachuting; High Altitude Low Opening (HALO), High Altitude High Opening (HAHO) both of the latter bearing significant risk to the operator. HALO insertions involve a long free fall followed by canopy opening at low level, about 2 000 feet, leaving the operator exposed to detection and fire for the minimum possible period. The aircraft must overfly in the vicinity of the Drop Zone to effect delivery, risking a compromise to the mission should it be detected. HAHO insertions allow the aircraft to deliver the operators from a significantly greater range from the Drop Zone, thus reducing risk of mission compromise. Operators leave the aircraft and immediately deploy a canopy which allows a long glide over great distance. Operators are provided with an oxygen supply to survive the depleted air at high altitude and warm clothing protects from cold. An altimeter is used to manage the canopy deployment and for navigation purposes.
Equipment is carried in a reduced-drag harness (CSPEP -Container, straps, personal equipment, parachutist), initially between the legs, and later lowered on a cord prior to landing. The primary weapon may be carried under the arm, ready for immediate use on landing.
[edit] Boat Troop
Boat Troop personnel specialise in waterborne insertion techniques; diving and small boats.
Personnel are trained in diving using Open and Closed Circuit breathing systems, learning skills in navigation, approaching the shore or vessels underway and the delivery of Limpet mines. Much of this training is undertaken with the Special Boat Service of the Royal Marines.
Once proficient in diving, personnel learn methods of surface infiltration. One of the main forms of transportation is still the Klepper canoe. The first SAS folding boats were designed during WWII for use by Commandos, based on existing designs. The German Klepper has been in service since the 1960s. Other methods include the Gemini inflatable, used primarily for sending small groups of soldiers onto a shore undetected, and the fibreglass hulled Rigid Raider fast patrol boats which are larger carrying more personnel or cargo ashore.
Entry to the water from rotary wing aircraft and by parachute drop; the helicopter hovers some 50 feet above the water, personnel simply jumping out. Airborne entry to the water carries a significant risk to equipment with weapons and other equipment sealed using a dry bag.
Deployment from submarines is taught. Submarine egress bears a high risk given the effect of pressure at depth (nitrogen narcosis and oxygen toxicity), the cold, and the risks inherent in the use of mechanical breathing aids while underwater.
[edit] Mobility Troop
Mobility Troop personnel specialise in vehicle insertion techniques, similar to those of the Long Range Desert Group of the Second World War.
Vehicle insertions allow a more sustainable patrol in the medium to deep battlespace but will create logistical and force protection challenges.
Personnel are required to gain skills in vehicle maintenance across the range of vehicles used by the Regiment, particularly whilst on patrol with limited opportunity for combat support. Vehicles which personnel must master include; the Land Rover 110, nicknamed the Pinky or Pink Panther due to the two tone desert camouflage colours, Land Rover 90, Light Strike Vehicle (LSV) a 2 seat dune buggy, Honda 350cc Quad Bike and the Honda 250cc motorbike. Conventional trucks are also used for logistic purposes.
These vehicles can be variously configured with a range of heavy weapon systems; Browning 0.50 calibre machine gun, Mk 19 40 mm grenade launcher, twin or single L7A2 7.62 mm GPMG , and the MILAN anti-tank guided missile.
Inter-vehicle communication on the move may be by flashing light in the visible or infra-red spectrum, by flags or by arm signals.
[edit] Mountain Troop
Mountain Troops personnel specialise in the conduct of operations at high altitude and in mountainous terrain, requiring advanced skills in climbing, ice climbing, skiing and cold weather survival. Training is conducted in deserts and mountain ranges around the world. Many training expeditions are organised and troopers in mountain troop have a reputation as being some of the best climbers in the world.[citation needed] Kenya is often used as a training ground for its hot climate and difficult terrain.[citation needed]
[edit] Security, Honours and Awards
All military personnel are bound by the Official Secrets Act and undergo Vetting, Special Forces personnel are required to undertake a higher level of clearance.[citation needed]
On entry into the regiment personnel are required to limit dissemination of their employment.[citation needed] Anonymity is provided during service and personnel are not required to provide identifying details to police and authorities whilst co-operating.[citation needed] Effectives are entitled to a 24-hour 'warm down' period following offensive action within the United Kingdom, during which they are debriefed. Members are not obliged to provide information to civilian agencies during this period.
Medals awarded to personnel, such as the Military Cross (MC), are publicised in the normal manner and officially and formally via The London Gazette however the individuals original parent Corps or Regiment, if they have such, is attributed as a matter of fact which sometimes provides security cover. The circumstances surrounding personnel killed in action are not routinely disseminated; should this be unavoidable the individual is also usually attributed to their parent Corps or Regiment where this applies. Not all decorations are gazetted. Those that are not gazetted are held as secure records by the Ministry of Defence. Information on un-gazetted decorations prior to a moving dateline, of about thirty years prior, are routinely transferred to the United Kingdom National Archives for public inspection, or are further held back from non-disclosure if any security considerations or other residual sensitivities are deemed to make this advisable. Currently, three officers have been recommended for the VC: two during World War II and one during the Falklands. Only one has been awarded; to Major Anders Frederick Emil Victor Schau Lassen, MC and 2 Bars, killed in Italy in 1944 when he was commanding a squadron of the Special Boat Service. His grave marker bears the badge of the Regiment because the SBS in which he served continued to wear this as their cap badge, and was considered part of the 'SAS family' even though it was a separate regiment, commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel and formed out of the Special Boat Squadron of 1 SAS.The only other high ranking SAS officer to be awarded a second MC is now retired living in Wilmington, North Carolina USA
Following a number of high-profile book releases about the Regiment, candidates for selection are required to sign a non-disclosure agreement, in addition to their duties under the Official Secrets Act[citation needed]. Former members may not release details of their employment within the organisation without prior consent. Ex-members of the Regiment who wrote exposures prior to the introduction of the agreement have used pseudonyms, such as Andy McNab and Chris Ryan. Books in the genre include both non-fiction and fictional accounts based on the experiences of the author.
The British Government has a standing policy of not discussing the SAS or its operations and makes few official announcements concerning their activities. When reports of military operations are given there is usually no mention of SAS, or other Special Forces, involvement. Since the inception of the British 'D' Notice system for the British Press during World War 2 any mention of the Special Air Service has been one of the cautionary or non-disclosure categories of reporting.
[edit] Selection and training
-
At the formation of the Regiment personnel earned their place through service on operations. In 1952, Major John Woodhouse, introduced what has come to be known as 'Selection' or the 'Selection Course'.
Selection is reputed to be the most demanding military training course in the British Army with a reported pass rate of less than 10%. It is a test of strength, endurance, and resolve over the Brecon Beacons and Elan Valley in Wales, and in the jungle of Brunei, taking around 6 months to complete.
Selection is held twice a year regardless of conditions. A candidate must be male and have been a regular member of the Armed Forces for at least three years or a member of 21 SAS or 23 SAS (which can be joined directly from civilian life) for at least 18 months. All soldiers who apply must have at least 39 months of military service remaining and to be eligible for selection the candidate must not exceed 32 years of age. A candidate who fails any stage of the selection is 'Returned to [his parent] Unit' (RTU'd). Candidates are allowed only two attempts at selection, after which they may never reapply. Many are not even allowed that.
Like other sections of the British armed forces, the SAS accepts members from the Commonwealth and The Republic of Ireland, with notable representation from Fiji, the former Rhodesia, New Zealand and Australia. The Parachute Regiment is frequently the SAS's main recruiting area.
The selection phase can be broken down in to three main sections: 1) Physical endurance 2) Combat 3) Survival and evading capture
The physical endurance phase is the phase in which most candidates will be eliminated due to the difficulty of the test. The SAS use the Brecon Beacons in Wales to carry out the test. Over the course of a month the runs and hikes get progressively longer, the weights carried increase and recovery times shorten. The final stage of this phase of selection is known as "Test Week" and culminates with "Endurance", a forty mile march across the Brecon Beacons, that must be completed in less than twenty hours with a load in excess of fifty-five pounds plus water, food and rifle.
[edit] Initial continuation training (4 weeks)
The combat phase is held in the jungle, normally in Brunei or Malaysia. This is where the successful candidates will learn to use weapons and tactics to outwit and outmaneuver enemy forces. The SAS, unlike most regiments, uses live ammunition on their combat phase. This is because they are trained to fight while considering friendly positions from the start, so that they can carry this straight on to the battlefield: 'You only get one chance'.
If candidates have managed to pass through this combat phase then now they have to go through survival and escape and evasion training. In this phase candidates that are left from the hundreds that apply will undergo a survival phase in the jungle, in which they only have a small 'survival kit'. They must 'survive' for a week while evading a hunter force. This is a particularly hard phase because the hunter force is normally accustomed to the ground and are given rewards, such as increased leave, if they capture a candidate. After this week, the candidates must give themselves up at an agreed meeting point. They will then be taken back to the enemy HQ and interrogated. This interrogation phase will make or break their career as they must undergo physical and mental torture as well as aggressive interrogation. The SAS will accept roughly 2-7% of the soldiers who started selection.
Personnel completing selection are placed on probation for 12 months and undergo specialist and continuation training appropriate to their employing Troop or more general training such as languages or first aid. This training will include mountain, jungle, desert, urban and counter-terrorism specialist courses.
[edit] Insignia
The SAS, like every other British regiment, has its own distinctive insignia.
- The sand-coloured beret of the SAS is officially designated the beige beret, since it is made from material of this colour. When the SAS was reformed in 1947 an attempt was made to match the original sand coloured cloth beret from those still in the possession of veterans. This proved impossible to do from existing approved cloth colour stocks held by the British authorities, so, as a compromise and with no authorisation for expenditure on a new colour dye the nearest acceptable colour was selected and approved by an all ranks committee of the Regimental Association). Personnel attached to the Regiment also wear this beret but with their own badges in accordance with usual British practice.
- Cap badge, a downward pointing winged [2] sword worked in cloth of a Crusader shield. Designed by Robert Charles 'Bob' Tait, then Corporal (subsequently Squadron Sergeant Major in both the wartime British Regiments and latterly an officer in the RAF Regiment), MM and Bar London Scottish, TA (died June 6 1975) with the motto Who Dares, Wins. It was finally approved by the first Commanding Officer, David Stirling, with the proposed wording 'Descend to Defend' or 'Strike and Destroy' disallowed, following the usual British Army practice of a competition to design a cap badge for the new unit held after the completion of Operation Crusader by the 8th Army. The sword depicted is King Arthur's named sword Excalibur(References to it as the Sword of Damocles derive from an article originally published in Mars and Minerva, the Regimental Journal written by a highly respected veteran of both British Regiments and the post-war re-raised Regiment. He was subsequently proved to be incorrect, but the story was picked up by the media and still gets repeated.), worked in the light and dark blue colours of the original No. 11 SAS Battalion. This was converted to a Roman pattern gladius when the design was made up by the tailors in Cairo. This badge is now sometimes incorrectly termed the winged dagger due to subsequent wartime misattribution of its significance and the mistaken reference to it as this in the book of that name by Roy Farran who served in 2 SAS.
- SAS pattern parachute wings, designed by Lieutenant John Steel 'Jock' Lewes Welsh Guards(previously Tower Hamlet Rifles, TA),chief instructor of 'L' Detachment, SAS Brigade, based on the basic British Army design approved in 1940 but modified to reflect the Middle East origins of the new unit by the substitution of the stylised sacred Ibis wings of Isis of Egyptian iconography depicted in the decor of Shepheards Hotel in Cairo.
- Silver regimental collar badges (Otherwise known as collar pins or collar dogs).
- Royal blue stable belt, only worn by qualified personnel.
- Silver belt buckle with engraved regimental badge. Personnel attached to the Regiment also wear this buckle.
[edit] Battle honours
- Second World War:
- North Africa, 1940-43;
- Tobruk, 1941;
- Benghazi Raid, 1942;
- Sicily, 1943;
- Landing in Sicily, 1943;
- Termoli, 1943
- Italy, 1943-45;
- Valli di Comacchio, 1945;
- Greece, 1944-45;
- Adriatic, 1943;
- Middle East, 1943-44;
- Normandy and North-West Europe, 1944-45
- Falkland Islands, 1982
- Western Iraq, 1991
- Afghanistan, 2001
- Western Iraq, 2003-present day
Note that these officially sanctioned honours, first published in 1957, are for actions by the original 'L' Detachment, both numbered World War II British SAS regiments as well as the Special Boat Service regiment and the present regiment. The World War II honours Benghazi Raid, 1942 and Middle East, 1943-1944 are unique to the regiment. The odd dating for North Africa, 1940-43 is due to the fact that this is an omnibus theatre honour for units serving between these dates.
[edit] Order of Precedence
The SAS is classed as an infantry regiment, and as such is shown in the infantry order of precedence. However, because of its role, it is listed 'next below' the other designations (foot guards, line infantry, rifles). The expression 'next below' is utilised in British official publications as a form of 'grace note' to avoid the connotations of first/last since, in spirit at least, no Regiment admits of the claim to being last and all are deemed equal in the scope of their service under the Crown in Parliament.
The current units are shown officially as 21st, 22nd and 23rd battalions of the Regiment but are styled 'Two-One', 'Two-Two' and 'Two-Three' and written, in short form, as 21 SAS, 22 SAS and 23 SAS. The number sequence derives from the 1944 re-formation of the regiments as a component, second-battalion, Regiment of the Army Air Corps which then consisted of three Regiments: The Glider Pilot Regiment (Only ever of three battalions), Parachute Regiment (Of many battalions, sequentially numbered from 1 upwards, with a separate sequence of numbers from 100 for battalions raised outwith the United Kingdom) and SAS. 1 SAS was re-raised as 3 SAS, a decision subsequently rescinded by the War Office, giving 1st and 2nd battalions, Special Air Service Regiment, Army Air Corps. On re-formation it was appreciated that 3 SAS, 4 SAS and 5 SAS had been used to designate the French and Belgian regiments and that combining 1 and 2 as 'Twelve' or 'Twelfth' gave a hard-to-pronounce name and would automatically give the number 13 to the next raised unit so the identity proposed by the Regimental Association and actually adopted was 'Twenty-One', ie, the numbers of the British units, reversed.
[edit] The SAS in popular culture
Since the early 1980s, the SAS has built up an almost mythical reputation. The media's obsession increased enormously following the 1980 hostage rescue at the Iranian Embassy siege in London, shown live on British television. Previous media exposure came from the little reported fact that the perpetrators of the British Great Train Robbery of 1963 left behind regimental insignia, etc which was part of their cover plan to pass themselves off as SAS soldiers on an Army exercise that had got out of hand, if challenged.[citation needed]
Anything written about the Regiment should be treated with a very healthy dose of scepticism until verified because of the sensitive nature of its work. There is alleged to be a common phenomenon, known as walting, of individuals claiming to have served with the Regiment, despite little or no connection with the SAS or the British Armed Forces. All elite units are subject to this phenomenon.
John "Lofty" Wiseman, a veteran of the SAS, has written a book on surviving the outdoors, and it is one of the most comprehensive survival guides written. It is called The SAS Survival Guide. It has been reprinted, and is a useful resource for hikers and campers.
Following the siege, the film Who Dares Wins was released. One of the stars, Lewis Collins, was a member of the Territorial Army who served briefly in 21 SAS before leaving, by mutual agreement, because of his high public profile.
Ultimate Force television drama series shown on ITV1, deals with the activities of the fictional Red Troop of the Special Air Service.
A large number of fictional and non-fictional accounts of the Regiment have been published by former personnel, some of whom, especially in World War II had been print journalists. Critics frequently claim, with much justification, that a high proportion of these accounts are overly dramatised and very loosely based on actual events. Two very well known recent examples are books written under pseudonyms by two former troopers who served together on the Bravo Two Zero mission in Iraq during the first Gulf War; Bravo Two Zero by Andy McNab, The One That Got Away by Chris Ryan. Both of these books have subsequently been criticised as highly embellished dramatisations; see Eye of the Storm: 25 Years in Action with the SAS by Peter Ratcliffe, and in particular The Real Bravo Two Zero by Micheal Asher, which investigates and discredits the claims made by Andy McNab in detail. Personnel now sign a non-disclosure agreement on entry to the Regiment.
SAS: Are You Tough Enough?, hosted by Dermot O'Leary, is a reality show where candidates undergo the rigid training of SAS soldiers in extreme places such as jungle and desert environments.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines Light Reaction Battalion is the lead counter-terrorist unit of the Philippine Army. It was formerly known as the Light Reaction Company.
