The Pakistan Navy Special Service Group abbreviated SSGN or simply Navy seals, is the

special operation Special operations (S.O.) are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment". Special operations may include ...

force In physics, a force is an influence that can change the motion of an object. A force can cause an object with mass to change its velocity (e.g. moving from a state of rest), i.e., to accelerate. Force can also be described intuitively as a p ...

tasked with the conducting the small-unit based

military operations A military operation is the coordinated military actions of a state, or a non-state actor, in response to a developing situation. These actions are designed as a military plan to resolve the situation in the state or actor's favor. Operations may ...

in all environmental formats of the sea, air, and land by adopting to the tactics of the

unconventional warfare Unconventional warfare (UW) is broadly defined as "military and quasi-military operations other than conventional warfare" and may use covert forces, subversion, or guerrilla warfare. This is typically done to avoid escalation into conventional ...

. The command and control of the Special Service Group (Navy) falls under the responsibility of the Naval Strategic Forces Command and its personnel are directly recruited into ISI's

Covert Action Division Covert Action Division (CAD) is generally considered the most secretive special operations force of Pakistan. It is responsible for special paramilitary and covert operations. It is tasked to collect intelligence in dense hostile environments and ...

(CAD) upon their retirements from their military service. There is no official report on the actual strength or their military missions since their operational works are subjected to the

secrecy Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret. Secrecy is often controvers ...

by the

federal government A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

; knowledge of their works and tactics known in public through the only authorized media works and nonfiction works by the navy veteran.

History

Birth of the Navy SSG

After the second war with India in 1965, the Pakistan Navy recognized the need for establishing the armed forces diving unit to conduct the

covert Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret. Secrecy is often controvers ...

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

of landing beaches and coastal defenses from the attacks by the approaching enemy. Despite its vision and efforts, the Navy had little experience in

combat diving A frogman is someone who is trained in scuba diving or swimming underwater in a tactical capacity that includes military, and in some European countries, police work. Such personnel are also known by the more formal names of combat diver, comb ...

and had little educational understanding about the nature of the seaborne special operations. In 1966, Vice-Admiral S. M. Ahsan took personal initiatives establishing the special operations force within the Navy by organizing the

underwater demolition teams Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT), or frogmen, were amphibious units created by the United States Navy during World War II with specialized non-tactical missions. They were predecessors of the navy's current United States Navy SEAL, SEAL teams. ...

(UDTs) tasked with gathering intelligence while operating the

midget submarine A midget submarine (also called a mini submarine) is any submarine under 150 tons, typically operated by a crew of one or two but sometimes up to six or nine, with little or no on-board living accommodation. They normally work with mother ships, ...

s. The establishment of the Special Service Group (Navy) lies from the contribution by the Pakistan Army's

Special Service Group , colors = Maroon, sky blue , colors_label = Colours , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment = , ...

whose frogmen team— the Musa Company— first initially trained the Navy personnel on the military combat diving in 1966. Initially training of the personnel volunteered for the Special Service Group (Navy) took place in

Cherat Cherat (Pashto: چېراټ) is a hill station dating from the 1860s that is located immediately above the villages of Chapri, Saleh Khana, Kotli Kalan and Dak Ismail Khel in the Nowshera District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan. Cherat lie ...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...

, first initially getting trained for the coastal defenses. Crucial training on getting trained on the sea, air, and land environmental formats came from the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

when the first unit of the

U.S. Navy SEALs The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting sma ...

was detached to the Pakistan Navy in Karachi, also in 1966. The teams in the Navy Special Service Group were given training on the

armed forces diving Armed (May, 1941–1964) was an American Thoroughbred gelding race horse who was the American Horse of the Year in 1947 and Champion Older Male Horse in both 1946 and 1947. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in ...

, high-altitude parachuting,

demolitions Demolition (also known as razing, cartage, and wrecking) is the science and engineering in safely and efficiently tearing down of buildings and other artificial structures. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking ...

, foreign languages, and the intelligence management for the intelligence services. In 1970, the joint training of the Navy SSG and the

took place in Naval Base Iqbal in Karachi coast, receiving training and getting the expertise in the sea, air, and land environmental formats. Since the 1970s, the Navy SSG teams are occasionally sent to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

for specialized courses and training conducted with the United States Navy SEALs.Pakistan Navy Special Forces
Global Special Forces

Deployments, covert actions and current history

In March 1971, the Navy SSG were deployed in the East-Pakistan to support the Army Special Service Group (SSG) instead of the Army's frogmen team— the Musa Company that remained in Pakistan to conduct the

inland waterways Inland navigation, inland barge transport or inland waterway transport (IWT) is a transport system allowing ships and barges to use inland waterways (such as canals, rivers and lakes). These waterways have inland ports, marinas, quays, and wharfs. ...

operations. Their first

direct action Direct action originated as a political activist term for economic and political acts in which the actors use their power (e.g. economic or physical) to directly reach certain goals of interest, in contrast to those actions that appeal to oth ...

based

military mission A military operation is the coordinated military actions of a state, or a non-state actor, in response to a developing situation. These actions are designed as a military plan to resolve the situation in the state or actor's favor. Operations ma ...

took place in an counterinsurgency operation in Barisal in East-Pakistan, which turned out be a successful in maintaining the control of the city. In April 1971, the Navy SSG teams were involved in taking another direct actions in

Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

when the thirteen East-Pakistani enlists decided to takeover the submarine to try defecting to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

but their plans were foiled due to advance knowledge that the

Naval Intelligence Military intelligence is a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to assist commanders in their decisions. This aim is achieved by providing an assessment of data from a ...

had gathered on their plans. The Navy SSG teams engagement with the Bengali insurgents, taking military counter actions at the ports of

Chittagong Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in B ...

and the

Cox's Bazar Cox's Bazar (; bn, কক্সবাজার, Kôksbajar; ) is a city, fishing port, tourism centre, and district headquarters in Southeastern Bangladesh. It is located south of the city of Chittagong. Cox's Bazar is also known by the na ...

. The Navy SSG teams operated from

Dacca Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city i ...

under the command of the

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Ahmad Zamir Vice-Admiral Ahmad Zamir ( ur, ; 30 April 1930 – 9 September 1985), was a three-star rank admiral in the Pakistan Navy. Prior to his death in 1985, he was serving as the managing director of Karachi Shipyard and Engineering from 1983 unt ...

but the teams returned to

in September 1971 to be trained in operating the

X-Craft The X class was a World War II midget submarine class built for the Royal Navy during 1943–44. It was substantially larger than the original Chariot manned torpedo. Known individually as X-Craft, the vessels were designed to be towed to thei ...

midget submarines. After the third war with India in 1971, the Army–Navy interaction continues with the Navy's taking forefront responsibility of setting the important role in the overall architecture of the special operations forces. In 1980s, the Navy Special Service Group was deployed in providing military assistance to

Sri Lankan military The Sri Lanka Armed Forces is the overall unified military of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka encompassing the Sri Lanka Army, the Sri Lanka Navy, and the Sri Lanka Air Force; they are governed by the Ministry of Defence (Sri Lank ...

during the

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

, playing crucial role to curb the insurgency in the country. Special Services Group–Navy

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

terrorist attacks The following is a list of terrorist incidents that have not been carried out by a state or its forces (see state terrorism and state-sponsored terrorism). Assassinations are listed at List of assassinated people. Definitions of terrori ...

in the

in 2011. The Navy Special Service Group became involved in the

Afghan war War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC) *Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709) *Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see als ...

and the extended

in Western Pakistan in a joint coordination with the Army Special Service Group in a conflict with the foreign fighters,

Talibans The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...

, and the

al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...

. The Navy SSG's SEAL Team was involved in taking a crucial direct action against Taliban fighters in dislodging their attack on the Mehran Naval Air Station in May 2011. In 2014, the Navy SEAL Teams successfully engaged the

fighters after they attempted to maneuver the

guided missile frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

, the PNS ''Zulfiquar (251)'', and successfully neutralize the attack without the damage done to the guided missile frigate as well as apprehending the attackers alive.

Command structure

US Navy 091012-N-0260R-076 Pakistani navy sailors listen as Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician 1st Class Mark Peters

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. The Navy SSG is much more discreet than the Army SSG since their operations and works are subjected to the

marked by the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

though it is known that it is an all-male special operation force. The control and command structure of the Navy Special Service Group is based in the

PNS Iqbal The PNS Iqbal (also known as Naval Base Iqbal ) is the naval base that serves as the training and operating headquarters of the Navy Special Service Group, having been established in 1966 at the Karachi coast in Sindh in Pakistan. Besides servin ...

— the naval base in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

— and their operations are controlled through the Naval Special Operations Training Center (NSOTC). Their armed forces diving training establishment and structure was initially based in the

PNS Himalaya The PNS ''Himalaya (also known as BINS Himalaya)'' is the naval base and the home of the Pakistan Navy's only boot camp, commissioned in 1943. It is on Manora Island, Karachi.Till 1947 it was titled as BINS Himalaya as Pakistan was then part of B ...

but later consolidated their entire structure with the commissioning of the Iqbal Naval Base on 19 March 1967. The organizational structure of the Navy Special Service Group follows their Army Special Service Group counterparts, and its organizational structure is based on the command formation reporting directly the Commander of the Coastal Areas (COMCOAST). The Navy Special Service Group has three sub command formations that specialized in their own set of war course of actions–each command is specialized in their criterion of war and are considered specialists in their fields. The Navy Special Service Group's operational responsibility of conducing the special operations, nonetheless, falls under the command of the Naval Strategic Forces Command (ASFC) operating from the Navy NHQ in Islamabad. 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. In 1968, the Navy Special Service Group was operating at least six Italian-built ''SX-404'' class

to function as a

SEAL delivery vehicle The SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV) is a crewed submersible and a type of swimmer delivery vehicle used to deliver United States Navy SEALs and their equipment for special operations missions. It is also operated by the Royal Navy's Special Boat S ...

and had priority over the ''Hangor'' program at some time in 1970. , the Navy Special Service Group currently operates at least three ''Cosmos''-class

midget submarines A midget submarine (also called a mini submarine) is any submarine under 150 tons, typically operated by a crew of one or two but sometimes up to six or nine, with little or no on-board living accommodation. They normally work with mother ships, ...

that are designed to be inducted for the SEAL Group, and locally known as the "X-Craft." The ''Cosmos''-class are currently known to be stationed in

with the ''SX-404'' class. The military administration at the

also facilitates the advance training of the selected personnel of the Navy special Service Group to be trained with the

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

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

by the department of navy and the

Defense ministry {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

has never commented or the Navy itself has never issued the official number of strength of its personnel, including the officers commanding, citing security. In the Navy, the commands of the teams varies by the officer ranking from

OF-2 Ranks and insignia of NATO are combined military insignia used by the member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The rank scale is used for specifying posts within NATO. Definitions NATO maintains a "standard rank scale" in ...

rank (

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

) to

OF-5 Ranks and insignia of NATO are combined military insignia used by the member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The rank scale is used for specifying posts within NATO. Definitions NATO maintains a "standard rank scale" in ...

rank (

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

), depending on the availability and the difficulty posed by the missions. Sources:

Selection process and training

Qualification and military physicals

According to the Pakistan Navy's

Medical Corps A medical corps is generally a military branch or officer corps responsible for medical care for serving military personnel. Such officers are typically military physicians. List of medical corps The following organizations are examples of medica ...

reports and the media documentaries, the selection is extremely competitive and demands the strong physical conditioning from their prospective candidates prior admitting into the Navy Special Service Group. The Navy Special Service Group's qualification and military physical standards are akin and reflects the selection criteria of the

United States Navy SEALs The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting sma ...

selection and training, according to

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

Kashif—the senior trainer in the Navy SEAL Team's interview given to ''

Takrar ''Takrar'' (تکرار in Urdu) is a Pakistani television show aired on Express News that covers a variety of subjects that includes social issues and current affairs. Imran Riaz Khan hosts this show. He was the first to report the Ramond D ...

'' (lit. Confrontation) host Imran R. Khan. Those prospective candidates who have very high regards of their

self respect Self-esteem is confidence in one's own worth or abilities. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs about oneself (for example, "I am loved", "I am worthy") as well as emotional states, such as triumph, despair, pride, and shame. Smith and Mackie (2007) d ...

and their selfless commitment to serve the country only, anytime their services are needed by the Navy for the area deployment, are the only intakes in the Navy Special Service Group, commented by V-Adm. (retd.) S. Tauquir Naqvi—the retired SEAL Team member and the former commander of the Navy SSG. 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 Those who have failed the mental and physical requirements are then sent to their regular jobs in the Navy. 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. 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. *Sniper School **Must have 20/20 or corrected to 20/20 in both near and distant vision in both eyes. **Medical Category "A". *Frogman School **Medical Category "A". **Must have qualification in Chamber test up to 180 feet

sea water Seawater, or salt water, is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% (35 g/L, 35 ppt, 600 mM). This means that every kilogram (roughly one liter by volume) of seawater has approx ...

. *Swimming Standards **Should be able to swim 200 meters in 7 minutes (breast stroke). **Should be able to swim 25 meters Underwater.

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 spent nearly five years in the Navy that validates their commitment to their profession and the Navy— this is the same requirement for the Army Special Service Group. Training for the Navy Special Service Group is extremely rigorous that included being able to earn the swimming badge after completing the in 10 hours in an open sea, the HALO/HAHO airborne qualification badge, and special weapons qualification badge. The Navy Special Service Group's training courses : **18-week Clearance Diving Course. **10-week Advance Frogman Course . **4-week Re-Compression Chamber Course. Training of the Navy Special Service Group also included the training on the

Judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...

Karateka (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

, Frogman maneuver, and the

drownproofing Drownproofing is a method for surviving in water disaster scenarios without sinking or drowning. It is also famous as a class once required at the Georgia Institute of Technology. History Drownproofing was developed by swimming coach Fred Lanoue ...

(ability to stay afloat while tide up in the water). The Navy maintains its own Parachute Training School in Oramar based on the Army's Parachute Training School in Cherat, where the prospective individual excelled on its HALO/HAHO and

static line A static line is a fixed cord attached to a large, stable object. It is used to open parachutes automatically for paratroopers and novice parachutists. Design and use A static line is a cord attached at one end to the aircraft and at the oth ...

skills after performing the combat jump from – this course usually held for 4-weeks. The training courses on the Navy Special Service Group emphasis on the strong mental and physical conditioning that includes the 36- march, a requirement that was first institutionalized by the Army Special Service Group in 1956. 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

. 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. Navy's sniper training and air assault courses are held at the Naval Special Operations Training Center (Naval SOTC) in

Nathiagali Nathia Gali or Nathiagali ( ur, ) is a hill station and mountain resort town located in the Abbottabad District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is located at the centre of the Galyat range, where several hill stations are situated. Na ...

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the northwestern region of the country, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ...

. The Navy has its own airborne school in Oramara, frogmen school in Karachi, and the special operations school in Nathiagali. The advance training on the special warfare environments jointly takes place with the Army Special Service Group where the SEAL Teams are trained in long distance marksmanship sniper warfare at the Army Sniper School, arctic warfare at the Army School of High Altitude, mountain warfare at the Army School of Mountain Warfare in

, desert warfare in Chor, and often popular in the country for taking participation with the army's snipers in various competition.

Notable members

Influence on foreign units

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.

Appearance and equipment

The Special Forces in Pakistani military adopted their

Battle Dress Uniform The Battle Dress Uniform (BDU) is a camouflaged combat uniform that was used by the United States Armed Forces as their standard combat uniform from the early 1980s to the mid-2000s. Since then, it has been replaced or supplanted in every br ...

in favor of the

U.S. woodland The U.S. Woodland is a camouflage pattern that was used as the default camouflage pattern issued to the United States Armed Forces from 1981, with the issue of the Battle Dress Uniform, until its replacement in the mid to late 2000s. It is a four ...

(or M81) with a

maroon beret The maroon beret in a military configuration has been an international symbol of airborne forces since the Second World War. It was first officially introduced by the British Army in 1942, at the direction of Major-General Frederick "Boy" B ...

s in 1990. The Special Forces in Pakistan follows the combat gear of the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...

as the Army Special Service Group authorized the U.S. woodland (M81) as their battle dress uniform with a

s, a common color for the airborne forces, with a silver metal tab on a light blue

felt Felt is a textile material that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing fibers together. Felt can be made of natural fibers such as wool or animal fur, or from synthetic fibers such as petroleum-based acrylic or acrylonitrile or wood ...

square with a

dagger A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon.State v. Martin, 633 S.W.2d 80 (Mo. 1982): This is the dictionary or popular-use de ...

and lightning bolts, and a wing on the right side of the chest. The Navy Special Service Group closely follows the Army Special Service Group, adopting to wear the

(or M81) with a

s, a common color for the airborne forces. 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 the all of its personnel. 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.

Weaponry

Pistols *

Glock pistol Glock is a brand of polymer- framed, short recoil-operated, locked-breech semi-automatic pistols designed and produced by Austrian manufacturer Glock Ges.m.b.H. The firearm entered Austrian military and police service by 1982 after it was th ...

Beretta 92FS The Beretta 92 (also Beretta 96 and Beretta 98) is a series of semi-automatic pistols designed and manufactured by Beretta of Italy. The Beretta 92 was designed in 1975, and production began in 1976. Many variants in several different calibers co ...

Sub-machine guns *

Heckler & Koch MP5 The Heckler & Koch MP5 (german: Maschinenpistole 5) is a 9x19mm Parabellum submachine gun, developed in the 1960s by a team of engineers from the German small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch. There are over 100 variants and clones of the MP5, ...

FN P90 The FN P90 is a compact 5.7×28mm personal defense weapon designed and manufactured by FN Herstal in Belgium. It can also be considered a submachine gun. Created in response to NATO requests for a replacement for 9×19mm Parabellum firearms, t ...

Assault rifles *

M4A1 Carbine The M4 carbine (officially Carbine, Caliber 5.56 mm, M4) is a 5.56×45mm NATO, gas-operated, magazine-fed carbine developed in the United States during the 1980s. It is a shortened version of the M16A2 assault rifle. The M4 is extensively ...

Steyr AUG The Steyr AUG () is an Austrian bullpup assault rifle chambered for the 5.56×45mm NATO intermediate cartridge, designed in the 1960s by Steyr-Daimler-Puch, and now manufactured by Steyr Arms GmbH & Co KG. It was adopted by the Austrian Arm ...

SIG SG 550 The SG 550 is an assault rifle manufactured by Swiss Arms AG (formerly a division of Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft, now known as SIG Holding AG) in Switzerland. "SG" is an abbreviation for ''Sturmgewehr'' ("assault rifle"). The rifle ...

Sniper rifles * POF PSR-90M *

Barrett M82 The Barrett M82 (standardized by the U.S. military as the M107) is a recoil-operated, semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle developed by the American company Barrett Firearms Manufacturing. Also called the Light Fifty (due to its chambering of ...

* Accuracy International AW * SC-76/86 Thunderbolt * Truvelo CMS .308/.338 Light Machine guns *

FN Minimi The FN Minimi (short for french: Mini Mitrailleuse; "mini machine gun") is a Belgian 5.56mm light machine gun/squad automatic weapon developed by Ernest Vervier for FN Herstal. First introduced in the late 1970s, it is now in service in more th ...

M249 The M249 light machine gun (LMG), also known as the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW), which continues to be the manufacturer's designation, and formally written as Light Machine Gun, 5.56 mm, M249, is the American adaptation of the Belgian F ...

Air Defence & Rocket Launchers * RPG7 * SMAW * Anza MANPADS Helmets * POF Standard Helmet * Light Weight Helmet Bullet Proof Jacket/Armor * POF Standard Body Armor

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* * {{Underwater diving, prodiv Pakistan Navy Armed forces diving Military special forces of Pakistan Naval special forces units Military units and formations established in 1966