Pakistan's Special Operations Forces: SSG | SSGN | SSW | SOW | SOG

[ghazi52]

 

[ghazi52]

Army Adventure Courses

 

[ghazi52]

Captain Zamir Abbas, a Piffer officer serving in the SS Group's 2ⁿᵈ Commando "Rahber" Battalion, who was sadly killed in action at the Bhambore Hills on 26ᵗʰ August 2006, during Operation Destiny. hailed from Gilgit.
note the 'SKYDIVER' Tab i.e. HALO qualified.

 

[ghazi52]

Naik Ayub "Hunzai" Baig Tamgha-e-Basalat
Karrar Haidri Company (RSF)
10 October 2009 GHQ Rawalpindi

The 28-year-old trooper, hailing from the NLI and the Powindahs, who made the ultimate sacrifice in an extremely arduous hostage-rescue mission.
..

 

[ghazi52]

A picture from Pakistan and Russia military exercise Druzhba-VI ..

Russians got the map of Pakistan RIGHT.

Note: Background shows the complete map of Pakistan .

 

[Khan_patriot]

In fact, I don’t and and I don’t like folks always criticizing gear as it doesn’t meet their magazine cover or video game expectations. I rather have an effective fighting force than a good looking one.

No point in talking to these guys, trust me I've tried. They are buzzed from all the Call of Duty they play and spew whatever non sense they've gathered from their most recent YouTube binges onto this thread.

 

[Metal 0-1]

Here we have a washed up vet bro.

 

[blain2]

We can agree to disagree on certain aspects. Most Western forces now utilize inbuilt linen patches for elbows and knees. They perform in similar fashion to pads.

But let's forget all this. The thing that matters is we agree on upgradation of training standards be it through exercises abroad or own implementations.

What we want is the best for our forces.

You need money for all of this. There's no more CSF available and the US MNNA status is also suspect and the defence budget is stuck at $11B/year. There is only so much you can get in terms of capital acquisitions.

Secondly, uniforms aren't going to get replaced because the trends are changing mid-stream in the life of the approved uniforms. There is an entire process for the uniforms to be approved as it is a costly process. I agree with you that the gear is dated as are uniforms but the question is, are they functional and if that is so then the answer is yes.

The camouflage in use is still fine and relevant across the LoC and specially in the X Corps area of operations. SSG, when deployed with other units are wearing the standard army uniform to blend in and I believe the new uniform is a good camouflage even for SSG. More importantly, SSG should wear the same uniform as the rest of the army. No need for separate uniforms.

 

[ghazi52]

On this day...

Sepoy Rabnawaz of the SS Group's Zarrar Jarri (ATU) makes the ultimate sacrifice in the aftermath of Operation Janbaz, the rescue mission launched after the attack on GHQ Rawalpindi.

Originally from the "Powindahs", He was awarded the Tamgha-e-Basalat. sitting on the right.

 

[R Wing]

You need money for all of this. There's no more CSF available and the US MNNA status is also suspect and the defence budget is stuck at $11B/year. There is only so much you can get in terms of capital acquisitions.

Secondly, uniforms aren't going to get replaced because the trends are changing mid-stream in the life of the approved uniforms. There is an entire process for the uniforms to be approved as it is a costly process. I agree with you that the gear is dated as are uniforms but the question is, are they functional and if that is so then the answer is yes.

The camouflage in use is still fine and relevant across the LoC and specially in the X Corps area of operations. SSG, when deployed with other units are donning on the standard army uniform to blend in and I believe the new uniform is a good camouflage even for SSG. More importantly, SSG should wear the same uniform as the rest of the army. No need for separate uniforms.

One plot sold somewhere can upgrade vests and possibly a few other things across the entirety of the SSG.

 

[iLION12345_1]

You need money for all of this. There's no more CSF available and the US MNNA status is also suspect and the defence budget is stuck at $11B/year. There is only so much you can get in terms of capital acquisitions.

Secondly, uniforms aren't going to get replaced because the trends are changing mid-stream in the life of the approved uniforms. There is an entire process for the uniforms to be approved as it is a costly process. I agree with you that the gear is dated as are uniforms but the question is, are they functional and if that is so then the answer is yes.

The camouflage in use is still fine and relevant across the LoC and specially in the X Corps area of operations. SSG, when deployed with other units are donning on the standard army uniform to blend in and I believe the new uniform is a good camouflage even for SSG. More importantly, SSG should wear the same uniform as the rest of the army. No need for separate uniforms.

Absolutely agree with the last point. And SSG themselves understand this too in certain environments. Why stand out? That’s just giving away an advantage of surprise.

 

[PanzerKiel]

Absolutely agree with the last point. And SSG themselves understand this too in certain environments. Why stand out? That’s just giving away an advantage of surprise.

With regards to open identification of SSG.... Under Gen Mitha, they used to wear normal baloch regiment beret and shoulder titles..... But then... After him... In his own words.... The rot started to set in....

It started with wearing SSG wing.... SSG shoulder titles and beret.... Use of SSG's individuals on VIP protection duties, free fall and SSG's contingent parade on 23 March..... Air Marshals in 70s and 80s...SSG formation sign....
And the remaining.... Social media allows everyone to show off.... Something in our national psyche..... Just like Wagah parade...

 

[R Wing]

With regards to open identification of SSG.... Under Gen Mitha, they used to wear normal baloch regiment beret and shoulder titles..... But then... After him... In his own words.... The rot started to set in....

It started with wearing SSG wing.... SSG shoulder titles and beret.... Use of SSG's individuals on VIP protection duties, free fall and SSG's contingent parade on 23 March..... Air Marshals in 70s and 80s...SSG formation sign....
And the remaining.... Social media allows everyone to show off.... Something in our national psyche..... Just like Wagah parade...

Absolutely. Even special mission units like Zarrar had obvious identification signs and self-aggrandizing T-shirts, etc. (the infamous black THE ANTI-TERRORISTS one, for example).

What do you think about raising competent paramilitary spec ops forces for ALL internal tasks and refocusing all mil units for ops beyond our borders?

Many army units have become specialists in COIN and CT on our soil --- and while penetration and behind enemy lines stuff is still part of many SOS courses, we aren't projecting far enough. In essence, we are creating an amazing, heli-capable internal security force that, at max, goes a little beyond borders in contested territory. Is this enough?

 

[blain2]

With regards to open identification of SSG.... Under Gen Mitha, they used to wear normal baloch regiment beret and shoulder titles..... But then... After him... In his own words.... The rot started to set in....

It started with wearing SSG wing.... SSG shoulder titles and beret.... Use of SSG's individuals on VIP protection duties, free fall and SSG's contingent parade on 23 March..... Air Marshals in 70s and 80s...SSG formation sign....
And the remaining.... Social media allows everyone to show off.... Something in our national psyche..... Just like Wagah parade...

The rot started with Col S G Mehdi. While well intentioned, he was not an SSG qualified officer as such his approach to a non-conventional force was a conventional one. He applied the norms of regular infantry to the SSG. All the dog and pony show started with Col Mehdi's successor with all sorts of accoutrements being added to the uniform and the ones who wanted this were not even SSG qualified! The ones who had been through the thick and thin of SSG training had no desire to stand out.
When one of my close relatives served in the SSG (one of the earliest batches), nobody on the outside could tell who was in the SSG and who wasn't. Had this stayed with just the maroon beret and the SSG wing, that too would have been okay but now with an entirely different uniform, it takes away from what the SSG was and what it was intended for.

 

[blain2]

Absolutely. Even special mission units like Zarrar had obvious identification signs and self-aggrandizing T-shirts, etc. (the infamous black THE ANTI-TERRORISTS one, for example).

What do you think about raising competent paramilitary spec ops forces for ALL internal tasks and refocusing all mil units for ops beyond our borders?

Many army units have become specialists in COIN and CT on our soil --- and while penetration and behind enemy lines stuff is still part of many SOS courses, we aren't projecting far enough. In essence, we are creating an amazing, heli-capable internal security force that, at max, goes a little beyond borders in contested territory. Is this enough?

The SSG has the capability and training to operate behind enemy lines. The issue is the return on such missions. SSG is far better utilized when employed across the LoC/IB to operate against conventional forces. While under-reported, in 1965, the companies that were deployed along the IB/LoC carried out some really interesting operations. Had the rest of the companies been employed in the same manner instead of being sent off on an ill-conceived para mission over Indian Punjab, they would have caused significant problems for Indian advance. Far more than what the regular infantry was able to achieve.

This is why operating very deep behind enemy lines isn't necessarily the best application of the SSG. While it makes for good story telling and plots for movies, much greater tactical value is in employment of these troops along our frontiers. Only if absolutely necessary then perhaps some operations at depth can be conducted.