List of military diving units

This is a list of notable naval frogman and may contain combat units, salvage units, training units and diving research units which are present or past commands of any branch of the armed forces of any country.

Algeria

Argentina

Austria

  • The Jagdkommando (German for Hunter force) is the Austrian Armed Forces' Special Operations group.

Australia

Bangladesh

Belgium

  • Special Forces Group has a specialized diving company for education and training of combat swimmers.

Brazil

  • Brazilian Navy Frogmen, Combat Divers - (GRUMEC) the Brazilian SEALS.
  • Brazilian Army Combat Divers, 2 branches: Commandos (D/A unit) & Army Special Forces
  • Brazilian Army Divers - Engineering and Salvage Divers
  • Brazilian Marines - Amphibian Commandos (COMANF)
  • Navy Divers - Salvage Divers / Saturation Divers / Non Combatant

Brunei

  • Naval Surface Action Group[1]

Canada

China (Republic of China/“Taiwan”)

Croatia

Denmark

Eritrea

Finland

Finnish diver insignia
  • The Finnish Navy has trained Finnish combat divers since 1954. Conscripts and career military are eligible to apply for the training. Annually, about 20 conscripts are trained for diving duties. Applying for combat diver training is voluntary, and the selection criteria are stringent.[2] The conscript divers are trained either for anti-mine or for commando operations, while career personnel may also be trained for deep-sea diving duty.[3] All conscript divers receive at least NCO training during their 12-month service period.

France

French Navy

Commando Hubert, the combat diver unit belonging to Commandos Marine, within FORFUSCO, Force maritime des fusiliers marins et commandos, a section of the French Navy. Minewseeper divers perform sea and land EOD tasks and engineering diving.

French Army

Each Engineer regiment do have a platoon, called DINOPS of military diver, tasked with engineer missions, reconnaissance and specialized actions in underwater inland environnement, including sewage systems. Special Forces regiments (1st Marine Infantry Paratroopers Regiment and 13th Paratrooper Dragoons Regiment)and Strategic Reconnaissance Regiment (2nd Hussar Regiment) do have underwater operators platoons.

Directorate-General for External Security

The French foreign intelligence agency has a clandestine combat swimmer unit, called CPEOM ("Paratrooper Training Centre for Maritime Operations").

Germany

Greece

  • Underwater Demolition Command
    • 1953: first Amphibious Reconnaissance Squad is founded.
    • 1957–1968: Underwater Demolition Training School operates in Kannelopoulos training center.
    • 1968: Underwater Demolition Team Division established in Skaramanga.
    • 1969: UDT Division renamed to Underwater Demolition Unit.
    • 2002: Underwater Demolition Unit renamed to Underwater Demolition Command.[4]

India

Green berets and PARA SF training together.

Indonesia

Iran

Nedsa[5]

Ireland

Israel

Israeli frogmen transfer equipment using lifting-bags

Italy

Japan

Korea (Republic of Korea/“South Korea”)

Lebanon

  • Lebanese Navy SEALs Regiment is an elite marine commando frogmen unit of the Lebanese Navy. The unit are responsible for underwater demolition, conducting joint operations with the navy, land and air forces and maritime counter terrorism. The unit was established with assistance from the United States Navy SEALs and British Royal Marines.

Malaysia

  • PASKAL – Naval special force of Malaysian Armed Forces.
  • Naval Diving and Mine Warfare Headquarters – New Command for the elite Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) divers. The same task once belongs to KD Duyong which now functioning as full-time diving school.[6]
  • Grup Gerak Khas – Malaysian Army special force, there is Combat Swimmer Course as an advance training option for the members of GGK.
  • PASKAU - Special force of Malaysian Air Force.
  • Special Task And Rescue - Special force of Malaysian Coast Guard.

Mexico

Namibia

Netherlands

  • Korps Commandotroepen (KCT), (Riverine Operations Teams (OWG)), special forces of the Royal Netherlands Army.[7]
  • Netherlands Maritime Special Operations Forces (NLMARSOF) (Special Forces Underwater Operators), special forces of the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps.
  • Constructieduikerspeloton is the Army Engineers unit specialized in supporting Rivier Crossing Operations and executing heavy underwater construction operations. They are incorporated in 105 bridging company.
  • Engineer combat divers of 11 airmobile engineer company. Operations include reconnaissance, demolition, and other.
  • Beach Recce Teams of Surface Assault and Training Group of the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps.
  • Defensie Duikgroep (Defense Diving Group) of the Royal Netherlands Navy. Organized into the Very-Shallow-Water-Diveteam (Supports amphibious operations of the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps by clearing beaches), the Deep Diving Team (Specializes in deep diving, clearing mines, rescues of crews of submerged submarines), and the Salvage & Construction team (Specializes in subsurface repair of ships, underwater construction, and harbor inspection).[8]
  • Explosieven Opruimingsdienst Defensie (EODD) (Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service Defense). All members of the Maritime Company must be Clearance Diver trained before being allowed to serve in the EODD.[9]

New Zealand

  • Navy Clearance Diving Group (CDG) formally known as the Operational Diving Team (ODT) is a clearance diving unit. Its focus is on Mine Countermeasures, amphibious Operations & Maritime explosive ordnance disposal. The CDG is ranked as one of the world's top clearance diving units. Military Dive Training support is supplied to Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa.[10]
  • The New Zealand Special Air Service also has divers in its amphibious troops (the NZSAS has two Sabre Squadrons), with particular emphasis on insertion.[citation needed]

Norway

Pakistan

Philippines

Poland

Three Polish military units train and deploy frogmen in military operations. Most known are:

Polish frogmen SF uses e.g. R.C.H OXY-NG2, Aqua Lung Amphora closed-circuit apparatus.

Portugal

Romania

  • Battle divers - Naval Group of Special Operations Forces (GNFOS)
  • http://www.centruldescafandri.ro/

Russia

Serbia

Singapore

Sri Lanka

South Africa

Spain

Spain has been training combat divers and swimmers since 1967. Two units in the Spanish Navy currently operate under a Naval Special Warfare mandate:

  • UOE (Special Operations Unit) – All aspects of maritime special operations at sea, on land, and by air.
  • UEBC (Special Combat Diver Unit) – Mainly hydrographic surveys, underwater demolitions and special reconnaissance.

Nowadays both units were unified into the Naval Special Warfare Unit (FGNE) , which covers all maritime special operations such as underwater demolitions, underwater infiltration techniques, maritime interdiction operations, direct action, military assistance, special reconnaissance, hydrographic surveys, parachuting into water (helocast, craftcast...), etc.

Sweden

  • Swedish Amphibious Corps:
    • The Reconnaissance Platoon, also referred to colloquially as the Attack Divers (A-dyk). They conduct long-range reconnaissance missions behind enemy lines, sabotage, clearing beach obstacles, hydrographic surveys, and although combat is not their priority, they have a limited ability to conduct direct action missions such as ambushes. Between 6 and 10 are trained each year. The Reconnaissance Platoon is a commando unit, belonging to the amphibious battalion of the Swedish Amphibious Corps. They offer one of the hardest and most demanding training regimens in the Swedish armed forces.
    • Navy EOD-divers (Röjdyk)
    • Army divers (FArb-dykare) Underwater welding, obstacle clearance, underwater demolition and repairs. Belongs to the engineer troops.
    • Amphibious divers (Amfibiedyk) of the amphibious battalion. Underwater obstacle clearance, repairs and EOD on land.

Thailand

Tunisia

  • Special Forces Group (Tunisia) (GFS)
    • 51st Marine Commando Regiment (51st RCM)

Turkey

Ukraine

  • Ukrainian SOF
    • 73rd Maritime Special Operations Centre
  • Ukrainian Navy
    • 801st Center for Combat against Underwater Incursion Forces and Devices and Mine Disposal

United Kingdom

  • Special Boat Service is the Navy Service special forces unit
  • Royal Navy Northern and Southern Fleet Diving Groups and Fleet Diving Units 1, 2 and 3 are the clearance diving units specialising in various types of equipment and operations.
  • Special Air Service Boat Troop is the Army special forces unit that undertakes water operations (emphasis of insertion onto land)
  • Royal Engineers: the corps has had army divers for over 170 years.[citation needed] Training was held at Marchwood in Hampshire until moving to HMS Gunwharf in Portsmouth in the early 1980s. Now a combination of Royal Engineers and Royal Navy all train at a special diving school at Horsea Island in Hampshire. The roles of the Royal Engineer Divers are probably the most diverse of all including construction, demolition, reconnaissance, search, recovery and sewer searches. Unlike naval divers who dive both mixed gas sets and air sets, RE divers only specialise in Air diving.[citation needed]
  • Royal logistic Corps Divers as part of 17 Port and Maritime Regiment

United States

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.navy.mindef.gov.bn/Site%20Pages/Assets.aspx [bare URL]
  2. ^ Finnish Navy: Sukeltajakurssi – valintakoelajit Retrieved 14 February 2007. In Finnish
  3. ^ Finnish Navy: Sukeltajakurssi – tehtävä Retrieved 14 February 2007
  4. ^ "Hellenic Navy - Underwater Demolition Command". Archived from the original on 2011-06-14. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
  5. ^ "گزارش تسنیم| گسترش قدرت سپاه به زیرِ دریا/ ویژگی‌های احتمالی زیرسطحی‌های ندسا چیست؟- اخبار نظامی | دفاعی | امنیتی - اخبار سیاسی تسنیم | Tasnim". خبرگزاری تسنیم | Tasnim (in Persian). Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  6. ^ "Panji-panji KD Duyong". Official Portal for Royal Malaysian Navy (in Malay).
  7. ^ KCT frogman units
  8. ^ "Defensie Duikgroep - Koninklijke Marine - Defensie.nl". 16 September 2019.
  9. ^ "Eenheden Explosieven Opruimingsdienst Defensie - Koninklijke Landmacht - Defensie.nl". 16 September 2019.
  10. ^ RNZN – Navy Dive School
  11. ^ "Ryazan Higher Airborne Command school". YouTube. 2 August 2015.
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