“UK Special Forces Support Group” a triple bash project

by migo11, tippytoe, AMO

The Special Forces Support Group (SFSG) is a special operations unit of the British Armed Forces. It comprises personnel from the British Army's Parachute Regiment, Royal Marines, and RAF Regiment. The SFSG was formed officially on April 3, 2006 to augment other United Kingdom Special Forces units on large-scale missions. It is a part of the United Kingdom Special Forces along with the Special Air Service, Special Boat Service and Special Reconnaissance Regiment. The SFSG was established to support UKSF units in battle overseas and on domestic counter-terrorist operations. For this, it may encompass such roles as providing diversionary attacks, cordons, fire support, force protection, and supporting training tasks. The unit includes Royal Marines commandos, Army paratroopers, RAF Regiment gunners and other members of the armed forces who are ‘para‘-trained. As a result, all those selected for the SFSG have passed either the Royal Marines Commando course, the Airborne Forces Selection course run by The Parachute Regiment or the RAF Pre-Parachute Selection course. Members continue to wear their own cap badge. In addition, they wear a new shoulder emblem that depicts a silver dagger on a green background, with a red-lined black flash of lightning running through it. Although intended as a tri-service formation, it was announced that the initial core would be formed from the 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment. 1 PARA was subsequently cut from the line infantry. It is based at MOD St Athan near Cardiff, south Wales. News reports of its strength have varied between 450-1,200 personnel.

Older info about UKSFSG: US calls in Paras for Baghdad secret war By Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent (Filed: 24/04/2006) British paratroopers secretly operating in support of the SAS in Iraq are using American uniforms, weapons and vehicles as part of their cover, The Daily Telegraph has learned. Although John Reid, the Defence Secretary, only announced this week that the Special Forces Support Group (SFSG) had become operational, a company of more than 100 paratroopers has been working for six months in Baghdad. They have reportedly become so successful that American special forces have called on their help. The SFSG was formed mainly because it was found that small groups of highly trained SAS troopers did not have enough firepower to take on large groups of Iraqi and Afghan terrorists. The unit has already seen a substantial amount of action in Baghdad. Whenever the SAS goes on raids to apprehend terrorists in highly dangerous areas of Baghdad, the Paras are used to provide perimeter security. Arriving in US Humvees, dressed in American army fatigues and armed with C7 Diemaco guns - a Canadian made version of the M16, the men have fought several battles with insurgents while protecting SAS colleagues. "The SAS are doing the smash and grab but all the contacts are happening on the perimeter and there are a serious amount of rounds going down the range," a Parachute Regiment source said. "They are making a really good name for themselves with the Hereford blokes and the Americans. If the **** hits the fan and the SAS need them, the boys are there as a quick reaction force." The troops were also believed to have been used to provide a security cordon as part of Task Force Maroon when the SAS rescued the peace campaigner Norman Kember and two other hostages. The troops deployed to Baghdad at the end of last year after undergoing specialist training at the SAS headquarters in Hereford, including the use of American weapons and equipment. "They wear US uniforms so they can blend in in Baghdad where a British paratrooper would stick out and draw unwanted attention," an intelligence source said. "But they don't have their hair cuts 'high and tight', don't strut around like Americans and are certainly not trying to speak with American accents. They are loving it with all the American kit, and you can't keep them out of the PX shop [US military duty-free shops]." The SFSG is mainly based on the 500 men of the 1 Bn The Parachute Regiment supplemented by a company of about 100 Royal Marines and a similar number of men from the RAF Regiment.The group is based at St Athan, near Cardiff. Source: The Telegraph.