Page 360 - Encyclopedia Of Terrorism

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340———Special Air Service Regiment

Dyer, Joel. Harvest of Rage: Why Oklahoma City Is Only AUSTRALIA
the Beginning. Boulder, CO: Westview, 1998.
Extremism on the Right. Rev. ed. New York: Anti-Defama- The Australian SASR was formed in July 1957. Its
tion League of B’nai B’rith, 1988. first mission, in February 1965, was to quell insurgen-
cies in Borneo. The Australian SASR also spent more
than six years in Vietnam, where members earned the
SOW. See SPECIAL OPERATIONS WING. name “ma rung”—phantoms of the jungle—for their
stealthy maneuvers.
After Vietnam, the SASR, which forms a signifi-
cant part of Australia’s armed forces, took on dual
SPECIAL AIR SERVICE REGIMENT roles: “green” for standard Army responsibilities;
“black” for counterterrorist actions. Each unit spends
one rotation in “black,” during which they are perma-
The original Special Air Service Regiment (SASR)
was established in Great Britain during World War II. nently on-call.
A similar elite commando group was developed by the Each of the three SASR squadrons is comprised of
Australian Army in 1957. Both groups are widely three troops: a boat troop with expertise in submarine
considered to be the best-trained counterterrorism operations, an airborne troop with specialized para-
units in the world. They share the motto, “Who dares, chuting capabilities, and ground specialists for jungle
wins,” and both wear a sand-colored beret. As with all warfare and long-range desert reconnaissance. Aus-
elite special operations forces, public information tralian SASR personnel are nicknamed “chicken
about specific counterterrorism activities is kept to a stranglers” for their ability to live off the land in
enemy territories.
minimum.
SASR units often cross train with other elite coun-
terterrorism outfits, including the British SASR, U.S.
GREAT BRITAIN Navy SEALs, and Germany’s Grenzschutzgruppe 9
(GSG-9). They have worked alongside U.S. forces
Great Britain’s SASR is widely considered to be the
during Operation Desert Storm and Operation Endur-
world’s best in ending hijack and hostage situations
ing Freedom, and have two permanent assignments at
with minimum loss of innocent lives. Its prowess was
U.S. Army bases in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and
made known to the world in May 1980, when the
the Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base in Virginia.
SASR rescued 19 hostages held in the Iranian
Since its inception, the unit has maintained a close
embassy in London within minutes. Time magazine
relationship to the British SASR, on which it is mod-
named Great Britain’s SASR the world’s toughest
eled. The two SASR forces have engaged in various
antiterrorist commando unit.
joint operations, including in Northern Ireland and
The British SASR grew out of the Long Range
Bosnia.
Desert Group, which was active in the North African
desert during World War II. Lieutenant David Stirling See also COUNTERTERRORISM; GRENZSCHUTZGRUPPE 9
transformed the group into the military arm of the
British security forces, encompassing high-level land, Further Reading
air, and water operations, including communication,
medical, and survivalist skills. Most other elite com- Australia:
mando units, including the U.S. Navy SEALs, are Special Warfare Network: Counter-terrorism, Australia.
http://www.specwarnet.net/oceana/sasr_ct. htm.
modeled after the British SASR.
Terrorism Research Center Counter-terrorist Organization
Since World War II, the unit has put down insur-
Profile. http://www.terrorism.com/terrorism/TAG.shtm.
gencies in Malaya and Oman, has taken part in the
Great Britain:
Falklands War in the 1980s, and has engaged the Irish
Special Warfare Network: Counter-terrorism, UK.
Republican Army (IRA) in Ulster, killing more than http://www.specwarnet.net/europe/sas.htm.
two dozen IRA members during the 1970s and 1980s. Terrorism Research Center Counter-terrorist Organi-
More recently, the SASR has been deployed to Bosnia zation Profile.http://www.terrorism.com/terrorism/
and Afghanistan. SAS.shtml.