Grupo Aeromóvil de Fuerzas Especiales
Encyclopedia
The Grupo Aeromóvil de Fuerzas Especiales (Special Forces Airmobile Group, GAFE) or more commonly known as Fuerzas Especiales/Special Forces is a special forces
unit of the Mexican Army
's Special Forces Corps, trained by the world's special forces. There are a total of nine battalions, one High Command GAFE unit and one other group is assigned to the Paratroopers Rifle Brigade. Within the structure of the unit there are regular, intermediates and veterans. The regulars usually operate more as an elite light infantry
. The intermediates are mainly instructors with medium ranks such as lieutenants and captains; they are also known as the COIFEs, and are considered by many the Mexican equivalent to the US Army Special Forces. The veterans or Grupo Aeromóvil de Fuerzas Especiales del Alto Mando
(High Command GAFEs) carry out the most delicate black ops. The GAFE motto
is "Todo por México" (Everything for Mexico).
soccer games in Mexico City
. France
's GIGN
trained the group in special weapons and counter-terrorism
tactics. On June 1, 1990 the group adopted its current name.
Eight years later the GAFEs saw action fighting EZLN
guerrillas in Chiapas
. There is scant public information about the operations in which they participated during that conflict. Nowadays the army special forces continue fighting the war against drug cartels in Mexico. They have successfully captured many big drug leaders such as Benjamin Arellano Felix
and Osiel Cardenas Guillen of the Gulf Cartel
.
groups from around the world. The Army unified all the knowledge by creating in 1998 the Escuela Militar de Fuerzas Especiales (En. Special Forces Military School). This became the "Centro de Adiestramiento de Fuerzas Especiales" (Special Forces Training Center), located in the foothills of the Iztaccíhuatl
volcano, on 1 May 2002. The basic special forces course lasts 6 months.
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
unit of the Mexican Army
Mexican Army
The Mexican Army is the combined land and air branch and largest of the Mexican Military services; it also is known as the National Defense Army. It is famous for having been the first army to adopt and use an automatic rifle, , in 1899, and the first to issue automatic weapons as standard issue...
's Special Forces Corps, trained by the world's special forces. There are a total of nine battalions, one High Command GAFE unit and one other group is assigned to the Paratroopers Rifle Brigade. Within the structure of the unit there are regular, intermediates and veterans. The regulars usually operate more as an elite light infantry
Light infantry
Traditionally light infantry were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, harassing and delaying the enemy advance. Light infantry was distinct from medium, heavy or line infantry. Heavy infantry were dedicated primarily to fighting in tight...
. The intermediates are mainly instructors with medium ranks such as lieutenants and captains; they are also known as the COIFEs, and are considered by many the Mexican equivalent to the US Army Special Forces. The veterans or Grupo Aeromóvil de Fuerzas Especiales del Alto Mando
Grupo Aeromóvil de Fuerzas Especiales del Alto Mando
The Grupo Aeromóvil de Fuerzas Especiales del Alto Mando is a special operations unit of the Mexican Army. It's a group with no more than 100 members, carefully selected from the Mexican Army Special Forces Corps and specially trained in counter-terrorist tactics...
(High Command GAFEs) carry out the most delicate black ops. The GAFE motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
is "Todo por México" (Everything for Mexico).
History
GAFE was created in 1986 as the "Fuerza de Intervención Rápida" (Rapid Intervention Force) to provide security for the FIFA World Cup1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...
soccer games in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
's GIGN
Groupe d'Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale
The National Gendarmerie Intervention Group, commonly abbreviated GIGN , is a special operations unit of the French Armed Forces. It is part of the National Gendarmerie and is trained to perform counter-terrorist and hostage rescue missions in France or anywhere else in the world.The GIGN was...
trained the group in special weapons and counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt to prevent or in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed.The tactic of terrorism is available to insurgents and governments...
tactics. On June 1, 1990 the group adopted its current name.
Eight years later the GAFEs saw action fighting EZLN
Zapatista Army of National Liberation
The Zapatista Army of National Liberation is a revolutionary leftist group based in Chiapas, the southernmost state of Mexico....
guerrillas in Chiapas
Chiapas conflict
The Chiapas conflict generally refers to the Zapatista uprising and its aftermath, but has to be understood in relation to the history of marginalization of indigenous peoples and subsistence farmers in the state of Chiapas, Mexico....
. There is scant public information about the operations in which they participated during that conflict. Nowadays the army special forces continue fighting the war against drug cartels in Mexico. They have successfully captured many big drug leaders such as Benjamin Arellano Felix
Benjamín Arellano Félix
Benjamín Arellano Félix is a Mexican drug trafficker and former leader of the Mexican criminal organization known as the Tijuana drug Cartel or 'Arellano-Félix Organization'.- Biography :...
and Osiel Cardenas Guillen of the Gulf Cartel
Gulf Cartel
The Gulf Cartel is one of the most powerful drug cartels in Mexico, and perhaps the oldest organized crime group in the country...
.
Los Zetas
The GAFE has been used in both sides of the drug war. In the late 1990s, about 40 GAFE members, led by lieutenant Arturo Guzmán Decena, were recruited by the Gulf Cartel to work as the cartel's hired killers. They formed a group of ruthless and violent enforcers for the cartel, which became known as Los Zetas. When the leader of the Gulf Cartel was arrested, Los Zetas split away from the Gulf Cartel, and have since become one of the most notorious cartels in Mexico, continuing to recruit GAFE members, and using their knowledge of special tactics to terrorize rival cartels and innocent locals alike.Training
Since its creation they have received a wide variety of training from different special forcesSpecial forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
groups from around the world. The Army unified all the knowledge by creating in 1998 the Escuela Militar de Fuerzas Especiales (En. Special Forces Military School). This became the "Centro de Adiestramiento de Fuerzas Especiales" (Special Forces Training Center), located in the foothills of the Iztaccíhuatl
Iztaccíhuatl
Iztaccíhuatl , is the third highest mountain in Mexico, after the Pico de Orizaba, , and Popocatépetl, . Its name is Nahuatl for "White woman"....
volcano, on 1 May 2002. The basic special forces course lasts 6 months.
- Special Forces Instructors' Officers Course (Curso de Oficiales Instructores de las Fuerzas Especiales - COIFE)
- Ranks Officers Training of Special Forces (CACFE)
- Specialized Training for Special Forces Instructors and Officers (Curso Avanzado de Instructores de Fuerzas Especiales - CAIFE)
Training scenarios
- Jungle/Amphibious/Combat Diving: Jungle and Amphibious Operations Training Center, Xtomoc, Quintana RooQuintana RooQuintana Roo officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 10 municipalities and its capital city is Chetumal....
. Training also takes place in different scenarios in the state of GuerreroGuerreroGuerrero officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Guerrero is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 81 municipalities and its capital city is Chilpancingo....
. - Urban/Intervention: San Miguel de los Jagueyes, La Casa de la Muerte in Puebla and Temamantla, Estado de México.
- Mountain: El Salto, DurangoEl Salto, DurangoEl Salto is a town and seat of the municipality of Pueblo Nuevo in the southwestern part of the Mexican state of Durango. It is the largest town on Federal Highway 40 between the city of Durango and Mazatlán, Sinaloa, with a 2005 census population of 21,793 inhabitants...
, and Guerrero. - Desert Operations Training Center: Laguna Salada and Baja CaliforniaBaja CaliforniaBaja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
- Airmobile/Airborne: Air Force base of Santa Lucía, Estado de México and GuerreroGuerreroGuerrero officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Guerrero is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 81 municipalities and its capital city is Chilpancingo....
. - High mountain: Nevado de TolucaNevado de TolucaNevado de Toluca is a large stratovolcano in central Mexico, located about west of Mexico City near the city of Toluca. It is generally cited as the fourth highest of Mexico's peaks, after Pico de Orizaba, Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl, although by some measurements, Sierra Negra is slightly...
, IztaccíhuatlIztaccíhuatlIztaccíhuatl , is the third highest mountain in Mexico, after the Pico de Orizaba, , and Popocatépetl, . Its name is Nahuatl for "White woman"....
and Pico de OrizabaPico de OrizabaThe Pico de Orizaba, or Citlaltépetl , is a stratovolcano, the highest mountain in Mexico and the third highest in North America. It rises above sea level in the eastern end of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, on the border between the states of Veracruz and Puebla...
volcanoes.
Transportation
- UH-60 Black Hawk, Mil Mi-17Mil Mi-17The Mil Mi-17 is a Russian helicopter currently in production at two factories in Kazan and Ulan-Ude...
, CH-53 Yas'ur 2000CH-53 Sea StallionThe CH-53 Sea Stallion is the most common name for the Sikorsky S-65 family of heavy-lift transport helicopters. Originally developed for use by the United States Marine Corps, it is also in service with Germany, Iran, Israel, and Mexico...
, MD 530FMD Helicopters MD 500The MD Helicopters MD 500 series is an American family of light utility civilian and military helicopters. The MD 500 was developed from the Hughes 500, a civilian version of the US Army's OH-6A Cayuse/Loach...
, Bell 212 and Bell 412Bell 412The Bell 412 is a utility helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It is a development of the Bell 212 model, the major difference being the composite four-blade main rotor.-Design and development:...
helicopters. - Fast Attack VehicleDesert Patrol VehicleThe Desert Patrol Vehicle , formerly called the Fast Attack Vehicle , is a high-speed, lightly armored sandrail-like vehicle first used in combat during the Gulf War in 1991. Due to their dash speed and off-road mobility, the DPVs were used extensively during Operation Desert Storm. The first U.S...
/Light Strike VehicleLight Strike VehicleThe Light Strike Vehicle is an improved version of the Desert Patrol Vehicle it replaced. Several Light Strike Vehicles exist, including a version by Chenowth, the UK's Longline LSV and the Spider Light Strike Vehicle by Singapore Technologies Engineering...
, Humvee, customized Dodge RamDodge RamThe Dodge Ram is a full-size pickup truck manufactured by the Chrysler Group LLC. As of late 2010, it has been sold under the Ram Trucks brand. Previously, Ram was part of the Dodge lineup of light trucks...
pickup trucks, all-terrain vehicleAll-terrain vehicleAn all-terrain vehicle , also known as a quad, quad bike, three wheeler, or four wheeler, is defined by the American National Standards Institute as a vehicle that travels on low pressure tires, with a seat that is straddled by the operator, along with handlebars for steering control...
s, plasan sandcat, off-road motorcycles and inflatableInflatable boatAn inflatable boat is a lightweight boat constructed with its sides and bow made of flexible tubes containing pressurised gas. For smaller boats, the floor and hull beneath it is often flexible. On boats longer than , the floor often consists of three to five rigid plywood or aluminium sheets fixed...
/fast boats.
Weaponry
- FX-05 XiuhcoatlFX-05 XiuhcoatlThe FX-05 "Xiuhcoatl" is a Mexican assault rifle, designed and built by the Dirección General de Industria Militar del Ejército...
- M4 CarbineM4 CarbineThe M4 carbine is a family of firearms tracing its lineage back to earlier carbine versions of the M16, all based on the original AR-15 designed by Eugene Stoner and made by ArmaLite. It is a shorter and lighter variant of the M16A2 assault rifle, with 80% parts commonality.It is a gas-operated,...
- Heckler & Koch G3Heckler & Koch G3The G3 is a 7.62mm battle rifle developed in the 1950s by the German armament manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH in collaboration with the Spanish state-owned design and development agency CETME ....
- Heckler & Koch P7M13
- Beretta 92F
- M1911 pistol
- CornerShotCornerShotCornerShot is a weapon accessory invented by Lt. Col. Amos Golan of the Israeli Defense Forces in cooperation with American investors. It was designed in the early 2000s for SWAT teams and special forces in hostile situations usually involving terrorists and hostages...
- Heckler & Koch MP5Heckler & Koch MP5The Heckler & Koch MP5 is a 9mm submachine gun of German design, developed in the 1960s by a team of engineers from the German small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH of Oberndorf am Neckar....
- FN P90FN P90The FN P90 is a selective fire personal defense weapon designed and manufactured by FN Herstal in Belgium. The P90's name is taken from 1990, the year it was introduced...
- FN MAGFN MAGThe FN MAG is a Belgian 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun, designed in the early 1950s at Fabrique Nationale by Ernest Vervier. It has been used by more than 80 countries, and it has been made under licence in countries such as Argentina, Egypt, India, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the...
- Heckler & Koch HK21E
- M249 light machine gunM249 light machine gunThe M249 light machine gun , previously designated the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon , and formally written as Light Machine Gun, 5.56 mm, M249, is an American version of the Belgian FN Minimi, a light machine gun manufactured by the Belgian company FN Herstal . The M249 is manufactured in the...
- Barret M82 (.50 BMG.50 BMGThe .50 Browning Machine Gun or 12.7×99mm NATO is a cartridge developed for the Browning .50 caliber machine gun in the late 1910s. Entering service officially in 1921, the round is based on a greatly scaled-up .30-06 cartridge...
) - Heckler & Koch PSG1Heckler & Koch PSG1The PSG1 is a semi-automatic rifle designed by the German company Heckler & Koch of Oberndorf am Neckar.-Development:...
- M24 Sniper Weapon System
- Remington 700Remington 700The Model 700 series of firearms are bolt-action rifles manufactured by Remington Arms since 1962. All are based on the same centerfire bolt action. They often come with a 3, 4 or 5-round internal magazine depending on caliber, some of which have a floor-plate for quick-unloading, and some of which...
- Sniper Rifle Morelos
- Remington 1100Remington 1100The Remington 1100 is a gas-operated semi-automatic shotgun, popular among sportsmen. The Remington 1100 was the first semiautomatic shotgun to feature significant reduction in felt recoil, light weight and reliability.- History :...
- Mossberg 500Mossberg 500Mossberg 500 is a series of shotguns manufactured by O.F. Mossberg & Sons. The 500 series comprises widely varying models of hammerless, pump action repeaters, all of which share the same basic receiver and action, but differ in bore size, barrel length, choke options, magazine capacity, and...
- B-300B-300The B-300 is a reuseable man-portable anti-tank weapon system developed by Israeli Military Industries in the late 1970s for use by the Israel Defence Force. The B-300 can be carried and operated by a single operator and is effective to approximately 400 meters...
- RL-83 BlindicideRL-83 BlindicideThe RL-83 Blindicide is an antitank rocket launcher produced by Mecar SA of Belgium and was an improved derivative of the M20A1 Bazooka. Its name roughly means "tank killer", derived from the French "véhicule blindé" and the suffix -cide....
- RPG-7RPG-7The RPG-7 is a widely-produced, portable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Originally the RPG-7 and its predecessor, the RPG-2, were designed by the Soviet Union, and now manufactured by the Bazalt company...
- Milkor MGL Mk 1Milkor MGLThe MGL is a lightweight 40 mm semi-automatic, 6-shot grenade launcher developed and manufactured in South Africa by Milkor Ltd. The MGL was demonstrated as a concept to the South African Defence Force in 1981. The operating principle was immediately accepted and subjected to a stringent...
- M203 grenade launcherM203 grenade launcherThe M203 is a single shot 40 mm grenade launcher designed to attach to a rifle. It uses the same rounds as the older M79 break-action grenade launcher, which utilize the High-Low Propulsion System to keep recoil forces low. Though versatile, and compatible with many rifle models, the M203 was...
- RPG-29RPG-29The RPG-29 is a Russian rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Adopted by the Soviet Army in 1989, it was the most recent weapon of its type to be adopted by the Russian military before the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The RPG-29 has since been supplemented by other rocket-propelled systems, such...
See also
- Grupo Aeromóvil de Fuerzas Especiales del Alto MandoGrupo Aeromóvil de Fuerzas Especiales del Alto MandoThe Grupo Aeromóvil de Fuerzas Especiales del Alto Mando is a special operations unit of the Mexican Army. It's a group with no more than 100 members, carefully selected from the Mexican Army Special Forces Corps and specially trained in counter-terrorist tactics...
- Fuerzas EspecialesFuerzas EspecialesThe Fuerzas Especiales , also known as FES , is a special operations unit of the Mexican Navy officially established in late 2001...
- Brigada de Fusileros ParacaidistasBrigada de Fusileros ParacaidistasThe Brigada de Fusileros Paracaidistas is a paratrooper unit created in 1969 within the Mexican Army but utilizing aircraft from the Air Force. Their headquarters were established in Mexico City and their training takes place in the Centro de Adiestramiento de Paracaidismo...
- Mexican Special ForcesMexican Special ForcesIn Mexico both the Army and Navy have special forces groups or elite units.-Army Special Forces:The Army has a Special Forces Corps unified command consisting of 3 Special Forces Brigades, a High Command GAFE group, a GAFE group assigned to the Airborne Brigade and several Amphibious Special...
- Grupo de Operaciones Especiales (Mexico)Grupo de Operaciones Especiales (Mexico)The Grupo de Operaciones Especiales are the operative tactical group of the Federal Police of Mexico. Their mission is to carry out a variety of operations such as: hostage rescue, apprehension of highly dangerous criminals, counter-narcotics, counter-terrorism and fight organized crime...
- Los ZetasLos ZetasLos Zetas is the second most powerful drug cartel in Mexico and considered by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration as the most violent drug cartel and paramilitary enforcement group in Mexico...