Special Security Team
Encyclopedia
The is the official counter-terrorist unit of the Japanese Coast Guard. Formerly known as the Kansai International Airport Marine Guard, it was renamed after a period of reorganization. It is tasked with the rapid response to domestic terrorist and hijacking incidents against any ships in Japanese waters.
The SST is currently based at the Osaka
Special Security Station of the 5th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters at Kobe
.
Marine Guard in 1985. The former Marine
Guard was formerly trained by US Navy SEALs
and the Japanese 1st Airborne Brigade
.
In 1989, KAMG operatives were involved in storming a Panama-registered vessel after receiving requests via radio for assistance in the East China Sea near Okinawan waters after British officers were attacked by Filipino crewmembers during a riot. All of the arrested crew members were then taken into custody. In 1992, the KAMG was deployed to guard ships carrying nuclear waste from France all the way to Japan, protecting them from any sort of staged attacks from any radical anti-nuclear activist groups.
After a period of reorganization, the KAMG changed its name to the Special Security Team in 1996.
The SST has seen action in engaging suspected North Korean infiltration ships intruding Japanese waters in Japanese and foreign news from 1999-2002.
An SST has participated in several Proliferation Security Initiative
exercises recently in Australia
.
The SST was also responsible for apprehending Sea Shepherd protesters in 2008 after they were confronted by crewmembers of the Nisshin Maru
.
The SST is currently based at the Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
Special Security Station of the 5th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters at Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
.
History
The origins of the SST is tracked back to the former Kansai International AirportKansai International Airport
is an international airport located on an artificial island in the middle of Osaka Bay, southwest of Ōsaka Station, located within three municipalities, including Izumisano , Sennan , and Tajiri , in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. The airport is off the Honshu shore. The airport serves as an...
Marine Guard in 1985. The former Marine
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
Guard was formerly trained by US Navy SEALs
United States Navy SEALs
The United States Navy's Sea, Air and Land Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's principal special operations force and a part of the Naval Special Warfare Command as well as the maritime component of the United States Special Operations Command.The acronym is derived from their...
and the Japanese 1st Airborne Brigade
1st Airborne Brigade (Japan)
The , also known as the Narashino Airborne Brigade , is stationed in the Narashino Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces Base in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture. It is part of the Eastern Army in the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force...
.
In 1989, KAMG operatives were involved in storming a Panama-registered vessel after receiving requests via radio for assistance in the East China Sea near Okinawan waters after British officers were attacked by Filipino crewmembers during a riot. All of the arrested crew members were then taken into custody. In 1992, the KAMG was deployed to guard ships carrying nuclear waste from France all the way to Japan, protecting them from any sort of staged attacks from any radical anti-nuclear activist groups.
After a period of reorganization, the KAMG changed its name to the Special Security Team in 1996.
The SST has seen action in engaging suspected North Korean infiltration ships intruding Japanese waters in Japanese and foreign news from 1999-2002.
An SST has participated in several Proliferation Security Initiative
Proliferation Security Initiative
The Proliferation Security Initiative is a global effort that aims to stop trafficking of weapons of mass destruction , their delivery systems, and related materials to and from states and non-state actors of proliferation concern. Launched by United States President George W...
exercises recently in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
The SST was also responsible for apprehending Sea Shepherd protesters in 2008 after they were confronted by crewmembers of the Nisshin Maru
Nisshin Maru
The 23-year-old, 8,030-ton vessel is the primary research vessel of the Japanese whaling fleet. It is a converted stern trawler and is the world's only whale factory ship. It is also the largest member, and flagship of the seven-member whaling fleet, headed by research leader Shigetoshi Nishiwaki,...
.
Organisation
The following ranks are observed from within the SST:- Chief of Osaka Special Security Station (Rank - Coast Guard Captain)
- Company leader (Rank - Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander）
- 1st Special Security Team (8 Persons. Rank of Leader - Coast Guard Lieutenant)
- 2nd - 7th Special Security Team (Organization similar to the 1st Special Security Team.)
Support Items
- Pro-Tec helmet
- PASGT helmetPersonnel Armor System for Ground TroopsPersonnel Armor System for Ground Troops, sometimes abbreviated to PASGT, was a combat helmet and ballistic vest used by the American military from the mid 1980s until 2005, when the system was succeeded by the Lightweight Helmet, Modular Integrated Communications Helmet, and Interceptor body...
- Assault Goggles
- Flashbang
- Night Vision Goggles
- DrägerDrägerThe Drägerwerk AG is a German company based in Lübeck which makes breathing and protection equipment, gas detection and analysis systems, and noninvasive patient monitoring technologies. Customers include hospitals, fire departments and diving companies....
diving equipment
See also
- Special Rescue TeamSpecial Rescue TeamThe is the elite search and rescue unit of the Japan Coast Guard. The team was established to respond to special maritime accidents and disasters.-History:...
- Maritime Safety and Security TeamMaritime Safety and Security TeamA Maritime Safety and Security Team or MSST is a United States Coast Guard anti-terrorism team established to protect local maritime assets...
- counterpart of the United States Coast GuardUnited States Coast GuardThe United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
.