Tactical Divers Group - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Tactical Divers Group is the premier special operations force of the Argentine Navy

Argentine Navy

The Navy of the Argentine Republic or Armada of the Argentine Republic is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the Army and the Air Force....

. The Buzos Tácticos are based at Base Naval Mar del Plata (BNMP) on the Atlantic

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

coast

Coast

A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...

of Argentina

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

. Its men are highly qualified combat

Combat

Combat, or fighting, is a purposeful violent conflict meant to establish dominance over the opposition, or to terminate the opposition forever, or drive the opposition away from a location where it is not wanted or needed....

divers

Underwater diving

Underwater diving is the practice of going underwater, either with breathing apparatus or by breath-holding .Recreational diving is a popular activity...

, EOD/demolition technicians

EOD

EOD may refer to:* Explosive Ordnance Disposal, the disposal of bombs* End Of Day, a financial markets term* Evolve Or Die, A Political Party, started in Montana, with the beliefs that humanity must move forward or die out...

, and parachutists

Parachuting

Parachuting, also known as skydiving, is the action of exiting an aircraft and returning to earth with the aid of a parachute. It may or may not involve a certain amount of free-fall, a time during which the parachute has not been deployed and the body gradually accelerates to terminal...

.

The APBT was the first special forces

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...

division created in South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

. The unit was established in 1952 on board LST ARA Cabo San Bartolomé with instructors who were former X-MAS

Italian commando frogmen

COMSUBIN is the elite combat frogman force and one of the Italian special forces....

Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

diver

Underwater diving

Underwater diving is the practice of going underwater, either with breathing apparatus or by breath-holding .Recreational diving is a popular activity...

commando

Commando

In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...

s. In those times a reduced Tactical Divers Group was operating in the ARA San Bartolomé; years later the Navy

Argentine Navy

created a second group in the Escuadra Naval del Plata. In 1966 both services merged, creating the actual Tactical Divers Group.

The APBT is trained to operate in diverse environments, such as jungle/riverine, maritime and extreme cold weather. All members are top niche combat

Combat

swimmers and divers

Underwater diving

Underwater diving is the practice of going underwater, either with breathing apparatus or by breath-holding .Recreational diving is a popular activity...

.

The APBT course takes place mostly in the Mar del Plata

Mar del Plata

Mar del Plata is an Argentine city located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, south of Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata is the second largest city of Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" had apparently the sense of "sea of the Río de la Plata region" or "adjoining sea to the Río de la Plata"...

area. Topics include HALO/HAHO parachuting

HALO/HAHO

Military free-fall form of insertion.PurposeDelivering personnel, equipment, or supplies.HALOHigh-Altitude/Low-OpeningHAHOHigh-Altitude/High-OpeningOrigins...

, airborne

Airborne forces

Airborne forces are military units, usually light infantry, set up to be moved by aircraft and 'dropped' into battle. Thus they can be placed behind enemy lines, and have an ability to deploy almost anywhere with little warning...

, unconventional warfare

Unconventional warfare

Unconventional warfare is the opposite of conventional warfare. Where conventional warfare is used to reduce an opponent's military capability, unconventional warfare is an attempt to achieve military victory through acquiescence, capitulation, or clandestine support for one side of an existing...

, underwater demolition

Underwater demolition

Underwater demolition refers to the deliberate destruction or neutralization of man-made or natural underwater obstacles, both for military and civilian purposes.-John G. Foster:...

, 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...

. The course is open to line officers and NCOs

Non-commissioned officer

A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...

, and is very selective, with a high attrition rate. The members of this unit wear brown berets with unit badges.

The unit is attached to the Submarine Forces Command

Argentine Submarine Force

The Argentine Submarine Force is the submarine service branch of the Argentine Navy. Argentine submarines have traditionally been named after the provinces of the Republic and they are home based at Mar del Plata naval base. COFS members have the same rank insignia and titles as the rest of the Navy...

, which comes under the Chief of Naval Operations. This unit is one of the two special operations

Special operations

Special operations are military operations that are considered "special" .Special operations are typically performed independently or in conjunction with conventional military operations. The primary goal is to achieve a political or military objective where a conventional force requirement does...

forces' units of the Argentine Navy

Argentine Navy

, the other being the Agrupación de Comandos Anfibios
Amphibious Commandos Group
The Amphibious Commandos Group is a special operations force of the Argentine Marine Corps, trained to perform quick and objective amphibious reconnaissance, assault raids, and direct action operations. It was created in 1952 by the Vigilance and Security Company of Submarine Bases...

(APCA), under Marine Corps Command.

See also