Argentina Special Forces and military.

 

Brief overview.

 

(HQ City of Buenos Aires)

1st Patricians' Infantry Regiment.

    The 1st Patricians' Infantry Regiment (Regimiento de Infantería 1 "Patricios") is oldest and one of the most prestigious regiments of the Argentine Army. The title is often shortened to the Patricians' Regiment (Regimiento de Patricios). Since the 1990s the regiment has been designated as air assault infantry.The regiment was formed as the Legión Patricia ("Patricians' Legion) from inhabitants of Buenos Aires in 1806 to fight against the British invasions of the Rio de la Plata. The regiment therefore existed prior to Argentine independence.The regiment also fought in the May Revolution, the Argentina-Brazil War, the Battle of Caseros, the War of the Triple Alliance, the conflict with the People's Revolutionary Army, the Dirty War, and the Falklands War.

General San Martin Horse Grenadier Regiment

    The Regiment of Mounted Grenadiers, in Spanish Regimiento de Granaderos a Caballo (RGC) is one of the oldest and most prestigious regiments in the Argentine Army. The regiment is also sometimes known by the longer title of General San Martin Regiment of Mounted Grenadiers, in Spanish Regimiento de Granaderos a Caballo "General San Martín".Today the regiment acts as a presidential guard and also fulfils ceremonial functions.The regiment was founded by Argentine national hero Jose de San Martin in 1812. The regiment fought in the Battle of San Lorenzo (1813), the  The battle of Vilcapugio (1813), the Battle of Ayohuma  (1813), the Battle of Riobamba (1822) and the Battle of Ayacucho (1824).

 

(HQ Salta, Salta Province)

15th "General Francisco Ortiz de Ocampo" Mechanized Infantry Regiment

20th "Cazadores de Los Andes" Mechanized Infantry Regiment

 8th Mountain Infantry Brigade

(HQ Mendoza, Mendoza Province)

Fifth Army Corps

(HQ Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires Province)

1st Armored Brigade

(HQ Tandil, Buenos Aires Province)

(HQ Neuquén, Neuquén Province

10th "Teniente General Racedo" Mountain Infantry Regiment

21st "Teniente General Rufino Ortega" Mountain Infantry Regiment

26th "Coronel Benjamín Moritán" Mountain Infantry Regiment

6th Mountain Cazadores Company

9th Mechanized Infantry Brigade

(HQ Comodoro Rivadavia, Chubut Province

10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade

(HQ Santa Rosa, La Pampa Province)

11th Mechanized Infantry Brigade

(HQ Río Gallegos, Santa Cruz Province)

601st Anti-Aircraft Artillery Force

(HQ Camet-Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires Province)

Army Aviation Command

(Campo de Mayo, Buenos Aires Province)

 601st Army Aviation Force

(Campo de Mayo, Buenos Aires Province)

Rapid Deployment Force (FDR)

(HQ City of Buenos Aires)

The Rapid Deployment Force (Spanish: Fuerza de Despliegue Rápido, FDR) is a joint special operation division of the Argentine Armed Forces and the Argentine National Gendarmerie especially trained to give a quick and effective military response to any eventual attack against the country.

The service is mainly composite of air assault, airborne, light infantry, reconnaissance and commando troops, and light helicopters; also artillery, engineers, air transport, and communications companies are constantly ready to assist and support the group. The RDF is supported by the 601 Assault Helicopter Battalion (based on Campo de Mayo, Buenos Aires) and the 1st Air Brigade of the Argentine Air Force (based on El Palomar, Buenos Aires)

As of 2006 it consists of:

• Argentine Army
  4th Paratroopers Brigade
• Special Operations Forces Group
•  
• 601st Air Assault Regiment
• The 601 Air Assault Regiment (Spanish: Regimiento de Asalto Aéreo 601) is a special operations unit of the Argentine Army, created in January of 2003. The regiment is divided in three assault companies: A, B and C. Its motto is "Sapientia et Labore". The regiment is based on Campo de Mayo, Buenos Aires. The members of this unit wear red claret (borravino) berets with unit badges
•  
  601st Commando Company

• The 601 Commando Company (Spanish: Compañía de Comandos 601) is a special operations unit of the Argentine Army, created January 5, 1982. It was based on the original "Equipo Especial Halcón 8" created by Lt. Colonel Mohamed Ali Seineldin in 1978.

  The commander of this unit in the Falklands War (Spanish: Guerra de las Malvinas) was Major Mario Castagneto. The Company was divided in three assault sections. One of the sections shot down a Harrier at Port Howard and defeated an SAS patrol near Many Branch Ridge, in West Falkland.

  They also uncovered a British Observation Post on 7 June near Murrell Bridge, northwest of Stanley, which was manned by members of the 3rd Battallion of the Parachute Regimen. After a short exchange of fire, the British abandoned the outpost, leaving behind much of their equipment.^[1]

  The company is based on Campo de Mayo, Buenos Aires Province. The members of the unit wear green berets with unit badges.

• Officers of the 601 Commando Company with Moody Brook barracks in the background, 1982

• 602nd Commando Company

• National Gendarmerie
  • Scorpion Group

  • The Grupo Alacrán (Scorpion Group) is a special operations service of the Argentine National Gendarmerie, often referred as the Equipo Antiterrorista de Gendarmería (Gendarmerie Counter-terrorism Team). The division is headquartered in Evita City and responds to high-risk and counter terrorist situations throughout Argentina, but primarily in the rural areas. They also provide limited dignitary protection for government officials travelling in these areas.

  • The Grupo Albatros (Albatross Group) is a special operations service of the Argentine Naval Prefecture. Located in the province of Buenos Aires, it conducts river and maritime operations in the lakes and rivers and anything close to the coast line. In addition to Counter-Terrorist missions, they handle search and rescue and criminal responses.

  • The Brigada Especial Operativa Halcón (BEOH; Hawk Special Operations Brigade) is a special operations division of the Buenos Aires Police in Argentina.

    Argentina did not possess a viable counter-terrorist capability until 1978, when it hosted the football World Cup. At that time, the military dictatorship ruling Argentina accepted the possibility that such a widely-televised event was a likely forum for a terrorist incident. The result was the formation of a special counter-terrorist team, the Brigada Halcón.

    Today, the unit is made up of seventy-five commandos, subdivided into fifteen-man tactical teams. Each team has two snipers, one medic, one negotiator, an explosive ordnance disposal expert, a communications specialist, an intelligence specialist, and eight tactical assaulters.

    Initial training is divided into three two-month stages. Skills such as combat shooting, heliborne insertion, HALO/HAHO parachuting, explosives, sniping, intelligence gathering, martial arts, and offensive driving are covered in this period. The unit also handles VIP protection and is also responsible for hijacked aircraft throughout the nation. While many current members are veterans of the Argentine Army, the Brigada Halcón is under the operational control of the federal police, under the direct command of the Buenos Aires Police Department.

    Brigada Halcón members use foreign weapons and gear, as well as locally manufactured protective gear and uniforms. Weapons include: GLOCK 17, HK   MP5, M4 Carbine, HK UMP, M16A2 and the Franchi SPAS-12 shotgun. For sniping purposes the Heckler & Koch G3 GS/1 is commonly used.

    This special operations group was involved in the "Ramallo massacre", when operatives from the Brigada Halcón shot dead one alleged bank robber and his two hostages

  • Compañía de Tropas de Operaciones Especiales (Special Operations Troops Company, TOE) is the premier special operations force of the Santa Fe Province Police, Argentina.

    The service was created in May 4, 1990, and depends directly of the Chief of the Province Police. Agents of the unit were heavily trained in different international centres, such as the British NCIS, and the Israeli YAMA ; also its personnel have received specialized formation in many Latin American countries.

 Training Units

4th Mechanized Infantry Regiment (Training)