1 Navy Commando Regiment (SEAL/UDT)
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Introduction
The 1 Naval Commando Regiment is Lebanon's elite Naval special warfare unit and is regarded as being one of the best Naval Special Forces units in the Middle East. Established with assistance from the United States Navy SEALs and the British Royal Marines (possibly the SBS) and tasked with conducting variety of missions particularly in a maritime environment from sabotage, raids, beach landings and maritime counter-terrorism. The Marine Commando unit (official designation) was established in 1997 and is under the control of the Lebanese Navy and located at Naval Headquarters at Jounieh, the former all-Christian port to the north of Beirut. The units strength is around 100 men but there are plans in the nect two to three years to increase it three times that figure.
Uniform & Insigna
The units uniform consists of black or US style Woodland Camouflage fatigues and desert combat boots. A maroon Beret with the unit’s insignia. The units trident insignia is usually worn high on the left shoulder which is identical to that of the US Navy SEAL trident.
Weapons & Equipment
The units weapons consist of mainly US weapons such as the M4 Carbine assault rifle with M203 granade launcher and Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine gun, M16 assault rifle and the FN M249 SAW light machine gun.
Selection & Training
The selection and training process for the 1 Navy Commando Regiment is extremely demanding and rigorous and lasts around six to seven months. Candidates are eligable to join from all of Lebanon’s armed forces(Army, Navy/Marine, Air Force) of whom 200 are accepted as candidates. Barely 15 per cent make the grade.
Major Melad-Helali the unit’s commander stated when asked about the selection process:
"If a man wants out, we don't stop him. I don't want him here just for the job, as a statistic. While he is in the unit I demand nothing less than his every thinking moment of the day".
It is members must have served a minimum in the Lebanese Marines and have an exemply record before being eligible to try out for selection. The course is split into phases similar to the that of the US Navy SEALs 'BUDS'. The first two months of the selection course emphasize on candidates physical apptitude and abilities by putting them through calthesthenics and the obstacle course. The next three weeks are then spent in the water where candidates must show confidence. With a week-long break between each segment selection and training is extremely demanding both physically and mentally which is why there is such as high attrition rate. The other phases concentrate on combat diving and naval special warfare tactics both in sea and land tactics and candidates must learn a variety of skills from unarmed combat, abseiling, small boat handling, firearms training using variety of small arms, grenade launchers, and heavy weapons. Close Quarter Battle is also taught for counter-terrorist operations particularly against the many terrorist groups within Lebanon using a constructed beach side tire house, land and wet demolition, helo casting boat recovery where by the swimmer is pulled from the water by a moving boat. Once excepted into the unit, the operators will still have to endure demanding 12 hour long days training.
Operational Deployments
Major Melad-Helali, stated that the 1 Navy Commando Regiment is not directly involved in the war against Hizbollah as it would mean fighting other Lebanese, there are occasions where the unit has been called to perform “specific tasks” but the commander was reluctant to go into further detail.
