Royal Thai Navy SEALs
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| Royal Thai Navy SEALs | |
|---|---|
 Royal Thai Navy SEAL insignia |
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| Active | 1956 |
| Country | Thailand |
| Branch | Royal Thai Navy |
| Role | Intelligence-gathering, Reconnaissance missions, Direct Action, Unconventional Warfare and Counter-Terrorism |
The Royal Thai Navy has a 144-man Sea, Air and Land (SEAL) unit, which has trained with United States Navy SEALs. A small element within the Royal Thai Navy's SEAL Teams has been trained to conduct Maritime Counter-Terrorism missions. This unit has close ties with the U.S. Navy's own SEAL teams.
[edit] History
During WWII, Navy troops fighting for both the Axis and Allies used special warfare forces. They were small elite groups of soldiers trained to destroy ships, buildings, and other strategic locations as well as conduct sabotage and other clandestine missions. After the war finished, the special warfare mission continued and through improved training and equipment, increased the ability of the military to fight using new tactics to achieve missions previously unthinkable.
In 1952, the Thai Ministry of Defence started thinking about organizing an Underwater Demolition Teams. Representatives of the Thai Ministry of Defense met with officers from the United States Military Assistance Advisory Group to discuss the possibility of training. Based on the meetings, a resolution was passed directing the Royal Thai Navy to set up training for the unit but unfortunately at the time there were not enough instructors from the United States to make the project happen and so it was temporarily put on hold.
In 1953, Sea Supply, a CIA front company, was tasked with supporting the initial training of the Royal Thai Navy's Underwater Demolition Team and also the Royal Thai Police Aerial Reinforcement Unit. The first group to take part in the UDT/SEAL training included seven Thai Naval Officers and eight members of the Royal Thai Police. This training started on March 4, 1953 on 'Z island (ZULU)'. After 61 days, only 15 of the recruits successfully passed the training.
In 1956 the Royal Thai Navy formed a small combat diver unit, based on the U.S. Navy's Underwater Demolition Teams. In 1965 the unit was reorganized. It was expanded and divided into two separate units, with a U.S. Navy Mobile Training Team providing assistance. The first group was organized into a Sea, Air and Land, or SEAL team. The second group formed a UDT. The SEAL team was assigned intelligence-gathering, and reconnaissance missions.[1]
