| Cambodian Navy SEALs | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1973 - 1975 |
| Branch | Khmer Naval Forces |
| Type | Special Forces |
| Main Base | Chrui Chhang War Naval Base |
| Nickname | CNS |
The Cambodian Navy SEALs were the main elite Maritime Special Operations Force of the National Khmer Navy (French: Marine National Khmère – MNK) during the 1970-75 Cambodian Civil War.
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In mid-1973 the National Khmer Navy raised its own special warfare unit, the Cambodian SEALs. An initial group of recruits was drawn from an existing Combat Swimmer Unit[1] and sent to the Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, at San Diego, California in the United States and to Subic Bay Naval Base in the Philippines for basic training.
Parachute courses were conducted at the Pochentong Airborne Training Centre, while the Olympic pool at the Cércle Sportif complex in Phnom Penh was used for diving courses.
Headquartered at the Chrui Chhang War Naval Base opposite Phnom Penh and modelled after the United States Navy SEALs and their South Vietnamese Navy LDNN counterparts, the unit fielded by mid-1974 a total of 90 ‘Commandos divided into three teams – SEAL Teams 1, 2, and 3 – led by a navy commander.
The Cambodian SEALs provided valuable intelligence for the MNK while acting as reconnaissance teams along the banks of the Mekong and as shock troops on amphibious assault operations[2].
They defended the Chrui Chhang War Naval Base until the final days of the war.
The weaponry and equipment employed by the Cambodian Navy SEALs was basically FANK standard issue, being mostly of US origin supplemented by captured Soviet or Chinese weapons drawn from enemy stocks seized in the course of their operations.