Cuerpo de Fuerzas Especiales

Cuerpo de Fuerzas Especiales de México
Special Forces Corp 5th Battalion Shoulder Patch
Active	1986 – Present
Country	Mexico
Branch	Army
Type	Special Forces
Size	Division (1 Special Forces Brigade, 1 Amphibious SF Brigade)
Motto	Cuerpo de Fuerzas Especiales de México, ni la muerte nos detiene, y si la muerte nos sorprende, bienvenida sea (English: Special Forces Airmobile Group, even death cannot stop us, and if death takes us by surprise, it's more than welcome.)
Engagements	Mexican Drug War
Commanders
Current commander	Classified
Notable commanders	Classified

The Mexican Cuerpo de Fuerzas Especiales/Special Forces Corps, commonly known as the Fuerzas Especiales/Special Forces or GAFEs ( by their former name Grupo Aeromóvil de Fuerzas Especiales/Special-Forces Airmobile Group), is one of the elite special forces units of the Mexican Army, trained by several special forces around the world. There are a total of nine battalions, one High Command GAFE unit and one other group is assigned to the Paratroopers Rifle Brigade. Within the structure of the unit there are regular, intermediate and veteran troops. The regulars usually operate more as an elite light infantry. The intermediates are mainly instructors with medium ranks such as lieutenants and captains, but they are also known as the COIFEs, and are considered by many the Mexican equivalent to the US Army Special Forces. The veterans or Grupo Aeromóvil de Fuerzas Especiales del Alto Mando (High Command GAFEs) carry out the most delicate Black-Ops. The GAFE motto is "Todo por México" (Everything for Mexico).

History

Official Cuerpo de Fuerzas Especiales green beret.

GAFE was created in 1986 as the "Fuerza de Intervención Rápida" (Rapid Intervention Force) to provide security for the FIFA World Cup soccer games in Mexico City. France's GIGN trained the group in special weapons and counter-terrorism tactics. On June 1, 1990 the group adopted its most known name, GAFE.

Eight years later the GAFEs saw action fighting EZLN guerrillas in Chiapas. There is scant public information about the operations in which they participated during that conflict. During the 1990s, the GAFE reportedly received training in commando and urban warfare from Israeli special forces and American Special Forces units, which included training in rapid deployment, marksmanship, ambushes, counter-surveillance and the art of intimidation.^[1] It is also known that at some point several members were trained in the infamous US Army School of the americas,^[2][3][4] in enhanced interrogation techniques and psychological warfare.^[5]

Nowadays the army special forces continue fighting the war against drug cartels in Mexico. They have successfully captured many big drug leaders such as Benjamin Arellano Felix of the Tijuana Cartel, Carlos Rosales Mendoza of La Familia Cartel and Osiel Cardenas Guillen of the Gulf Cartel.

Controversies

In 1994 the EZLN guerrilla seized several towns across the southern state of Chiapas. The Mexican government sent in "GAFEs" to put down the insurgens. Within hours, 30 rebels were killed and others were captured. Later their bodies were disposed on a riverbank – with their ears and noses sliced off.^[6]

In the year 1999, about 34 GAFE defectors, were recruited to join the Gulf Cartel, serving as the cartel's armed wing, which became known as Los Zetas. This group also recruited national and foreign military personnel (like U.S. Army soldiers^[7][8][9] and Guatemalan Kaibiles), corrupt police officers and street gang members, and used their knowledge of torture and psychological warfare to terrorize their rivals and innocent civilians alike.^[10][11][12]

By 2011 only 10 of the original 34 zetas remained fugitives.^[13] Most of them have been killed or captured by Mexican Army, Federal Police and the Special Forces Corps.^{[14][15][16][17][18][19][20]}

It is alleged that on October 2, 2013 during a demonstration^[21][22] by so-called "anarchist youth groups"^[23][24][25] to protest against the Mexican President^[26][27] and to commemorate the 1968 tlatelolco student massacre,^[28] undercover GAFEs worked as agent provocateurs^[29] to disrupt the march and cause the riot police to crush it.^[30]

Training

Since its creation they have received a wide variety of training from different special forces groups from around the world (including the French GIGN, Israeli Sayeret and American Green Berets). The Army unified all the knowledge by creating in 1998 the Escuela Militar de Fuerzas Especiales (En. Special Forces Military School). This became the "Centro de Adiestramiento de Fuerzas Especiales" (Special Forces Training Center), located in the foothills of the Iztaccíhuatl volcano, on 1 May 2002. The basic special forces course lasts 6 months.

• Special Forces Instructors' Officers Course (Curso de Oficiales Instructores de las Fuerzas Especiales – COIFE)
• Ranks Officers Training of Special Forces (CACFE)
• Specialized Training for Special Forces Instructors and Officers (Curso Avanzado de Instructores de Fuerzas Especiales – CAIFE)

Training scenarios

• Jungle/Amphibious/Combat Diving: Jungle and Amphibious Operations Training Center, Xtomoc, Quintana Roo. Training also takes place in different scenarios in the state of Guerrero.
• Urban/Intervention: San Miguel de los Jagueyes, La Casa de la Muerte in Puebla and Temamatla, Estado de México.
• Mountain: El Salto, Durango, and Guerrero.
• Desert Operations Training Center: Laguna Salada and Baja California
• Airmobile/Airborne: Air Force base of Santa Lucía, Estado de México and Guerrero.
• High mountain: Nevado de Toluca, Iztaccíhuatl and Pico de Orizaba volcanoes.

Transportation

• UH-60 Black Hawk, Mil Mi-17, CH-53 Yas'ur 2000, MD 530F, Bell 212 and Bell 412 helicopters.
• Fast Attack Vehicle/Light Strike Vehicle, Humvee, customized Dodge Ram pickup trucks, all-terrain vehicles, Plasan Sand Cat, off-road motorcycles and inflatable/fast boats.

Weaponry

Pistols

• Heckler & Koch P7M13
• Beretta 92F
• M1911 pistol

Short-barreled

• Heckler & Koch MP5
• FN P90

Rifles

• FX-05 Xiuhcoatl
• M4 Carbine
• Heckler & Koch G3

Precision Rifles

• Heckler & Koch PSG1
• M24 Sniper Weapon System
• Remington 700
• Sniper Rifle Morelos

Hard targets

• Barret M82 (.50 BMG)

Shotguns

• Remington 1100
• Mossberg 500

Machine guns

• FN MAG
• Heckler & Koch HK21E
• M249 light machine gun

Grenade launchers

• M203 grenade launcher
• Milkor MGL Mk 1

Anti-Tank

• B-300
• RPG-7
• RPG-29
• RL-83 Blindicide

Other

• CornerShot

See also

• Grupo Aeromóvil de Fuerzas Especiales del Alto Mando
• Fuerzas Especiales
• Brigada de Fusileros Paracaidistas
• Mexican Special Forces
• Grupo de Operaciones Especiales (Mexico)
• Los Zetas

References