Tactical Assault Groups
Australia's Counterterrorist capabilities have
been completely revamped since 9-11. Our capabilities now include
both SASR and Commando based Counter Terrorist (CT) teams on the
West and East coasts of Australia respectively. This is a departure
from previous policy where SASR had exclusive responsibility for
this mission and reflects the new SF options policy makers have in
the Commando regiment. This broadening of responsibility is largely
due to the SASR's need to focus more on LRRP and to redistribute the
burden of SF operations among the redefined Australian SF community.
TAG-East
Personnel for TAG-East are drawn from the
Commando regiment, 4RAR. Recruiting procedures for this process are
not publicly released in any great detail but it is generally
understood that every Commando can have a go at it if deemed
suitable and of sufficient tenure. It is also believed that staff
from some of the CDT teams have joined both this and the TAG-West
teams to aid in the development of their respective maritime
capabilities. Click
here for article.
TAG-West
TAG-West is the SASR's TAG team and as the name
suggests, has responsibility for the West coast where the SASR is
based. This team has been around since 1978 and has, until 2002, had
nationwide responsibilities for counterterrorism.
TAG Details
The TAG teams are known to cross train with the
world's best CT teams, including Delta, SEAL Team 6, SAS, and other
European teams. Their arsenal includes the standard range of weapons
available to CT and SF groups including Steyr rifles, the M-16 range
of weapons including the more modern variant the M-4, the HK range
of weapons and an assortment of hand guns and sniper rifles
including SIG Sauer's, Browning 9mm, 7.62 Galil, HK PSG-1, and the
Parker Hale 82 to name a few.
Both teams train to the highest international
standards in Method of Entry Techniques and other assorted CQB
specialties. While the SASR's primary war role is special
reconnaissance and "special warfare" (raising and training
indigenous forces) the Commandos role represents a more aggressive
element of the Special Operations Command, with a high level of
emphasis on maritime and open ocean parachute inserted direct action
missions, similar to the US Navy SEALs. Consequently both the SAS
and Commando based TAG teams are exceedingly well placed to perform
their mission.
Australia has excellent facilities for TAG
training, including a new Military Operations and Urban Terrain
complex at Sydney's Holsworthy Barracks. An Aircraft mockup range,
and a new water operations training centre have also been added to
the barracks training facilities to further augment its role as a
special forces base.
Image of a DPRK
Vessel during TAG raids by combined SAS/Commando teams
TAG Teams saw active duty in April 2003 with the
interception and boarding of a North Korean Vessel known to have
been trafficking Heroin to Australia. Media reports have it that a
combined SASR/Commando TAG team raided the vessel by helicopter and
zodiac insertion in "treacherous seas". Launched from the HMS
Stuart, the combined Ship Underway Recovery (SUR) team was called in
after a number of unsuccessful boarding attempts from Police
launches by police and customs officials. The SF teams then moved
directly to the bridge and control spaces to secure prisoners and
the controls of the ship so that more naval personnel could steer
her to friendly ports. The vessel had been the subject of a
surveillance operation (and then five day open seas chase by the
Navy) by Australian Federal Police and was video taped unloading 50
Kilograms of Heroin onto a dinghy.
TAG personnel are trained in the same advanced
insertion techniques that characterise both Commando and SASR
capabilities including HALO, heliborne, SCUBA, and zodiac insertions
- though this point is fairly obvious since personnel for TAG are
drawn from these two units. The successful development of a Commando
TAG capability was nicely demonstrated by the aforementioned DPRK
(North Korea) vessel raid.
Click
here for the Defence story covering
TAG East
