Military Units and Formations Established in 2001 - Special Boarding Unit (Paperback)

Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: The Special Boarding Unit Tokubetsukeibitai) is a special forces unit established by the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces on March 27, 2001 in response to a previous spy ship incursion that occurred on the Noto Peninsula in 1999. The unit was created to perform similar roles to those undertaken by American Navy SEALs and the British SBS. Its structure is based on the SBS. Their field involves maritime anti-terrorist duties, including operations where arms are known to be involved. However, their duties and responsibilities overlap with those of the Special Security Team, the Japan Coast Guard's counter-terrorist unit. Since the SBU is a special forces unit, any kind of matters regarding acquisition of information on personnel, training and weapons are forbidden since they are highly classified. After a failed Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces mission to stop North Korean spy ships that were in the territorial waters of the Noto Peninsula, the SBU was established with its headquarters based in Etajima, Hiroshima. The unit had conducted some covert training in Etajima without any public knowledge after its creation, including exercises on boarding tactics to enter ships. Training was completed in 2000, a year after the SBU was created. A reported ship that illegally entered Amami shima was seen nearby, which led to the mobilization of the SBU. The ship, however, was said to have been scuttled while the unit waited for orders from the Japanese Defense Agency. The unit had made its existence known to the public during a training exercise, which involved the deployment of Howa Type 89-armed SBU operators via RHIBs and SH-60J helicopters. When the unit was created, it had requested training with the Navy SEALs, but had not been able to d... More: http://booksllc.net/?id=21434405