The Amphibious Commandos Group ( es, Agrupación de Comandos Anfibios, APCA) is a

special operations Special operations (S.O.) are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment". Special operations may include ...

force of the Argentine Marine Corps.

Role

Trained to perform quick and objective amphibious

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

, assault raids, and direct action operations.

Training

The amphibious command course lasts 1 year and is physically and mentally exhausting. 95% of applicants do not succeed. Training course consists of the: *amphibious warfare course *mountain warfare course *parachute course Operatives are also trained as demolitions experts, multiple weapons experts and trained in

Close quarters combat Close-quarters combat (CQC) or close-quarters battle (CQB) is a tactical situation that involves a physical fight with firearms involved between multiple combatants at short range. It can occur between military units, police/corrections officer ...

History

It was created in 1952 as the Vigilance and Security Company of Submarine Bases (at Base Naval Mar del Plata). In 1960 the group received its first advanced

training Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or fitness that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity, productivity and performance. I ...

course of amphibious

, airborne, and HALO/HAHO parachuting in the Military Diving School and in the

Argentine Army The Argentine Army ( es, Ejército Argentino, EA) is the land force branch of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic and the senior military service of Argentina. Under the Argentine Constitution, the president of Argentina is the commander- ...

. With the personnel of the 7th Marine Corps Company, formed in 1966 the Amphibious Reconnaissance Company, it took new tasks and responsibilities. The

commando Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin">40_Commando.html" ;"title="Royal Marines from 40 Commando">Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin area of Afghanistan are pictured A commando is a combatant, or operativ ...

course was incorporated in the

in 1973, and in the next year the unit was renamed Amphibious Commandos Group. The members of this group wear green berets with unit badges. The group participated in 1978 and 1979 in the Marine Corps force deployed to

Tierra del Fuego Tierra del Fuego (, ; Spanish for "Land of the Fire", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of the main island, Isla ...

, in the course of the Beagle crisis, executing many

missions. During the late 1980s, the group was moved from Mar del Plata to its current base in

Puerto Belgrano Port Belgrano Naval Base ( es, Base Naval Puerto Belgrano - BNPB) is the largest naval base of the Argentine Navy, situated next to Punta Alta, near Bahía Blanca, about south of Buenos Aires. It is named after the brigantine ''General Be ...

. On 2 April 1982, the unit was part of the Amphibious Task Force leading the assault on

Port Stanley Stanley (; also known as Port Stanley) is the capital city of the Falkland Islands. It is located on the island of East Falkland, on a north-facing slope in one of the wettest parts of the islands. At the 2016 census, the city had a popula ...

, taking part in the battle of Government House and the assault on

Moody Brook Moody Brook is a small watercourse that flows into Stanley Harbour on East Falkland, Falkland Islands. It is near Stanley, just to the north west, and was formerly the location of the town barracks, which were attacked in Operation Rosario ...

barracks. Members of the group also saw action of at

South Georgia Islands ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = , song = , image_map = South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in United Kingdom.svg , map_caption = Location of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in the southern Atlantic Oce ...

and carried out a couple of

missions from Port Stanley since 1 May. The group was awarded the ''Honor al Valor en Combate'' decoration.

Weapons

* Browning Hi-Power *

Heckler & Koch MP5 The Heckler & Koch MP5 (german: Maschinenpistole 5) is a 9x19mm Parabellum submachine gun, developed in the 1960s by a team of engineers from the German small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch. There are over 100 variants and clones of the MP5, ...

* Daniel Defense M4A1 *

FAMAS The FAMAS (''Fusil d'Assaut de la Manufacture d'Armes de Saint-Étienne'', "Assault Rifle from the Saint-Étienne Weapon Factory") is a bullpup assault rifle designed and manufactured in France by MAS in 1978, a year after the Austrian Ste ...

M249 SAW The M249 light machine gun (LMG), also known as the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW), which continues to be the manufacturer's designation, and formally written as Light Machine Gun, 5.56 mm, M249, is the American adaptation of the Belgian F ...

* FN MAG *

Heckler & Koch HK21 The HK21 is a German 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun, developed in 1961 by small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch and based on the G3 battle rifle. The weapon is in use with the armed forces of several Asian, African and Latin American ...

* M24 SWS *

Barrett M95 The Barrett M95 is a bolt-action rifle chambered in .50 BMG (12.7×99mm), and manufactured by Barrett Firearms Company. It has been adopted by a number of militaries around the world. Overview The M95 is an improved version of the earlier Barre ...

AT4 The AT4 is a Swedish unguided, man-portable, disposable, shoulder-fired recoilless anti-tank weapon built by Saab Bofors Dynamics (previously Bofors Anti-Armour Systems and before that FFV Ordance). The AT4 is not considered a rocket launc ...

Notes

{{Argentine special forces Special forces of Argentina Argentine Navy Mar del Plata Military units and formations established in 1952 Military units and formations of Argentina in the Falklands War Falklands War in South Georgia

Role

Training

History

Weapons

See also

Notes