The 641st Naval Special Operations Brigade () is a

special forces Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

unit in the

Azerbaijani Navy The Azerbaijan Navy () is the naval component of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces operating in the Caspian Sea. History The inception of Azerbaijani Naval Forces dates back to August 5, 1919, when the government of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republi ...

. It is currently based in Zığ. The unit has been described as an 'impressive new maritime special forces unit. Its polygon is on Wulf Island in the

Bay of Baku Bay of Baku (Baku Bay) is a natural harbor of the Baku port and local yacht club, on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula and on the western shore of the Caspian Sea. Description It has an area of 50 km² and a coastline of 20&nb ...

. The modern unit was established in 2001 with the cooperation of the

Turkish Navy The Turkish Naval Forces (), or Turkish Navy (), is the naval warfare service branch of the TAF. The modern naval traditions and customs of the Turkish Navy can be traced back to 10 July 1920, when it was established as the ''Directorate o ...

Cooperation

The training and organization structure of the unit may be similar to Turkish special forces, Su Altı Taarruz and

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Special Forces who have a training relationship with them. In 2004, a U.S. Navy SEAL team from Little Creek Amphibious Base, participated in joint exercises unit. In 2005,

Blackwater USA Constellis, formerly Blackwater, is an American private military contractor founded on December 26, 1997, by former Navy SEAL officer Erik Prince. It was renamed Xe Services in 2009, and was again renamed to Academi in 2011, after it was acquir ...

's Maritime Division was contracted to conduct interdiction training for the unit. In addition, personnel of the unit have trained at the diving school of the

Latvian Navy Latvian Naval Forces () is the naval warfare branch of the Latvian National Armed Forces, National Armed Forces. It is tasked with conducting military, search and rescue operations, mine and explosive sweeping on the Baltic Sea, as well as ecolog ...

in Liepaja. Exchanges of personnel have also been carried out with a number of foreign countries.

Marine Sabotage and Reconnaissance Center of Special Purpose

The Marine Sabotage and Reconnaissance Center of Special Purpose is the training center of the unit. The organizational and staff structure of the center in 1996 includes: 3 reconnaissance groups, 2 mountain groups and 1 diving group. Each group included 15-20 fighters each. The personnel have participated in a number of joint military exercises with the Turkish Amphibious Marine Brigade and

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

References

{{Azerbaijani Armed Forces Special forces of Azerbaijan Naval units and formations of Azerbaijan Military units and formations established in 2001 Naval special forces units and formations

Cooperation

Marine Sabotage and Reconnaissance Center of Special Purpose

See also

References