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 The Naval Infantry Command ( es, Comando de la Infantería de Marina, COIM), also known as the Naval Infantry of the Navy of the Argentine Republic ( es, Infantería de Marina de la Armada de la República Argentina, IMARA) and generally referred ...

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 ( skirmishe ...

, assault raids, and

direct action Direct action originated as a political activist term for economic and political acts in which the actors use their power (e.g. economic or physical) to directly reach certain goals of interest, in contrast to those actions that appeal to othe ...

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.

History

It was created in 1952 as the Vigilance and Security Company of Submarine Bases (at Base Naval

Mar del Plata Mar del Plata is a city on the coast of the Argentine Sea, Atlantic Ocean, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the seat of General Pueyrredón Partido, General Pueyrredón district. Mar del Plata is the second largest city in Buenos Aires ...

). 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 command ...

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

commando 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 operative of an elite light infantry or special operations forc ...

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 Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion * Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

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

* 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 Steyr A ...

* M249 SAW *

FN MAG The FN MAG is a Belgian 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun, designed in the early 1950s at Fabrique Nationale (FN) by Ernest Vervier. It has been used by more than 80 countries and it has been made under licence in several countries, in ...

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 Amer ...

* 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 Barr ...

* AT4

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