
The Sultan's Special Force (SSF) —
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...
: قوات السلطان الخاصة,
transliterated
Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus ''trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → , Cyrillic → , Greek → the digraph , Armenian → or ...
: ''Qawat al-Sultaniya al-Khasah'' is a separate force branch within the
Sultan's Armed Forces (SAF) and although equipped to carry out land defense operations, it is not part of the
Royal Army of Oman
The Royal Army of Oman (Arabic: الجيش العماني, transliterated: ''al-Jaīsh al-'Umānī'') is the ground forces component of the Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces. It was founded in 1907 as the Muscat Garrison. It has a current strength o ...
.
The SSF was created based on the lessons learned in a successful (if not lengthy) prosecution of a counter insurgency campaign in the
Dhofar'. However, it was the time, effort and special tactics needed to achieve the victory that convinced the Sultan that he needed his own domestic special purpose force. There has been and remains a clear and constant relationship between the SSF and the
Palace Office, a government ministry which oversees all aspects of the Sultanate's security and the forces became The ninth strongest force in the world in 2013.
History of the Force
During the
Dhofar Insurgency of the 1960s and 1970s Sutan Qaboos bin Said al Said became very reliant on British Forces to improve the expertise of his fledgling armed forces battling to defeat Communist insurgents in the south of the country. He became particularly reliant on members of the
Special Air Service
The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. It was founded as a regiment in 1941 by David Stirling and in 1950, it was reconstituted as a corps. The unit specialises in a number of roles including counter-ter ...
(SAS) who formed training teams. After the successful conclusion of the Dhofar War Sultan Qaboos decided to develop his own Omani SF capability. He did so relying heavily on retired British personnel (many from the SAS) and during the latter part of the 20th Century the SSF developed.
The SSF was developed from the most able of the Dhofari ''
Firqat'' forces that were trained by the SAS. The SSF's badge includes a representation of the compact Dhofari leather shield (also used on the SAF's Firqat Forces badge) and wings similar to the SAS parachute qualification badge.
In 1985 the Sultan authorized a medal to recognise the service of SSF personnel; known as the Special Service Medal of the Sultan's Special Forces (''Midal al-Khidmat al-Khasat Qawat al-Sultaniya al-Khasat'').
Brigadier
Tony Hunter-Choat
Anthony Hunter-Choat (12 January 1936 – 12 April 2012) was a British soldier who served in the French Foreign Legion, the British Army, including in the Special Air Service, and as the commander of the Sultan of Oman's special forces.
Early ...
OBE (formerly UK SAS) was the last British commander of the SSF (retiring in 1997) the post then filled by an Omani officer.
Organisation
The SSF is split geographically into two units with operational elements based in the
Muscat
Muscat ( ar, مَسْقَط, ) is the capital and most populated city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the total population of Muscat Governorate was ...
capital area and in
Dhofar
The Dhofar Governorate ( ar, مُحَافَظَة ظُفَار, Muḥāfaẓat Ẓufār) is the largest of the 11 Governorates in the Sultanate of Oman in terms of area. It lies in Southern Oman, on the eastern border with Yemen's Al Mahrah ...
Mountains to the north of
Salalah
Salalah ( ar, صَلَالَة, Ṣalālah) is the capital and largest city of the southern Omani governorate of Dhofar. Its population in 2009 was about 197,169.
Salalah is the third-largest city in the Sultanate of Oman, and the largest cit ...
.
The SSF is trained, equipped and exercised in
Counter-terrorism
Counterterrorism (also spelled counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, incorporates the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that Government, governments, law enforcement, business, and Intelligence agency, intellig ...
(CT) skills; and one of the SSF's elite CT units is called ''Cobra'' based in the north and south of the country, and one ''Cobra'' team works closely with the
Royal Oman Police.
In the late 1990s the SSF were also involved in patrolling and observation duties in the Sultanate's
Oryx
''Oryx'' is a genus consisting of four large antelope species called oryxes. Their pelage is pale with contrasting dark markings in the face and on the legs, and their long horns are almost straight. The exception is the scimitar oryx, which ...
Sanctuary, that was at the time suffering from a great deal of poaching.
The SSF has limited responsibilities in counter smuggling and border patrolling.
Base locations
* Headquarters SSF at Al Azaiba; the main HQ building is at Latitude/Longitude 23.588366N, 58.344137E the (SSF clinic is marked on mapping) There are staff married quarters and villas at the SSF complex at Al Azaiba
* The main base for the SSF's northern units is a substantial modern barracks associated with Muaskar Al Samoud, with an extensive training facility and ranges next to the village of
Halban near
Seeb; the HQ building is at Latitude/Longitude 23.619486N, 58.037970E
* The main base for the SSF's southern units was developed on a former SAS-Firqat training base near Zeek in the Dhofar Jebel, at Sharbithat this extensive base is at Latitude/Longitude 17.275175N, 54.126446E
* An operational base exists at Haima in the Al Wusta region with a focus on the Sultanate's Western border with Saudi Arabia.
Equipment
The SSF are equipped with a range of light infantry and assault weapons, equipment and vehicles, including:
* A range of modern conventional and suppressed assault small arms
* Advanced and compact night vision aids
* Various grenades
* Sniper weapons and special camouflage uniforms
* Body armor and special protective clothing
* Modified
Toyota Land Cruiser
The (also sometimes spelled as LandCruiser) is a series of four-wheel drive vehicles produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. It is Toyota's longest running series of models. , the sales of the Land Cruiser totalled more than ...
patrol and assault vehicles
*
Humvee
The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) is a family of light, four-wheel drive, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It has largely supplanted the roles previously performed by the ...
desert patrol vehicles equipped with a range of support weapons (e.g.
heavy machine gun
A heavy machine gun (HMG) is significantly larger than light, medium or general-purpose machine guns. HMGs are typically too heavy to be man-portable (carried by one person) and require mounting onto a weapons platform to be operably stable o ...
s and missiles)
*
Mercedes G300 cdi 6x6 (high mobility troop and load carrying vehicles)
* Inshore fast assault boats
* Stealth assault swimmer diving equipment
* Fighting in built up area, breaching aids
* EMPL heavy recovery vehicles.
The Force has adopted modern military combat survival methods, as illustrated by the SSF's ration packs.
See also
*
Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces
The Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces (Arabic: القوات المسلحة لسلطان عمان, transliterated: ''al-Quwāt ul-Musallaḥatu lis-Sulṭān 'Umān'') are the Royal Army of Oman, Royal Navy of Oman, Royal Air Force of Oman, Sultan's ...
*
Omani Civil War (1963-76)
The Dhofar Rebellion, also known as the Dhofar War or the Omani Civil War, was waged from 1963 to 1976 in the province of Dhofar against the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman. The war began with the formation of the Dhofar Liberation Front, a group ...
*
History of the Special Air Service
*
Special Operations Command Central
The Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT) is a sub-unified command of the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM). It is responsible for planning special operations throughout the USCENTCOM area of responsibility (AOR), planning and conducting pe ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sultan's Special Forces
Military of Oman
Special forces units and formations