SSG Särskilda Skydds Gruppen (Special Protection Group)

Introduction:

The goal with this page is to provide some basic information about the SSG military unit, translated in to English “Special Protection Group”.

Most of the information on this page is gatherd from official Swedish military sources and Swedish press; some information is based on assumptions and speculations.

Fairly little is known about the SSG unit. Though it is to be assumed that the unit was formed some time in the beginning of the 90’s.

The unit’s main tasks consist in information gathering and rescue missions behind enemy lines, protection of military VIP’s and to wipe out sabotage or terrorist elements.

It’s always hard to compare different type of military units with each other, but in the case with SSG the recruitment procedure is very similar to more

known units like U.S Deltas (1stSFOD-D) and British SAS (Special Air Service).

In order to apply to SSG you have to be an Officer in one of the 3 Swedish military branches.

The unit is located in the Swedish town of Karlsborg where the Swedish Parachute Ranger School also resides at K 3 - Life Regiment Hussars.

The Swedish Parachute Ranger School is one of the oldest Special Forces Corps in the Swedish armed forces (founded in 1952) and is probably the most respected.

Each recruit has to conduct training for 15 months before becoming a Parachute Ranger and almost certainly

the larger part of the members in SSG are Officers that originates from the Parachute Ranger Corps.

During the test period before becoming an active member in the SSG, each solider will receive common training such as parachuting, diving and VIP protection service.

Members will also receive special training within different areas such as high altitude parachuting, explosives, medical service and special weapon training.

Some part of the unit is always in a state of alert in case of an urgent situation foremost domestic situations within Sweden; however lately there have been international

assignments in connection with that the Swedish armed forces in general are moving towards international operations together with EU and UN.

Organisation:

There is no public information available about the organisation of SSG or how many members the unit consists of.

However it is likely to assume that SSG consists of 60-80 members.

It’s also known that the SSG operates directly under the headquarters of the Swedish military in order to have a short chain of command.

It’s expected to assume that SSG is divided in to groups or teams that are specialized within different areas.

How many members there are in each team is hard to say, nevertheless each team would probably have 8-16 members

and would then be divided in to smaller patrols with 4-8 members.

Each patrol consists of one patrol leader and the expertise of the other members probably varies between the different teams, but it’s likely to

assume that each patrol at least have one member that have received medical training.

Equipment:

There is no official information about the equipment that SSG utilizes.

Probably SSG have access to the majority of the bits and pieces that exists within the Swedish armed forces and more.

For parachutes mission the C-130 Hercules is mainly used, SSG also have access to different helicopter types depending on mission.

The standard weaponry almost certainly consist of the following:

• AK-5 (FNC 80, Assault Rifle 5,56 x 45 mm)
• KSP-90 (MINIMI Machinegun 5,56 x 45 mm)
• Pistol 88 (Clock 9 x 19 mm)
• Sniper rifle m90 (L96A1 AW 7,62 x 51 mm)
• H&K MP5

Recruitment:

In order to be able to apply to SSG you have to be an Officer in one of the three military branches (Army, Navy, Air force).

The members are foremost recruited from the different Special Forces and ranger regiments and almost certainly the main part from the Parachute Rangers Corps.

The selection consists of several types of different tests, both physical and mental and it will take about one year to become a fully adequate member in SSG.

To see if the aspirants are well fitted, each of them has to conduct 2 weeks of different tests,

The first week consists of traditional military exercise under extreme conditions and all under supervision of psychologists.

During the second week the recruits are conducting a number of different tests both practical and theoretical and a more extensive psychological test.

Until recently it was not possible for individuals to apply for SSG, instead SSG in junction with the different regiments contacted the persons in question that matched the profile.

Today it is possible to apply for SSG; you can actually download the necessary blankets from the Swedish military homepage at http://www.mil.se.

The average age of an SSG member is 31.

Known missions:

Afghanistan:

Year 2002 about 45 members of the SSG was sent to Afghanistan to join the international UN force.

The mission was to retrieve intelligence to the main force and to protect leaders within the Afghanistan government.

Congo:

Ongoing operation.