Pakistan Navy Special Services Group Participates in Bilateral Exercise AYYILDIZ-2021 at Turkey

Pakistan Navy Special Service Group SSG(N) participated in bilateral Special Operations Forces (SOF) Exercise ‘Ayylidiz 2021’ with Turkish Su Alti Taarruz (SAT) at Istanbul, Turkey. Both navies are regularly conducting this bilateral Exercise since 1996 and exercise is the 13th of the series. Exercise AYYILDIZ-2021 proved professionally rewarding as SOFs elements of both countries remained actively engaged in rehashing contemporary tactics, techniques and procedures in Special Operations domains.

The exercise was exclusively designed to exchange professional expertise in the SOF domain. The exercise aimed to build synergy, strengthen military relationships and enhance interoperability between Special Operation Forces of both countries. The exercise focused on Anti-Terrorism operations, Sniper Firing, Frogman Ops, and Visit Board Search & Seizure (VBSS) domains. The exercise concluded with a demo of coordinated VBSS Ops involving Ships, Helicopters, and Fast Speed Boats along with SOFs elements. The event was witnessed by high-level delegations.

The Pakistan Navy Special Service Group abbreviated SSGN or simply Navy seals, is the special operations force tasked with conducting the small-unit based military operations in all environmental formats of the sea, air, and land by adapting to the tactics of unconventional warfare. The command and control of the Special Service Group (Navy) fall under the responsibility of the Naval Strategic Forces Command and its personnel is directly recruited into ISI’s Covert Action Division (CAD) upon their retirements from their military service.

The SAT (Turkish: Su Alti Taarruz, Underwater Offence), or SAT, is the special operations forces unit of the Turkish Navy. Turkish Navy’s first and only navy commando unit consisting of highly skilled soldiers selected from among the officers and petty officers of the Turkish Navy. They are affiliated with the Naval Operation Directorate. Under war conditions, stealthy attack, sabotage, and raids on the coastal strategic facilities of the enemy underwater, over water, land, or air, to their floating platforms.