Special Operations Brigade (PLA Navy Marine Corps)
| Naval Special Operations Battalion(2002-2017) Special Operations or 7th Brigade | |
|---|---|
| 海军特种作战大队(2002-2017) 海军陆战队第七旅(After 2017) | |
 Insignia of the 7th Marine Brigade | |
| Active | 2017-present (as brigade) |
| Country | People's Republic of China |
| Branch | People's Liberation Army Navy Marine Corps |
| Type | Special Operations Forces |
| Garrison/HQ | Yulin Naval Base, Sanya |
| Nickname(s) | "Jiaolong Commandos" |
| Mascot(s) | Jiaolong |
| Engagements | Anti-Piracy Operations in the Gulf of Aden Evacuation of Chinese nationals from Yemen |
The 7th Marine Brigade or Special Operations Brigade[1] is a special operations unit in the People's Liberation Army Navy Marine Corps of People's Republic of China (Mainland or Communist China). Reliable sources disagree as to whether the brigade has a number or is designated "Special Operations." It is commonly known as the "Jiaolong Commandos." It is based in Sanya, Hainan Island.[2][3][4][5]
"Jiaolong" refers to a variant of dragon in Chinese folklore, and is often rendered in the case of this unit, in English, as "Sea Dragon."
History
The unit was founded as the Naval Special Operations Battalion[6][5] in 2002.[7]
On 26 December 2008, 70 soldiers from the unit were deployed to Somalia, where they conducted anti-piracy operations.[8]
"In 2015, Jiaolong commandos participated in the evacuation of 571 Chinese citizens and over 200 other foreign nationals from Yemen after a Saudi-led coalition began airstrikes against the Houthi rebel group (Yemen Civil War). In April 2017 the Tuvalu-registered cargo ship “OS35” was hijacked by Somali pirates in the waters of the Gulf of Aden. At the time, the PLA Navy’s Yulin, a Type 054A Frigate in China’s South Sea Fleet was participating in anti-piracy patrols.[9] Sixteen PLA Navy Special Forces, led by a special forces platoon leader, boarded the ship and rescued the crew.
On 5 May 2017, three pirates were captured by the unit's personnel and handed over to the Somali Police Force.[10][11][12]
The Naval Special Operations Battalion was renamed to the 7th Marine Brigade in 2017.[6][5]
Missions
The brigade is used for Visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS)[7], anti-piracy, air assault[13][7], direct action, combat diving[3][4], sabotage[7] and amphibious reconnaissance[7].
In popular culture
Operation Red Sea (2018) is loosely based off the unit's involvement in the evacuation of Chinese and foreign nationals in the Yemeni Civil War and also depicts the unit.[2][14]
Equipment
- QBZ-95 assault rifle[7][2]
- QBZ-191 assault rifle[15]
- QSZ-92 semi-auto pistol[2]
- QBS-06 underwater assault rifle[8][3][4]
- Night-vision devices
- Unmanned aerial vehicles (drones)[14]
See Also
- Navy SEALS - USA
- Marine Raiders - USA
- Special Boat Service - UK
- Russian Naval Spestnaz - Russia
- MARCOS - India
References
- ^ Kennedy 2021.
- ^ a b c d "The Jiaolong Commandos". PRC Ministry of Defense. 15 April 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
- ^ a b c Newdick, Thomas (2020-08-10). "Watch Chinese [PRC] Frogmen Fire Their Special Underwater Guns". The War Zone. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
- ^ a b c Makichuk, Dave (2020-08-11). "Video reveals weaponry of China's [PRC] elite 'Sea Dragons'". Asia Times. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
- ^ a b c "百度安全验证".
- ^ a b https://navy.mnd.gov.tw/Files/Policy/5-%E4%B8%AD%E5%85%B1%E8%BB%8D%E6%94%B9%E5%BE%8C%E6%B5%B7%E8%BB%8D%E9%99%B8%E6%88%B0%E9%9A%8A.pdf, Archived 5/11/2020
- ^ a b c d e f "走进"蛟龙突击队"，感受海军特战尖兵的血性与忠诚 - 中华人民共和国国防部". www.mod.gov.cn. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
- ^ a b "揭秘中国海军陆战队"蛟龙突击队" 队员均具四栖作战和海上反恐能力_新闻_央视网(cctv.com)". m.news.cctv.com. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
- ^ Wood 2018.
- ^ "中国海军"蛟龙"突击队武装押解海盗". v.cctv.com. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
- ^ CGTN Africa (2017-05-07). Chinese navy hands over suspected pirates to Somali authorities. Retrieved 2024-11-29 – via YouTube.
- ^ "China's Somali pirate-catching commando gets a hero's welcome". South China Morning Post. 2018-02-18. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
- ^ "Marine corps' commandos in parachuting training at sea - Focus - 中国军网（英文版）". eng.chinamil.com.cn. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- ^ a b Trevithick, Joseph (2024-08-02). "Chinese [PRC] Sea Dragon Commandos Show Off Drones That Look Just Like Birds". The War Zone. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
- ^ Loh, Matthew. "China's naval commandos rode electric skateboards into a combat exercise with drones disguised as birds, then left in a pickup truck". Business Insider. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
- 张文芳. "A peek into spec ops team of PLA Navy". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 2024-12-06.
- Kennedy, Conor (October 2021). "China Maritime Report No. 15: The New Chinese Marine Corps: A "Strategic Dagger" in a Cross-Strait Invasion". Renders the brigade as the "Special Operations Brigade," located at Sanya, which had grown to around 3,000 personnel.
- Peck, Michael (2021-07-02). "China's [PRC] Special Forces: The Most Elite Group You've Never Heard Of". The National Interest. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
- Wood, Peter (August 2018). "The Emergence of the PLA Navy's "Jiaolong" Commando Unit" (PDF). OE Watch. p. 29. (PD-USGOV)
