Army Reconnaissance Detachment
Encyclopedia
The Army Reconnaissance Detachment 10 is a special forces
unit of the Swiss army
responsible for conducting counter-terrorist
activities in Switzerland
and abroad. The full cost of maintaining the ARD-DDR-DEE in 2011 will approximately be 16 million franc
s.
that would be able to conduct counter-terrorist
-type actions in the Swiss Army
to protect Swiss nationals and soldiers living abroad.
In 2003, the unit had been created with Major Daniel Stoll as the unit's first commanding officer with 30 soldiers as its nucleus with Special forces
training with its internal structure based on the British SAS
. In 2007, ARD 10 commandos had joined in Exercise Cold Response 2007
. The unit had been unveiled to the public during Army Day 2007 in Lugano from November 20 to November 25, 2007.
By the year 2011, its expected that the unit will have 91 soldiers in active duty.
It is suggested that the first batch of ARD 10 operators had been given training by foreign special forces instructors. They include instructors from the United States Navy SEALs
, American Special Forces and the Special Air Service
.
There has been calls on the Swiss government to deploy ARD 10 operators to combat Somali pirates
with no consensus in Parliament, due to an evenly divided vote against it. The planned mission called for 30 ARD 10 operators to be deployed with a spokesperson for the Swiss army saying that the ARD 10 is ready to be deployed if given the order.
An article criticized the planned mission to Somalia, questioning on who should ARD 10 operators shoot as pirates when they are on anti-piracy operations since most of them are ex-fisherman and criminals. Furthermore, an article from the Berner Zeitung insists that the ARD 10 deployment is not the solution, but calls for political solutions.
The ARD10 was criticized for being "dangerous" when Swiss media leaked out plans to rescue Swiss nationals in Libya on June 28, 2010. In addition, it is reported that 40 operators are currently active and not at least 90 as initially planned. According to Albert Stahel of Zurich University’s Institute for Strategic Studies, an umbrella of the Swiss military's various special forces unit should be created as Switzerland does not have enough resources to strategically transport ARD10 operators to various places around the globe.
Other potential requirements include the following:
Candidates who must wear eyeglasses must have a visual acuity
of at least 0.80 in order to be accepted.
The Swiss Army
does not institute an age limit for soldiers who wish to join the ARD 10.
(in-service designation Sturmgewehr 90 kurz (Stgw 90 kurz)) assault carbine attached with various tactical and night vision scopes, depending on the operator. Their main sniper rifle is the Sako TRG-42
(in-service designation Scharfschützengewehr 04 (SSGw 04)). The MP5SD3 submachine gun
is the standard SMG used by the ARD 10.
Their equipment consists of knee protectors, kevlar helmets and anti-splinter vests. The ARD's main light infantry vehicle is the AGF
.
Potential candidates must attend 18 full months, with 6 months dedicated to basic training, of special forces training
after completing their compulsory service
with the Swiss Army
, which is then followed by 40 weeks with infiltration technique training. Candidates will be assessed prior to training their physical and mental state, as well as their health if they are fit to be qualified as ARD 10 soldiers. Candidates must also have clean records from their time after attending compulsory service
.
Upon ending of training, all ARD 10 soldiers are required to be on standby in case of deployment.
Over 300 soldiers who apply for a position in the ARD 10, only 10 prospective soldiers are chosen for training as ARD 10 operators.
Among the specialist courses being taught to all prospective ARD 10 operators include the following:
ARD 10 soldiers are paid, depending on their marital status and economic standing. Extra pay ranges from 397 to 5,156 Swiss franc
s. Others are paid 4,111 Swiss franc
s if they have children with extra pay that includes 2,654 Swiss franc
s. ARD 10 soldiers are also paid if they are deployed abroad, depending on the nature of their mission. Soldiers are paid additionally 6.17 Swiss franc
s per hour for participating in night duties.
All ARD 10 soldiers have insurance as provided by the Swiss military
.
In addition, ARD 10 soldiers are to reimbursed according to federal law with an accommodation maximum of 130 Swiss franc
s.
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
unit of the Swiss army
Military of Switzerland
The Swiss Armed Forces perform the roles of Switzerland's militia and regular army. Under the country's militia system, professional soldiers constitute about 5 percent of military personnel; the rest are male citizen conscripts 19 to 34 years old...
responsible for conducting counter-terrorist
Counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt to prevent or in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed.The tactic of terrorism is available to insurgents and governments...
activities in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and abroad. The full cost of maintaining the ARD-DDR-DEE in 2011 will approximately be 16 million franc
Swiss franc
The franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein; it is also legal tender in the Italian exclave Campione d'Italia. Although not formally legal tender in the German exclave Büsingen , it is in wide daily use there...
s.
History
As part of the Army XXI reforms, a report on October 24, 2001 to the Federal Assembly of Switzerland called on the formation of a special forces-trained unitSpecial forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
that would be able to conduct counter-terrorist
Counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt to prevent or in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed.The tactic of terrorism is available to insurgents and governments...
-type actions in the Swiss Army
Military of Switzerland
The Swiss Armed Forces perform the roles of Switzerland's militia and regular army. Under the country's militia system, professional soldiers constitute about 5 percent of military personnel; the rest are male citizen conscripts 19 to 34 years old...
to protect Swiss nationals and soldiers living abroad.
In 2003, the unit had been created with Major Daniel Stoll as the unit's first commanding officer with 30 soldiers as its nucleus with Special forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
training with its internal structure based on the British SAS
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
. In 2007, ARD 10 commandos had joined in Exercise Cold Response 2007
Cold Response
Cold Response is the name given to Norwegian exercises with invited Partnership for Peace countries held in northern Norway. The first one was the largest military exercise in Norway in 2006. Around 10,000 soldiers from 11 nations participated. It was a national Norwegian exercise with all NATO...
. The unit had been unveiled to the public during Army Day 2007 in Lugano from November 20 to November 25, 2007.
By the year 2011, its expected that the unit will have 91 soldiers in active duty.
It is suggested that the first batch of ARD 10 operators had been given training by foreign special forces instructors. They include instructors from the United States Navy SEALs
United States Navy SEALs
The United States Navy's Sea, Air and Land Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's principal special operations force and a part of the Naval Special Warfare Command as well as the maritime component of the United States Special Operations Command.The acronym is derived from their...
, American Special Forces and the Special Air Service
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
.
There has been calls on the Swiss government to deploy ARD 10 operators to combat Somali pirates
Piracy in Somalia
Piracy off the coast of Somalia has been a threat to international shipping since the second phase of the Somali Civil War in the early 21st century...
with no consensus in Parliament, due to an evenly divided vote against it. The planned mission called for 30 ARD 10 operators to be deployed with a spokesperson for the Swiss army saying that the ARD 10 is ready to be deployed if given the order.
Criticisms
Critics had blasted the creation of the ARD 10, saying that that unit might conduct anti-terrorist missions that may put civilians in harms way contrary to their mission. The Zeit-Fragen, a weekly newspaper, also claimed that the ARD 10 would be a blow to Swiss neutrality, saying that crisis situations involving Swiss nationals are always solved through negotiations. There are concerns that the ARD 10, like all special forces, can be used covertly against politically active people instead of conducting their missions to their mandate.An article criticized the planned mission to Somalia, questioning on who should ARD 10 operators shoot as pirates when they are on anti-piracy operations since most of them are ex-fisherman and criminals. Furthermore, an article from the Berner Zeitung insists that the ARD 10 deployment is not the solution, but calls for political solutions.
The ARD10 was criticized for being "dangerous" when Swiss media leaked out plans to rescue Swiss nationals in Libya on June 28, 2010. In addition, it is reported that 40 operators are currently active and not at least 90 as initially planned. According to Albert Stahel of Zurich University’s Institute for Strategic Studies, an umbrella of the Swiss military's various special forces unit should be created as Switzerland does not have enough resources to strategically transport ARD10 operators to various places around the globe.
Unit tasks
The ARD 10 has certain tasks to fulfill as part of their mandate:- Procurement of key facilities
- Protection of Swiss nationals, troop and facilities if endangered
- Securing Swiss nationals from crisis areas
- Direct ActionDirect action (military)In the context of military special operations, direct action consists of: "Short-duration strikes and other small-scale offensive actions conducted as a special operation in hostile, denied, or politically sensitive environments and which employ specialized military capabilities to seize, destroy,...
- Unconventional warfareUnconventional warfareUnconventional warfare is the opposite of conventional warfare. Where conventional warfare is used to reduce an opponent's military capability, unconventional warfare is an attempt to achieve military victory through acquiescence, capitulation, or clandestine support for one side of an existing...
Requirements
Among the minimal qualification requirements for potential candidates in 18 weeks, these include:- 50 press-ups
- 60 sit-ups
- 10 pull-ups
- 5km cross-country run in under 24 minutes
- 8km walk in full combat gear (15kg pack) in less than 58 minutes
- 25km walk in full combat gear (25kg pack) in less than 3.5 hours
- 300m swim in under 10 minutes
Other potential requirements include the following:
- Good command of the English languageEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
- Good command of another language aside from EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
- Leadership skills
Candidates who must wear eyeglasses must have a visual acuity
Visual acuity
Visual acuity is acuteness or clearness of vision, which is dependent on the sharpness of the retinal focus within the eye and the sensitivity of the interpretative faculty of the brain....
of at least 0.80 in order to be accepted.
The Swiss Army
Military of Switzerland
The Swiss Armed Forces perform the roles of Switzerland's militia and regular army. Under the country's militia system, professional soldiers constitute about 5 percent of military personnel; the rest are male citizen conscripts 19 to 34 years old...
does not institute an age limit for soldiers who wish to join the ARD 10.
Equipment
ARD 10 operators are equipped with the SIG SG 552SIG SG 550
The SG 550 is an assault rifle manufactured by Swiss Arms AG of Neuhausen, Switzerland...
(in-service designation Sturmgewehr 90 kurz (Stgw 90 kurz)) assault carbine attached with various tactical and night vision scopes, depending on the operator. Their main sniper rifle is the Sako TRG-42
Sako TRG
Sako TRG-22/42 sniper rifles were developed by the Finnish firearm manufacturer SAKO of Riihimäki. The TRG-22 is designed to fire standard .308 Winchester ammunition, while the TRG-42 is designed to fire more powerful .300 Winchester Magnum and .338 Lapua Magnum ammunition and therefore has a...
(in-service designation Scharfschützengewehr 04 (SSGw 04)). The MP5SD3 submachine gun
Heckler & Koch MP5
The Heckler & Koch MP5 is a 9mm submachine gun of German design, developed in the 1960s by a team of engineers from the German small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH of Oberndorf am Neckar....
is the standard SMG used by the ARD 10.
Their equipment consists of knee protectors, kevlar helmets and anti-splinter vests. The ARD's main light infantry vehicle is the AGF
AGF (Light infantry vehicle)
The Rheinmetall LandSysteme Light Infantry Vehicle for Special Operations, or LIV , is a German light armoured utility vehicle developed from the Mercedes-Benz G-Class. It is also known by the names Serval, Wolf and AGF. As the name implies, the LIV is designed specifically for use by special...
.
Training
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
after completing their compulsory service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
with the Swiss Army
Military of Switzerland
The Swiss Armed Forces perform the roles of Switzerland's militia and regular army. Under the country's militia system, professional soldiers constitute about 5 percent of military personnel; the rest are male citizen conscripts 19 to 34 years old...
, which is then followed by 40 weeks with infiltration technique training. Candidates will be assessed prior to training their physical and mental state, as well as their health if they are fit to be qualified as ARD 10 soldiers. Candidates must also have clean records from their time after attending compulsory service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
.
Upon ending of training, all ARD 10 soldiers are required to be on standby in case of deployment.
Over 300 soldiers who apply for a position in the ARD 10, only 10 prospective soldiers are chosen for training as ARD 10 operators.
Among the specialist courses being taught to all prospective ARD 10 operators include the following:
- Mountain Specialists
- Amphibious Specialists
- Parachute Specialists
- Motorized Specialists
Work conditions
All ARD 10 soldiers are allowed to have a maximum of 20 days off from active service with the unit, as well as an addition of 5 days if required. Accommodations in terms of living quarters and food are taken care of by the unit itself without having the individual soldier pay. ARD 10 soldiers stay in the unit for 5 years. Efforts are underway to raise it up to 10 years of service with the ARD 10.ARD 10 soldiers are paid, depending on their marital status and economic standing. Extra pay ranges from 397 to 5,156 Swiss franc
Swiss franc
The franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein; it is also legal tender in the Italian exclave Campione d'Italia. Although not formally legal tender in the German exclave Büsingen , it is in wide daily use there...
s. Others are paid 4,111 Swiss franc
Swiss franc
The franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein; it is also legal tender in the Italian exclave Campione d'Italia. Although not formally legal tender in the German exclave Büsingen , it is in wide daily use there...
s if they have children with extra pay that includes 2,654 Swiss franc
Swiss franc
The franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein; it is also legal tender in the Italian exclave Campione d'Italia. Although not formally legal tender in the German exclave Büsingen , it is in wide daily use there...
s. ARD 10 soldiers are also paid if they are deployed abroad, depending on the nature of their mission. Soldiers are paid additionally 6.17 Swiss franc
Swiss franc
The franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein; it is also legal tender in the Italian exclave Campione d'Italia. Although not formally legal tender in the German exclave Büsingen , it is in wide daily use there...
s per hour for participating in night duties.
All ARD 10 soldiers have insurance as provided by the Swiss military
Military of Switzerland
The Swiss Armed Forces perform the roles of Switzerland's militia and regular army. Under the country's militia system, professional soldiers constitute about 5 percent of military personnel; the rest are male citizen conscripts 19 to 34 years old...
.
In addition, ARD 10 soldiers are to reimbursed according to federal law with an accommodation maximum of 130 Swiss franc
Swiss franc
The franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein; it is also legal tender in the Italian exclave Campione d'Italia. Although not formally legal tender in the German exclave Büsingen , it is in wide daily use there...
s.