Bijzondere Bijstands Eenheid
Encyclopedia
The Unit Interventie Mariniers (Unit Intervention Marines, UIM), formerly known as the Bijzondere Bijstands Eenheid (BBE), is an elite Dutch
special forces
unit, which is specially trained for intervention missions. It consists of a selection of specially trained marines of the Dutch Marine Corps, and it is part of the Maritime Special Operations Forces (MARSOF), which is the maritime counterpart of the Dutch Army's Korps Commandotroepen
.
unit that is specialized in counter-terrorism operations. It is able to operate in and outside of the Netherlands, with emphasis on maritime special operations. This also includes long-range reconnaissance, direct action and military assistance operations, both foreign and domestic, often in conjunction with SF units of the Maritime Special Operations Forces (MARSOF).
Similar units are the French GIGN
and German GSG 9
.
, when 11 Israeli athletes were murdered by Palestine pro-Fatah
militants. The government felt the urge of protecting the nation against such incidents in the future, and so members of the Dutch Marine Corps were selected for this special unit. Marines were chosen because, at that time, they were particularly notorious: Dutch marines are hardened, highly trained, professional soldiers. The creation of an counter-terrorism unit within the Marine Corps would help relieve the Corps from this negative image.
On July 1, 2006, a new government organ, Dienst Speciale Interventies (DSI) was founded. This is a joint operations centre for counter-terrorism actions in the Netherlands
. Members of the UIM and special police units work together, and form a Unit Interventie, which is a joint task force of Defence and police personnel.
The best-known intervention mission was ending the combined siege of a train
and a primary school
, which was done by South-Moluccan terrorists. The UIM managed to kill the 6 captors on the train during a short but precise raid. Unfortunately, 2 hostages did not survive this. The raid was successful due to the fact that the Royal Netherlands Air Force
was called in, with 6 F-104 Starfighter
aircraft making very low flypast
manoeuvres in full afterburn. This was mainly a distraction, allowing for a swift raid and the killing of the six captors on board. The siege at the primary school ended not long after the train siege had ended.
On 13 March 1978, the UIM responded to a province hall hostage crisis
in Assen
. The raid came just in time: the hijackers had almost executed two people.
A known operation of the UIM was at on 10 November 2004 in The Hague
. The police
had tried to arrest Ismail A. and Jason W. (members of the Hofstad Network
) in a house at the Laakkwartier, but failed, as three police officers had been injured by grenades thrown at them by the terrorists. UIM operators were ordered to secure and maintain the site. After a successful raid, the two young terrorists were arrested.
In 2008, the UIM had been active in the seas near Somalia as a security detachment for the Royal Netherlands Navy
frigate Hr. Ms. De Ruyter, that was tasked with the escort of cargo ships that were contracted by the United Nations
' World Food Programme
. The unit was deployed several times to fight off pirates that attempted in raiding the ships, and some teams were stationed on some of the ships as well.
In April of 2010, an UIM-team embarked on board Hr. Ms. Tromp re-captured the German container ship MS Taipan off the coast of Somalia, that was under the control of Somali pirates. Though multiple shots were fired, including a machine gun barrage on the ship's bridge, the only injury was an operator that was slightly injured when he fell while storming the ship. A video released by the Royal Netherlands Navy, shows helmet camera
footage of the Marines storming and re-taking the ship.
The Royal Netherlands Navy
helicopters provide strategic and tactical airlift, and additional support.
Two Dienst Luchtvaart Politie
(Police Aviation Service) AW139 medium sized helicopters are also available for use by the Dienst Speciale Interventies.
It is important to note, however, that UIM operators have been reluctant to use deadly force in the past, instead preferring to use non-lethal methods, intimidation, and non-discriminate fire (shoot only when being shot at) that enable them to capture instead of to kill.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
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...
unit, which is specially trained for intervention missions. It consists of a selection of specially trained marines of the Dutch Marine Corps, and it is part of the Maritime Special Operations Forces (MARSOF), which is the maritime counterpart of the Dutch Army's Korps Commandotroepen
Korps Commandotroepen
The Korps Commandotroepen are the elite special forces of the Royal Netherlands Army. It is one of the two principal units tasked with special operations in the Netherlands , and it is deployable anywhere in the world under any circumstance, conducting all conceivable missions from...
.
Unit Interventie Mariniers
The Unit Interventie Mariniers is a special forcesSpecial 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 that is specialized in counter-terrorism operations. It is able to operate in and outside of the Netherlands, with emphasis on maritime special operations. This also includes long-range reconnaissance, direct action and military assistance operations, both foreign and domestic, often in conjunction with SF units of the Maritime Special Operations Forces (MARSOF).
Similar units are the French GIGN
Groupe d'Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale
The National Gendarmerie Intervention Group, commonly abbreviated GIGN , is a special operations unit of the French Armed Forces. It is part of the National Gendarmerie and is trained to perform counter-terrorist and hostage rescue missions in France or anywhere else in the world.The GIGN was...
and German GSG 9
GSG 9
The GSG 9 der Bundespolizei , is the elite counter-terrorism and special operations unit of the German Federal Police.-History and name:...
.
Tasks
- To conduct special operations on sea and land;
- To conduct quick-reaction counter-terrorismCounter-terrorismCounter-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...
and hostage release operations in the Netherlands; - To provide quick-reaction maritime intervention (harbours, oil platforms, ships, etc.);
- To assist the Dutch police and Royal Marechaussee in domestic joint law enforcement and counter-terrorism operations;
- To act as a security detachment on board the Royal Netherlands NavyRoyal Netherlands NavyThe Koninklijke Marine is the navy of the Netherlands. In the mid-17th century the Dutch Navy was the most powerful navy in the world and it played an active role in the wars of the Dutch Republic and later those of the Batavian Republic and the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
ships during humanitarian or peace-enforcing/-keeping missions;
History
On 22 February 1973, the Dutch government officially created a specialist counter-terrorism unit in response to the Munich massacreMunich massacre
The Munich massacre is an informal name for events that occurred during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Bavaria in southern West Germany, when members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage and eventually killed by the Palestinian group Black September. Members of Black September...
, when 11 Israeli athletes were murdered by Palestine pro-Fatah
Fatah
Fataḥ is a major Palestinian political party and the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization , a multi-party confederation. In Palestinian politics it is on the left-wing of the spectrum; it is mainly nationalist, although not predominantly socialist. Its official goals are found...
militants. The government felt the urge of protecting the nation against such incidents in the future, and so members of the Dutch Marine Corps were selected for this special unit. Marines were chosen because, at that time, they were particularly notorious: Dutch marines are hardened, highly trained, professional soldiers. The creation of an counter-terrorism unit within the Marine Corps would help relieve the Corps from this negative image.
On July 1, 2006, a new government organ, Dienst Speciale Interventies (DSI) was founded. This is a joint operations centre for counter-terrorism actions in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. Members of the UIM and special police units work together, and form a Unit Interventie, which is a joint task force of Defence and police personnel.
Dienst Speciale Interventies
The Dienst Speciale Interventies is the joint operations centre for domestic CT operations, and it combines special units from the Ministries of Defence and Justice. These units are:- Unit Interventie Mariniers (UIM - the crack CT unit of the Netherlands Marine CorpsNetherlands Marine CorpsThe Korps Mariniers is the marine corps and amphibious infantry component of the Royal Netherlands Navy. The marines are trained to operate anywhere in the world in all environments, under any condition and circumstance, as a rapid reaction force. The Korps Mariniers can be deployed to a given...
); - Brigade Speciale Beveiligingsopdrachten (BSB - special security unit of the Royal Marechaussee)
- Arrestatieteam (AT - the SWAT-team of the Dutch police)
Operations
The UIM (or BBE Mariniers prior to 2005) has seen a lot of action since its creation. The first real intervention mission was the recapture of the Scheveningen prison in October 1974. Operators used hand-to-hand combat and stun grenades against jailed terrorists, who had revolted and held the prison under siege.The best-known intervention mission was ending the combined siege of a train
1977 Dutch train hostage crisis
On May 23, 1977 a train hijacking took place close to Drentsche Aa river bridge at de Punt on the provincial border between Groningen and Drenthe, northeastern Netherlands. Nine armed Moluccans pulled the emergency brake around 9 AM and took about 50 people as hostages...
and a primary school
1977 Dutch school hostage crisis
On the morning of Monday, May 23, 1977, four armed South-Moluccans took hostage of 105 children and their 5 teachers at a primary school in Bovensmilde in the Dutch province of Drenthe. At the same time nine others hijacked a train in the nearby De Punt...
, which was done by South-Moluccan terrorists. The UIM managed to kill the 6 captors on the train during a short but precise raid. Unfortunately, 2 hostages did not survive this. The raid was successful due to the fact that the Royal Netherlands Air Force
Royal Netherlands Air Force
The Royal Netherlands Air Force , Dutch Koninklijke Luchtmacht , is the military aviation branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. Its ancestor, the Luchtvaartafdeling of the Dutch Army was founded on 1 July 1913, with four pilots...
was called in, with 6 F-104 Starfighter
F-104 Starfighter
The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is a single-engine, high-performance, supersonic interceptor aircraft originally developed for the United States Air Force by Lockheed. One of the Century Series of aircraft, it served with the USAF from 1958 until 1969, and continued with Air National Guard units...
aircraft making very low flypast
Flypast
Flypast is a term used in the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth, and other countries to denote ceremonial or honorific flights by groups of aircraft and, rarely, by a single aircraft...
manoeuvres in full afterburn. This was mainly a distraction, allowing for a swift raid and the killing of the six captors on board. The siege at the primary school ended not long after the train siege had ended.
On 13 March 1978, the UIM responded to a province hall hostage crisis
1978 Dutch province hall hostage crisis
In the morning of March 13, 1978, at 9:45AM three South-Moluccans seized the province hall in Assen, the Netherlands. Some of the people inside could escape by jumping out of the window, including the Queen's Commissioner of the Drenthe province....
in Assen
Assen
Assen is a municipality and a city in the north eastern Netherlands, capital of the province of Drenthe. It received city rights in 1809. Assen's main claim to fame is the TT Circuit Assen the motorcycle racing circuit, where on the last Saturday in June the Dutch TT is run...
. The raid came just in time: the hijackers had almost executed two people.
A known operation of the UIM was at on 10 November 2004 in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
. The police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
had tried to arrest Ismail A. and Jason W. (members of the Hofstad Network
Hofstad Network
The Hofstad Network is an Islamist group of mostly young Dutch Muslims of mainly Moroccan ancestry.The name "Hofstad" was originally the codename the Dutch secret service AIVD used for a set of individuals and leaked to the media...
) in a house at the Laakkwartier, but failed, as three police officers had been injured by grenades thrown at them by the terrorists. UIM operators were ordered to secure and maintain the site. After a successful raid, the two young terrorists were arrested.
In 2008, the UIM had been active in the seas near Somalia as a security detachment for the Royal Netherlands Navy
Royal Netherlands Navy
The Koninklijke Marine is the navy of the Netherlands. In the mid-17th century the Dutch Navy was the most powerful navy in the world and it played an active role in the wars of the Dutch Republic and later those of the Batavian Republic and the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
frigate Hr. Ms. De Ruyter, that was tasked with the escort of cargo ships that were contracted by the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
' World Food Programme
World Food Programme
The World Food Programme is the food aid branch of the United Nations, and the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger worldwide. WFP provides food, on average, to 90 million people per year, 58 million of whom are children...
. The unit was deployed several times to fight off pirates that attempted in raiding the ships, and some teams were stationed on some of the ships as well.
In April of 2010, an UIM-team embarked on board Hr. Ms. Tromp re-captured the German container ship MS Taipan off the coast of Somalia, that was under the control of Somali pirates. Though multiple shots were fired, including a machine gun barrage on the ship's bridge, the only injury was an operator that was slightly injured when he fell while storming the ship. A video released by the Royal Netherlands Navy, shows helmet camera
Helmet camera
A helmet camera, otherwise known as a micro video camera, bullet camera, or lipstick camera, is a camera attached to a helmet allowing someone to make a visual record from their point of view , while keeping their hands and vision free....
footage of the Marines storming and re-taking the ship.
Equipment
The UIM uses a variety of weapons:- Accuracy International AWSM-FAccuracy International AWMThe AWM is a sniper rifle manufactured by Accuracy International. It is also known as the AWSM , which typically denotes the .338 Lapua Magnum version.-The Arctic Warfare Magnum system:...
sniper rifle - Diemaco C8 carbine
- Astra Arms StG4 carbine
- FN P90FN P90The FN P90 is a selective fire personal defense weapon designed and manufactured by FN Herstal in Belgium. The P90's name is taken from 1990, the year it was introduced...
sub-machine gun - Glock 17 pistol.
- Sig Sauer P226 pistol.
- Heckler & Koch MP5Heckler & Koch MP5The 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....
sub-machine gun - Heckler & Koch HK416 assault rifle
- Heckler & KochHeckler & KochHeckler & Koch GmbH is a German defense manufacturing company that produces various small arms. Some of their products include the SA80, MP5 submachine gun, G3 automatic rifle, the G36 assault rifle, the HK 416, the MP7 personal defense weapon, the USP series of handguns, and the high-precision...
MSG-90 sniper rifle - Steyr SSG sniper rifle.
The Royal Netherlands Navy
Royal Netherlands Navy
The Koninklijke Marine is the navy of the Netherlands. In the mid-17th century the Dutch Navy was the most powerful navy in the world and it played an active role in the wars of the Dutch Republic and later those of the Batavian Republic and the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
helicopters provide strategic and tactical airlift, and additional support.
Two Dienst Luchtvaart Politie
Dienst Luchtvaart Politie
thumb|right|250px|[[MBB Bo 105]] helicopter from the Dienst Luchtvaart Politie on displayThe Dienst Luchtvaartpolitie is the aviation branch of the Dutch Korps landelijke politiediensten . They operate a fleet of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters for various law enforcement purposes and...
(Police Aviation Service) AW139 medium sized helicopters are also available for use by the Dienst Speciale Interventies.
It is important to note, however, that UIM operators have been reluctant to use deadly force in the past, instead preferring to use non-lethal methods, intimidation, and non-discriminate fire (shoot only when being shot at) that enable them to capture instead of to kill.