GSG 9 der Bundespolizei, formerly Grenzschutzgruppe 9 (German for 'Border Guard Group 9'), is an elite special forces unit of the German Federal Police (Bundespolizei) to combat terrorism and violent and organized crime.[1] In addition to its headquarters location in Sankt Augustin-Hangelar near Bonn, it has a second location in Berlin.[1] Since 1 August 2017, it has been subordinate to the Federal Police Directorate 11.[1] The state police (Landespolizei) maintain their own regional tactical units known as the Spezialeinsatzkommando (SEK). The GSG 9 unit is made up of approximately 400 highly trained police officers and the identities of GSG 9 members are classified.[1][2] The specialised unit operates not only within Germany on a federal level, but also safeguards German interests located worldwide, such as embassy property and personnel.[1] Alongside the KSK military special forces of the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr), the GSG 9 can also be authorized to rescue citizens abroad in hostage situations.[3]
Border Guard Group 9 of Federal Police | |
---|---|
GSG 9 der Bundespolizei | |
Active | 26 September 1972 |
Country | Germany |
Agency | German Federal Police |
Type | Police tactical unit |
Role | |
Part of | Bundespolizeidirektion 11 |
Headquarters | Sankt Augustin |
Abbreviation | GSG 9 |
Structure | |
Operators | Approx. 400 |
Commanders | |
Current commander | Robert Hemmerling |
Notable commanders | Inaugural commander Ulrich Wegener |
Notables | |
Significant operation(s) |
|
Website | |
Official website |
On 5 September 1972, the Palestinian terrorist movement Black September infiltrated the Summer Olympic Games in Munich, West Germany, to kidnap 11 Israeli athletes, killing two in the Olympic Village in the initial assault on the athletes' rooms. The incident culminated when German police – who were neither trained nor equipped for counter-terrorism operations, and had underestimated the number of terrorists involved – attempted to rescue the athletes. Police did not have a specialized tactical sniper team at that time. The army had snipers, but the German Constitution did not allow the use of German Armed Forces on German soil during peacetime.
The police rescue failed, and the operation led to the deaths of one policeman, five of the eight kidnappers and all nine of the remaining hostages.
As a consequence of the mismanagement of the Olympic tragedy, the West German government created the GSG 9 under the leadership of then Oberstleutnant Ulrich Wegener so that similar situations in the future could be responded to adequately and professionally.[4] Many German politicians opposed its formation, fearing GSG 9 would rekindle memories of the Nazi Party's Schutzstaffel (SS). The decision was taken to form the unit from the Federal Border Guard (Bundesgrenzschutz), as opposed to the military similar to equivalent forces in other countries, on the ground that German federal law expressly forbids the use of the military forces against the civilian population. Composing the special force from police personnel would avoid that.
The unit was officially established on 26 September 1972 as a part of Germany's federal police agency, the Bundesgrenzschutz (BGS; Federal Border Guard, renamed Bundespolizei or Federal Police in 2005). The then-BGS did have something of a paramilitary nature, used military ranks (until 1976), had combatant status (until 1994), and can (at least theoretically) draw conscripts (presently[5]).
Many other countries have various anti-terrorist units based on GSG-9.[citation needed]
After renaming the Bundesgrenzschutz to Bundespolizei in 2005, the abbreviation "GSG 9" was kept because of the fame of the unit even though Border Guard Units became obsolete. The official way to refer to the unit is GSG9 der Bundespolizei (abbreviated GSG9 BPOL or GSG9).[6]
GSG 9 is deployed in cases of hostage-taking, kidnapping, terrorism, extortion and high-risk arrests e.g. in the area of serious and organised crime. An increasing number of arrests by the GSG 9 are conducted in the area of cybercrime which often requires quick arrests in order to preserve evidence. The number of deployments in cases of threats to the public safety has also increased. The unit is very active in developing and testing methods and tactics for these missions.
In contrast to the Spezialeinsatzkommandos of the states which are trained and equipped for similar missions, GSG 9 can only conduct operations in a state's jurisdiction with the state's consent. Operations on a federal level outside the Federal Republic of Germany require the foreign nation's consent, e.g. in a rescue operation of German citizens in a foreign country. Despite the paramilitary nature of the unit, GSG 9 officers are strictly limited to policing operations and can not engage in military conflict since GSG 9 officers are non-combatants under international law.
Until 2009, GSG 9 regularly deployed in foreign countries as part of a security detail to German embassies in hazardous regions. Due to the workload of these deployments, the PSA BPOL was created.[7]
From 1972 to 2003, GSG 9 reportedly completed over 1,500 missions,[8] discharging their weapons on only five occasions. At the SWAT World Challenge in 2005, GSG 9 won eight out of eight events, beating 17 other teams. GSG 9 defended its championship the following year,[9] and placed fifth in 2007.
Following the successful rescue operation of the Lufthansa Flight 181 hijack, GSG 9 received numerous requests from various countries to help train their respective special operations units. One example is when GSG 9 was consulted among other units during the creation of the US Army's Delta Force.[10]
Germany offered to render assistance to India in the wake of the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. GSG 9 helped train and upgrade the National Security Guard, the primary Indian counter-terrorism unit.[11] Further help was provided to the Mumbai Police so that they could raise a police tactical unit.[12]
The suspected involvement of retired GSG 9 operators in training Libyan security forces in 2008 led to harsh criticism in German media coverage.[13] The assistance in training Belarusian security forces from 2008 to 2011 by GSG 9 has also been heavily criticized.[14][15]
In 2015, GSG 9 commenced training the specialised BFE+ operators of the Arrest units of the German Federal Police.
Its first mission, "Operation Feuerzauber" (Operation "Magic Fire"),[16] immediately established the reputation of GSG 9 as an elite unit. It was carried out in 1977 when Palestinian terrorists hijacked the Landshut, a Lufthansa plane on the way from Palma de Mallorca to Frankfurt, demanding that imprisoned members of the German Red Army Faction terrorist group be freed in exchange for the passengers and crew who would be held as hostages. The aircraft was then flown to several destinations throughout the Middle East. During this time, the Lufthansa captain Jürgen Schumann was murdered by the leader of the hijackers in Aden.
However, West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt negotiated an agreement with Somali President Siad Barre who allowed the West German tactical unit of the GSG 9 to take over control of the crisis and then storm the plane; with this, special envoy Hans-Jürgen Wischnewski and police commander Ulrich Wegener traveled to Mogadishu with a team of 30 GSG 9 commandos.[17]
Following a four-day odyssey, the hijackers directed the Boeing 737 to Mogadishu, Somalia, where they waited for the arrival of the Red Army Faction members after the German government had (falsely) signalled they would be released. In the night between October 17 and October 18, Somali ranger units created a distraction, while members of the GSG 9 stormed the plane.[18]
The operation lasted seven minutes and was successful with all of the hostages rescued. Three hijackers died, the fourth was seriously injured. Only one GSG 9 member and one flight attendant were injured. The international counter-terrorism community applauded the GSG 9 for the excellent and professional handling of the situation, as assaults on planes are considered to be one of the most difficult operations that a hostage rescue force is likely to attempt. To support the GSG 9 action, two accompanying British SAS advisers provided some newly developed flash bang grenades, but ultimately the flash bangs were never used due to the fire risk inside the aircraft cabin.
Note: The majority of this unit's missions are confidential and public information is not available. Since its inception, GSG 9 has participated in over 1,500 missions, yet reportedly fired shots only on five occasions (official count, prior to the 2003 Iraq War). These occasions were Mogadishu in 1977, Bad Kleinen in 1993, Aachen in 1999 and two more missions where firearms were used to shoot dogs of the persons being arrested.
The unit forms part of the German Bundespolizei (Federal Police, formerly Bundesgrenzschutz), and thus has normal police powers, including, for example, the power of arrest. The Federal Police of Germany (and thus the GSG 9) is under the control of the Federal Ministry of the Interior. The Bundespolizei also provides aerial transportation for the GSG 9.
On August 1, 2017, GSG 9 was transferred to the Federal Police Directorate 11 which was established as a supreme command for all special operations units of the German Federal Police.[27]
After undergoing a process of reorganizing, the GSG 9's operational section is divided into four sub-groups called Einsatzeinheiten.[28] All groups are capable to conducting regular operations which may involve cases of hostage taking, defusing bombs, kidnapping, terrorism or extortion. The group may also be used to secure locations, neutralize targets, sniping, and tracking fugitives.
Three of the four units are further specialized in the following fields:[29]
The operational units are supported by various support units which include:
The GSG 9 is based in Sankt Augustin-Hangelar near Bonn. Since 2018, a second station was established for one of the four GSG9 operational units in Berlin in order to reduce response times for missions in or near Berlin.[28][33]
The respective commanders of the GSG9 are the only members appearing publicly with their identity. All commanders have previously served as active operators.
Members of the Bundespolizei and other German police services below the age of 34 with at least two years of service can apply for the selection process of the GSG 9.
Candidates for the GSG 9 undergo five days of assessment in order to be accepted into the training cycle. The tests include medical examinations, psychological assessments, marksmanship training with pistol and submachine gun, oral interviews and a physical test which includes:[34]
Approximately 10-15% of all candidates pass the selection phase and are accepted in to the basic training section.
The subsequent 4.5-month training period includes the basic and specialized training.[35] During the basic training section candidates undergo vigorous training which prepares them for their tasks as operators in the GSG9. The training includes marksmanship training, tactical courses, close quarter combat, land navigation, climbing, rappelling and medical training. The basic training concludes with the final week of rigorous testing where candidates are forced to demonstrate their skills under enormous stress.
Upon successful completion of the basic training, candidates undergo various training sections for their respective specialisation. These may include parachuting, maritime operations, advanced marksmanship, advanced medical skills or EOD techniques.
Successful completion of all training cycles allows GSG9 operators to wear the GSG9 badge on their uniforms and given the title police officer for special purposes in accordance with their rank.[35]
Further training often involves co-operation with other allied counter-terrorism units like Israel's Yamam, France’s Groupe d'intervention de la Gendarmerie nationale (GIGN) or (National Gendarmerie Intervention Group) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Hostage Rescue Team from the United States.[36][37]
GSG 9 won the 2012 Annual Warrior Competition defeating the defending 2011 champion EKO Cobra.[41]
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