Original SWAT World Challenge

There is this SWAT sporting event in Arkansas where the GSG 9 team has won 2 years in a row (2005/2006). It is billed as a major special forces teams event but in the end, it is a capitalistic gimmick to sell boots to walther mittys of the world. The thing that bothers me is that since GSG 9 won the tournament, I thought it was among such teams as SAS, SEALs, DELTA force, GIGN, etc. But it is not. It has such teams as the Taiwan SWAT team and the 2nd place goes to the San Antono SWAT.

Okay, so its a SWAT event, but why does GSG 9 buy into this rubbish? It is deceptive advertising and GSG 9 should not attend further until teams from other world class CT forces also join.

Here's a bit of WIKI info on the contest.

Love to be able to observe these competitions. Are they open to the public?

Originally posted by masqua
Here's a bit of WIKI info on the contest.

Love to be able to observe these competitions. Are they open to the public?

It was televised on a channel called VERSUS (you missed it last month). It is held at a National Guard armoury in Little Rock Arkansas called Camp Robinson. I am sure they will let you in to see the event.

There is another one called the Northeastern SWAT Challenge held by the Pennsylvania National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap, Annville, Pennsylvania on November 14-15, 2007. My point was that GSG 9 shouldn't sell itself cheap to a commercial sponsored event, but I agree it should be quite interesting in any event just to watch.

GSG-9 IS NOT a SWAT team they are the special forces unit of Germany's paramilitary national police force called the Bundespolizei. The World SWAT Competition should be for civilian police force SWAT type teams only.

A paramilitary police force cannot be compared with your average US law enforcement agency as the concept of civilian police forces like we have in the US simply does not exist outside the US, Canada, Australia, Western Europe, etc. Its like comparing the US Army's Military Police Corps to the security guards at the mall.

Exactly, ParaMil Police don't compare to SWAT personel and visa versa, how ever look at it this way. Our American local city police are and do compete with international class "elite units".

All in all, some SWAT members are former military, and also SF guys. Not to mention a few SWAT forces have trained with SF, hence recent rifle to pistol/pistol to rifle drills they have done in the past few years.

Why US Military were teaching this, I can't say, but applications can easily be imagined. For what it is worth, let the competitions continue, it only makes every one that much better.

Now if onyl we could get the bad guys to have an international terrorist competition, then we could send in the good guys to show them how it is done, real time.

Originally posted by ChrisF231
GSG-9 IS NOT a SWAT team they are the special forces unit of Germany's paramilitary national police force called the Bundespolizei. The World SWAT Competition should be for civilian police force SWAT type teams only.

A paramilitary police force cannot be compared with your average US law enforcement agency as the concept of civilian police forces like we have in the US simply does not exist outside the US, Canada, Australia, Western Europe, etc. Its like comparing the US Army's Military Police Corps to the security guards at the mall.

GSG 9 is now like the FBI SWAT/HRT. GSG 9 can no longer operate outside Germany, that role has been assumed by the KSK since 2003. So its not a matter of comparing military vs police, the GSG 9 like the GIGN is just several classes above local municipal US SWAT teams.

Actually, most big metropolis throughout the world have SWAT teams. In Germany, you have the KSK which is military, the GSG 9 which is the Federal Police (Bundespolizei) and local municipal reaction teams of local city police which are equivalent of US municipal SWAT.

So, a real class competition would be one for FBI SWAT/HRT, GSG 9, GIGN etc., then another for KSK, SAS, Delta Force, USN SEALs etc. and finally one for San Anton SWAT, Osaka polico SWAT, Sydney Harbour police rapid reaction team, Kampala police etc.

SWAT = Special Weapons And Tactics

I'm pretty sure any team that is SWAT capable should be able to compete. That means every countries special forces. Although, don't expect Navy SEALS to join the fun, as they are not going to just show their tactics and abilities for no reason.

looking at the current rankings on the wikipedia page, every team is from the US (local municipal police authorities), apart from GSG9. A bit strange

go swat! im going to join the special forces next summer so wish me luck.im gonna be the next splinter cell thats why i have to train my legs every day

Originally posted by Unisol
go swat!

im going to join the special forces next summer so wish me luck.im gonna be the next splinter cell

thats why i have to train my legs every day

Take it seriously. You first got to join up with the regular army, then jump school, then sign up for special forces. I would recommend infantry basic school before also. Don't think of it as splinter cell, think of it as exporting American values to the far corners of the world. Before the far corners can drink and afford as much coca cola as they want, they gotta first fight for it. You will be a warrior missionary for the American ideal. Oops, maybe you meant some other special forces.............

Some points:
1. The "Bundespolizei" isn´t a "Paramilitary force" any more. They were for a few decades after their conception (whoch happened before the introduction of the Bundeswehr in ´56). Nowadays the Bundespolizei is simply an national security organization, to help and amend state police as well as support national interests like customs.

2. GSG9 was INVITED to the SWAT challenge. The reasons for this are obvious: to act as an example and motivation for the other teams. That the GSG9 is far beyond, in certain areas, than any municipal SWAT team is out of the question. I don´t think any participant ever doubted this. Likewise, the GSG took part to encourage international communication of law enforcement, and not because they thought they had to "prove" anything.

3. GSG9 can still be deployed abroad. Gruesome proof of that are the various dead GSG9 officers in Iraq and Afghanistan. The difference to the KSK is that the help of the GSG9 has to be requested by local authorities, while the KSK, as part of the Bundeswehr, may act under any international deployment of german troops (which has to be legalized by international resolutions).

I just noticed that there is another thread on same subject at

www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread150451/pg1

Sorry.