E-Squadron, UK Special Forces.

So I have been thinking about writing this thread for quite some time and I have never quite gotten round to it because I have always been awaiting more information to come out about this subject, I have been awaiting a former operative to come forward or something that I can use to put together a historical narrative of what is known about this organization but so far the available information is very limited on this unit.

The unit that I refer to is of course....

E-Squadron!

Now due to this lack of information on the topic, much of which is speculation with a few interesting factoids in the mix what follows is more of a information dump of what I could find online and I would be very happy if any other members have any more information to post it in this thread

So to start with just what the hell is this “E-Squadron” I am talking about.

Well based on what I have gathered it is unit of the UK Special Forces (UKSF) Directorate made up of handpicked members of 22 Special Air Service (SAS), the Special Boat Service (SBS) and the Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR) possibly with other elements of British Armed Forces such as the Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing. E-Squadron has a very specific role to perform with in the UK establishment, E-Squadron’s role is to conduct deniable operations and assist Her Majesties Secret Intelligence Service (SIS, MI6). One could think of them almost as a UK equivalent of the CIA's Special Activities Division however they are not exactly the same.

It would seem highly probably the E-Squadron was created during April of 2005 as it was at this time that two other UK special Forces elements were created; the aforementioned SRR and the UK Special Forces Support Group. Before E-Squadron another group known only as the Increment exists and that is perhaps the best place to start looking at the history of E-Squadron.

The Increment.

The Increment (which may or may not be its actual name and may or may not also be called “Group 13) as alluded to before was essentially a element of active or retired UKSF who would be seconded to work with MI6. The details of the Increment are very sketchy, its roots can be traced by to the Special Operations Executive of World War two. It first became public was in Richard Tomlinson’s book “the big breach” in which he discussed this shadowy group he called the Increment. Over the years the Increment has been allegedly involved in several “black-ops” under the direction of the UK government such as the assassination of David Kelly, plotting to assassinate Gaddafi and various Serb leaders and most recently it has been implicated a allegation regarding the death of princess Diana, for those interested I have also authored this thread regarding regarding the fate of BA Flight 149 during the first Gulf War.
Indeed some may also know the increment from reading the books of ex-SAS man Chris Ryan, who on his blog as this to say about the Increment.

I've been asked if the Increment is real, and if the kind of deniable 'black' ops I depict in my novel of that title really happen. The Increment most definitely exists. It's a small group of badged guys who are part of E Squadron. They are specially selected for their skill, which is amazing even by SAS standards. They have to undergo incredibly stringent background security checks because they are entrusted with the most sensitive operations within the entire military. To be a member of the Increment is to be the best of the best.

hmmm... E-Squadron.....

So ex-SAS man Chris Ryan seems to be saying that the increment is actually E-Squadron now.

I have done some digging and found out some rather interesting stuff.

Firstly there is this video, which I want to emphasize I have some serious doubts about but all the same it is one of the few sources online discussing E-Squadron.


However there is also this to be found regarding E-Squadron’s operation inside Libya during Operation Ellamy (remember the SAS guys caught by a bunch of farmers, they were E-Squadron guys).


This documentary is perhaps the best documentary evidence of E-Squadron’s existence and wider involvement in the Libya conflict. It is by Mark Urban the author of Task-Force Black. I would strongly recommend that anyone interested in E-Squadron take time to watch this documentary and to also read this related BBC News article which says that.

The existence of E Squadron is well known within the special forces community but has not hitherto been discussed publicly.

It was formed five years ago to work closely with the intelligence service MI6, and is mainly involved in missions where maximum discretion is required, say Whitehall insiders.

Its role as a small, handpicked force operating with MI6 makes it the modern-day successor to the shadowy cell sometimes referred to as the Increment. While the existence of teams of this kind is a gift for thriller writers looking to insert a hit team of hardened SAS men into their plotline, the reality of E Squadron's operations has been a little more prosaic.

This picture below may be the only one of active E-Squadron troops.





There is also a murmur that E-Squadron was in Sahara in 2009 to assist in the possible rescue of a British hostage however were eventually stood down. It is also very possible they have been involved in recent events in Syria but beyond that so far all we can really do is speculate.

Anyway like I said at the start of this thread, any further information that my fellow members could provide would be much appreciated.

reply to post by OtherSideOfTheCoin


Great thread, I love learning about stuff like this it's absolutely fascinating stuff.

S & F

Tell me, in your honest opinion. Would you find it worth the risk of using say chemical weapons to take a squadron out such as the E-Squadron?

Would it be a justifiable risk in terms of possible/probable escalation?

reply to post by RAY1990


By that question are you asking if i believe that chemical weapons were used by the Assad Regime as a means to remove E-Squadron from Syria?

if so they answer is no, i dont believe that Assad used chemical weapons in response to E-Squadrons presence in Syria.

The television series 'Strike Back' is the closest representation of the Increment that I know of, check it out! It's awesome and not just all about explosions and headshots.

Really interesting stuff, if only we could be flies on the wall.

reply to post by Sozen94


thats a very good comparison, the first season of that show was actually based on a book by Chris Ryan who is mentioned in the OP discussing the Increment.

I love that show by the way, I am waiting for the new season to finish and come out on DVD because i cant handle the cliff hangers each episode.

Ok
The increment - currently serving troops
G-13 - former serving troops
E sqn - announced as X sqn and formed in 05 changed to E sqn very quickly ( someone didnt like the sound of x-ray squadron )
For deep strike ops operating with a mission statement allowing for more freedom on those big snap decisions free from higher command and politics

Now the question is if E sqn is the evolution of the increment

reply to post by Neocrusader


The problem with units like this is that we never really know very much about them

the main difference as i have always seen it between the increment and Group 13 is serving and none serving but then again depending on what literature you are reading it is entirely possible that the increment and Group 13 are the same. So its very difficult to tell.

What is also increasingly apparent is that the "increment" in its old days was a very lose group members who would be seconded for a special project with SIS. Now however it would seem that E-Squadron is much more organized as a permanent group which would make sense we when we look world events that SIS would want their own ability to operate in hostile areas.

I'm not sure posting potential pictures of them is a good idea, surely that might put people at risk?

I'll give you a flag tho for an interesting thread

reply to post by oxford


true but its in the public domain it came from Al-Jazeera so its not like I have posted anything thats not already out in the public.

reply to post by OtherSideOfTheCoin]

 

Dunno what you're reading
But group 13 and the inc. are indeed 2 seperate units
And the inc did detach out it's troops to other units and agencies and now yes they are a more coherent unit with its own ops but still heavily det out


From what I've heard