14th Intelligence Company

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14th Intelligence Company

active 1970 to 2005
Country United KingdomUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Armed forces Triserv-600.jpg United Kingdom Armed Forces
Armed forces British ArmyUnited Kingdom (flag of the British Army) British Army
Type Reconnaissance and observation unit
Insinuation United Kingdom Special Forces
headquarters RAF Aldergrove

The 14 Intelligence Company was a special unit of the British Army , which served in Northern Ireland as an operational intelligence reconnaissance component of the Intelligence Corps until 2005 .

assignment

The unit was set up in 1970 to investigate identified and suspected members of the IRA , their environment and other terrorist elements. Another focus of observation was the surveillance of the Northern Irish loyalists with their paramilitary and terrorist groups such as the Ulster Defense Association (UDA), the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF), the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) and the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF).

The 14 Intelligence Company regularly worked covertly with human sources ( HUMINT ), but also operated electronic reconnaissance ( SIGINT ).

The name of the unit had no traditional reference and can be seen as a simple functional designation. The term 14th was common in the poor internal jargon . Another common nickname was: "the Det" (derived from English detachment , here German department ).

Soldiers were similar to the US Delta Force unit internal "operators" (Engl .: operator ) called. Originally unique within the UK's military special forces, it also recruited women from the start. It was not until the Special Reconnaissance Regiment set up in 2005 that women were also employed.

Since the unit was secret , its public awareness is relatively low. Publications come primarily from former relatives.

organization

The unit consisted of four main departments with different operational focuses:

  • Mobile Reconnaissance Force ( MRF ) (German Mobile Reconnaissance Group )
  • 14 Intelligence and Security Company (German 14th Secret Service and Security Company )
  • Army Support Unit (German Army Support Group )
  • Joint Communications Unit (Northern Ireland) ( United Telecommunication and Communication Unit , Northern Ireland )

These four departments formed the "East Det" (the East Department ) stationed in the Palace Barracks , the "North Det" in Ballykelly , the "South Det" in Fermanagh and the "Main Det" (the main department ) on Royal Air Force Base Aldergrove ( RAF Aldergrove ).

Recruitment and training

The unit recruited its soldiers from other military formations, from intelligence services and also from police circles. This met with criticism again and again within the British military, as the unit was entitled, due to its high priority status in comparison to other units, to select or request the necessary and suitable soldiers based on the personnel lists.

All newcomers went through a 9 to 18 month special training, regardless of their already existing training and later planned use .

In addition, parts of the United Kingdom Special Forces were assigned to the 14 Intelligence Company if necessary .

history

Set up in the early 1970s, the area of ​​operation was Northern Ireland. In view of the growing global terrorist threat, the 14 Intelligence Company was also used more and more frequently abroad to covertly investigate - usually the tasks of the Secret Intelligence Service (colloquially "MI 6") or the Special Air Service .

This development was taken into account in 2005 with the establishment of the Special Reconnaissance Regiment, an independent reconnaissance and surveillance component of the British Army. Its focus is global reconnaissance, surveillance and the fight against terrorism .

According to observers, the 14 Intelligence Company was essentially absorbed into the new unit. Because of the still valid secret status, it is not clear whether this happened completely or only partially. The British government has not commented on this. However, it can be assumed that parts of the unit will continue to be active in their original area of ​​operation, Northern Ireland, whether as SRR or in other units.

literature

The operations of the 14th were vividly described in their books by the former surgeons James Rennie and Sarah Ford .

  • James Rennie, The Operators: On the Streets with Britain's Most Secret Service ( ISBN 1-84415-099-2 )
  • Sarah Ford, One Up: A Woman in Action with the SAS ( ISBN 0-00-638837-X )
  • "Jackie George", She Who Dared: Covert Operations in Northern Ireland with the SAS ( ISBN 0-85052-686-8 )

Web links