Mexican Navy/Marines SOF

[goodvibes33]

Hi guys this is my latest Mexican SOF post and this time I will take about the Mexican Navy UNOPES (Unidad de Operaciones Especiales) which is the Mexican counterpart of the NSW/MARSOC commands.

UNOPES has the next units:

-FES (Special Forces)
-Comandos de Infantería de Marina (Marines Commando)
-BIMFUSPAR (Marine Infantry Airborne Company)
-Grupo Logístico (Logistics Group)
-BIM-27 (27th Marine Infantry Battalion)

Fuerzas Especiales "FES"

(Navy FES badge)

-600 active duty personnel
-3 FES groups
-Motto is "Fuerza, Espíritu, Sabiduría" (Force, Spirit, Wisdom)

The Mexican Navy FES are the main SOF unit in under the command of UNOPES, the first generation of FES members were volunteers selected from the best of BIMFUSPAR and other minor Marine Infantry units, the first FES class started in April of 2001 and ended up on July of 2002, at this moment the FES course takes about 53 weeks and it's realized in the CCAEIM (Marine Infantry Specialized Training Center) and only about the 15% gets selected for Navy FES, as well Navy FES are divided in 3 groups: FESPA (Special Forces-Pacific), FESCENT (Special Forces-Center) and FESGO (Special Forces-Gulf); while both FESPA and FESGO have about 220 members, FESCENT just have 160 members especially preprared for critical tasks missions, Navy FES usually cross training with regional partners like US Navy SEALs and MARSOC Raiders, Colombian Navy SOF and as well with international PMCs, Navy FES has been part of the most notorious operations in the Mexican War on Drugs the last decade like Operation Tlatelolco in 2015 and Operation Black Swan in 2016; also Navy FES has captured and neutralize HVTs like Joaquin Guzman Loera "El Chapo" and Arturo Beltran Leyva "Jefe de Jefes".

Navy FES photos and videos

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1117678411709501

(FESGO traning with ST2)

 

[goodvibes33]

Comandos de Infantería de Marina

(Comandos de Infantería de Marina badge)

-400 active duty personnel
-2 Comandos Battalions
-Motto is “Olvidando jamás que un comando es un marino de élite que llega a la línea de batalla por tierra, mar o aire” (Never forgetting that a commando is an elite marine who arrives at the line of battle by land, sea or air)

The Mexican Comandos de Infantería de Marina are the main reconnaissance asset under the UNOPES command, Comandos de Infantería de Marina has their roots not in an actual unit but in two extinct Mexican Marines courses: Curso de Contra-guerrilla (The Counterinsurgency Course) and Curso Israelí (Israeli Course) both were pretty much 20th century commando type courses and with the years the Secretaria de Marina (Mexican Department of Navy) decided to create the Comandos de Infantería de Marina in 2001 to support FES groups; the Comandos course is about 7 weeks, the Comandos de Infanteria de Marina are divided in two battalions: BATCOGO (Gulf-Commando Battalion) and BATCOPA (Pacific-Commando Battalion), each battalion has 200 members; Comandos de Infantería usually trains with Marine Recon and other regional Recon/LRS type units, by the way Comandos de Infanteria de Marina has a pretty funny rivality with Navy FES for who gets first the reconnaissance patrols during regional operations in the mexican sierras.

Comandos de Infantería de Marina photos (attachments in the previous post are Comandos photos)

 

[goodvibes33]

Fusileros Paracaidistas de Infantería de Marina "FUSPAR"

(BIMFUSPAR badge)

-500 active duty personnel
-1 Airborne battalion
-Motto is "Desde el cielo, mar o tierra, a cumplir con la misión" (From the sky, sea or land, to fulfill the mission)

BIMFUSPAR was the first "special operations" unit inside of the Mexican Marines, the first and second class of Mexican Marines paratroopers were trained in Fort Gulick, Panama with help of members of the 7th SFG (A), in November 26th of 1976 the unit was activated as PRICIAFUSPAR (1st Marine Infrantry Airborne Company) and with the years the company become an battalion sized unit, for years BIMFUSPAR was the main SOF unit until the creation of FES groups and Comandos de Infanteria de Marina, with the start of the Mexican War on Drugs BIMFUSPAR has been very active taking down HVTs in medium scale raids, especially in areas like Tamaulipas and Veracruz, the last big fish that was neutralized by BIMFUSPAR was "Comandante Toro" an HVT from the Gulf Cartel.

BIMFUSPAR photos and videos

Interesting article from Breitbart from a member of BIMFUSPAR

 

[goodvibes33]

The other two units of UNOPES are just support:

BIM-27 (QRF support unit for FES in combat operations)- 300 active duty personnel
Grupo Logístico (SIGINT and HUMINT unit)- unknown size

As well there is a proto-SMU in the Navy named FES (don't confuse them with normal FES groups), this unit is trained in Maritime CT missions and is the Mexican Navy counterpart of Mexican Army's Alto Mando (FEAM), every member in this unit have the rank of E-5 or above, as well every member is combat diver and free-fall qualified, this FES CT unit is not under the command of UNOPES and is part of the Armed Forces High Command HQ alongside with Army's Alto Mando, during Operation Tlatelolco in 2015 there was a small detachment of recce members from this unit working with their JSOC recce counterparts and regular FES members.

This is the only photo I have from Navy FES CT.

 

[goodvibes33]

Sorry I posted the wrong photo, this is the FES CT photo.

 

[Gunz]

Good stuff. Thanks for posting it.

 

[goodvibes33]

Just want to share this video which is very cool and is about Mexican Marines in general, but they're as well member of the Navy FES and BIM-27 personnel, last part is very motivational.

As well two photos of the video itself.
Second photo is my favorite one.