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| Tactical Divers Group | |
|---|---|
| Agrupación de Buzos Tácticos | |
 | |
| Active | 1952–present |
| Country |  Argentina |
| Branch | Argentine Navy |
| Type | Combat diversSpecial Operations |
| Size | Brigade |
| Headquarters | Mar del Plata Naval Base |
| Motto(s) | Dos cosas te pido señor, la Victoria y el regreso, pero si una sola has de concederme, que sea la Victoria. |
| Engagements | Falklands War |
| Insignia | |
| Identification symbol |  |
TheTactical Divers Group (Spanish:Agrupación de Buzos Tácticos, APBT) is the premier special operations force of theArgentine Navy. The Buzos Tácticos are based at Base NavalMar del Plata (BNMP) on theAtlanticcoast ofArgentina. Its men are highly qualifiedcombatdivers,EOD/demolition technicians, andparatroopers.
The APBT was the firstspecial forces division created inSouth America. The unit was established in 1952 on board LST ARACabo San Bartolomé with instructors who were formerX-MASItaliandivercommandos. In those times a reduced Tactical Divers Group was operating in theCaboSan Bartolomé; years later theNavy created a second group assigned to the Escuadra Naval del Plata. In 1966 both services were merged, creating the actual Tactical Divers Group.
In the1982 invasion of Islas Malvinas, the main landing atYorke Bay to the east ofPort Stanley on 2 April, was preceded by anamphibious reconnaissance party of the APBT. They had been landed by the submarineARASanta Fe. They successfully secured the beach and the lighthouse, and set up beacons to guide the amphibious vehicles of the assault group, which had disembarked from the landing shipARACabo San Antonio some distance offshore.[1] Some sources assert thatBuzos Tácticos units attacked theMoody Brook barracks and besiegedGovernment House, however these troops were mainly units of theAmphibious Commandos Group (Agrupación de Comandos Anfibios, APCA). The error was due to hearsay reported by a journalist from the Argentinian magazineSomos, which was the first to publish an account of the operation,[2] although a number of individual APBT members assisted the Commandos in both actions, specially around Government House.[3] Both the APBT and the APCA teams had returned to Argentina by nightfall, on the same aircraft which had brought in the firstArgentine Army reinforcements.[4]
The APBT is trained to operate in diverse environments, such as jungle/riverine, maritime and extreme cold weather. All members are top nichecombatswimmers anddivers. The APBT course takes place mostly in theMar del Plata area. Topics includeHALO/HAHO parachuting,airborne,unconventional warfare,underwater demolition, andcounter-terrorism. The course is open to line officers andNCOs, and is very selective, with a high attrition rate. The members of this unit wear brown berets with unit badges.
The unit is attached to theSubmarines Force Command, which comes under the Chief of Naval Operations. This unit is one of the twospecial operations forces' units of theArgentine Navy, the other being theAgrupación de Comandos Anfibios (APCA), under theMarine Infantry Command.[5]
