Särskilda skyddsgruppen

Särskilda skyddsgruppen
Active1994–2011
CountrySweden
AllegianceSwedish Armed Forces
TypeSpecial forces
RoleDirect action, Long-range reconnaissance, Counterterrorism, VIP-protection, Personnel recovery
SizeClassified
Part ofUnder the direct command of the Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces
Garrison/HQKarlsborg, Västergötland
EngagementsOperation Artemis
Operation Enduring Freedom
EUFOR Tchad/RCA
Bosnian War
Kosovo War
Republic of Macedonia
Liberia
Lebanon

Särskilda skyddsgruppen (SSG) (Special Protection Group) was a special operations unit of the Swedish military which officially became active in 1994. The exact number of operatives was classified but was thought to be between 60 and 80, with an average age of 31. SSG could have been deployed to achieve specific, well-defined, and often time-critical results of strategic or operational significance which couldn't have been achieved using conventional forces. Typical missions undertaken by SSG were to engage and destroy targets of great significance to the enemy, to rescue people captured by the enemy or held hostage, and to gather intelligence through combat. SSG's missions required its operators to covertly infiltrate and move inside hostile territory and remain undetected for very long periods.