Special Operations Groups (Spain) Explained

Unit Name:	Grupos de Operaciones Especiales
Dates:	1977–present
Branch:	land forces
Type:	special forces
Size:	Approx. 900 (2020)^[1]
Nickname:	Boinas Verdes (Green Berets)

The Special Operations Groups (Spanish; Castilian: Grupos de Operaciones Especiales, GOE) are the special operations forces of the Spanish Army.

These units should not be confused with the similar-sounding Grupo Especial de Operaciones (GEO) and Grupos Operativos Especiales de Seguridad (GOES), two police forces, or the Spanish Navy's Unidad de Operaciones Especiales (UOE).

Organization

The three Special Operations Groups are subordinated to the Special Operations Command (Mando de Operaciones Especiales - MOE).

Units in 1989

The Special Operations Groups were Ranger type units that specialized in counter-insurgency and guerrilla warfare tactics.

• 1st Special Operations Group "Ordenes Militares" (in Madrid)
• 2nd Special Operations Group "Santa Fé" (in Granada)
• 3rd Special Operations Group "Valencia" (in Alicante)
• 4th Special Operations Group "Almogávares" (in Barcelona)
• 5th Special Operations Group "San Marcial" (in Burgos)
• 6th Special Operations Group "La Victoria" (in A Coruña)
• 7th Special Operations Company (in Palma de Mallorca)
• 81st Special Operations Company (in Tenerife)
• 82nd Special Operations Company (in Las Palmas)

External links

• Mando de Operaciones Especiales (official site)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Boinas verdes 4.0: así será en el futuro la unidad de élite del Ejército de Tierra. Fernando Cancio Madrid Última actualización:22-01-2020 10:53 H/Creada:22-01-2020. 2020-01-22. La Razón. es. 2020-01-23.
2. Formerly Bandera de Operaciones Especiales de la Legión (Spanish Legion Special Operations Flag), BOEL.