| Unit Name: | Divers and Raiders Group Command "Teseo Tesei" |
| Native Name: | Comando Raggruppamento Subacquei e Incursori "Teseo Tesei" (COMSUBIN) |
| Dates: | 1939–present |
| Type: | Special Forces |
| Role: | Search and rescue Special operations Direct Action |
| Garrison: | Porto Venere (HQ) |
| Motto: | "E Fluctibus irruit in hostem" (From the sea we assault the enemy) |
| Battles: | World War II Iraq War War in Afghanistan Lebanon Wars UNOSOM |
| Decorations: | 1 Croci di Cavaliere all'O.M.I. 1 MOVM 1 Medaglia d'argento al valor di Marina 1 Medaglia d'argento al valor civile |
| Commander1: | Rear Admiral Paolo Pezzutti |
| Notable Commanders: | Admiral Gino Birindelli M.O.V. Admiral Luigi Faggioni M.O.V. |
COMSUBIN (Comando Raggruppamento Subacquei e Incursori "Teseo Tesei"; Divers and Raiders Group Command "Teseo Tesei") is the Italian Navy's special operations unit. Italy was the first nation to use frogmen and human torpedoes. The Royal Italian Navy's Naval Assault Divisions are considered to be the precursor of modern Naval Special Forces. Their record can be traced back to World War I and the operation against the Austrian-Hungarian Battleship Viribus Unitis in Pula Harbour in 1918.
In World War II, famous operations include Suda Bay, Alexandria, Gibraltar, and Malta. Italy's frogman group originated in 1938 as the 1a Flottiglia Mezzi d'Assalto (1st Flotilla Assault Vehicles), which was reformed in 1940 as the Decima Flottiglia MAS (10th Flotilla Assault Vehicles, 10a MAS).
See Operations of X MAS for Italian wartime frogman operations.
After World War II ended, the victors forbade Italy from maintaining special operations personnel. The Decima Flottiglia MAS was disbanded but the training experience gathered during the war was not lost, it was preserved in units scattered across the new Marina Militare.
COMSUBIN is currently based in three detachments near the Gulf of La Spezia in the Liguria region of north-west Italy. In keeping with its traditions, the command has long been known for its acquisition and use of unconventional weapons and small arms, such as the Armalite AR-10.
Some nations including Italy continued to make and keep human torpedoes after 1945.
The headquarters provides the services and maintenance needed for the groups to fulfill their missions. Part of the headquarter is the Research Office, which researches, develops and procures the materials and means needed by the operational groups.[1]
The Operational Raiders Group (Gruppo Operativo Incursori - GOI) is an italian special forces unit and focuses on maritime special operations. The Raiders have four specific assignments:[1]
Raiders wear a green beret and are largely drawn from the ranks of the Navy's San Marco Marine Brigade.
The Operational Divers Group (Gruppo Operativo Subacquei - GOS) specialises in scuba diving with air to 60 m, oxygen to 12 m, nitrox to 54 m, heliox to 150 m, and to 300 m with a mini-submarine or a special suit. After World War II hr unit de-mined Italy's northern ports ravaged by years of war and filled with magnetic mines and ammunition onboard sunken ships. They accomplished the task by 1949, letting Italy's economy get back on track relatively quickly. Since World War II, they have performed de-mining and unexploded ordnance disposal operations across the world, especially in the Persian Gulf, the former Yugoslavia, and Albania. Diver detachment operate from the navy's minesweepers. They also specialise in rescuing personnel from stricken ships and submarines and assist the civil authorities in maritime rescue operations. Divers wear a medium blue beret.[1]
The Special Naval Group (Gruppo Navale Speciale - COMGRUPNAVIN) supports and moves the raiders and the divers, with the aid of five ships:[2] [1]
The Schools Group (Gruppo Scuole) consists of the Divers School, Raiders School and Underwater and Hyperbaric Medicine School.[1]
COMSUBIN (Comando Subacquei Incursori) is first and foremost a secret special operations unit. Its membership is a fairly well-guarded secret.
The Raiders are composed of volunteer officers and non-commissioned officers with an average age of 29 who are capable of:
After a member has qualified as a Raider, he may take up a number of specialisations including:
Former COMSUBIN Raiders may join other branches of the elite unit to continue serving the Navy or may join other parts of the military as instructors.Senior operators may transfer to the Italian Military Intelligence Agency "AISE" along with their other counterparts from the Army, Air Force and Carabinieri.
COMSUBIN Raiders have been deployed to these places:
The COM.SUB.IN. has a dedicated array of weaponry and equipment.[3]