The Big Breach - Index of

The Big Breach; From Top Secret to Maximum SecurityCompliments of http://www.192.combehind us and waited until there was silence before he spoke. Quietlyhe introduced himself and for the next hour he told how in the Gulf Warhis eight-man Scud-hunting patrol, Bravo Two Zero, was compromised andambushed, and how he was captured and tortured by the Iraqis forseveral months. He spoke with no trace of boastfulness, emotion orhumour, as if he was telling us about a trip to buy a bit of wood fromB&Q. When he finished, he thanked us for our attention and left.We trooped back to the bar in silence. It was some minutes beforeSpencer spoke up. `It would make a cracking book, that would.' Foronce, Spencer was right. Andy McNab published his story a year laterand it became a worldwide best-seller.The next morning, the Puma picked us up and took us down to the SpecialBoat Service's base in Poole, Dorset. The SBS contribution to theincrement is much smaller than RWW, only about 15 men. As one wouldexpect, given its naval roots, the SBS increment is oriented towardsmarine operations and its men are expert frogmen and underwaterdemolitions experts. Many have served also in Commachio troop, theRoyal Marines' maritime counter-terrorist unit, or in their Mountainand Arctic Warfare cadre. The SBS increment is primarily employed byMI6 to place tracking beacons on ships whilst they are anchored inharbour.The beacon is about the size of a house brick and to work effectivelyit must be placed high up on the ship's superstructure. We were given ademonstration in the indoor swimming pool by an SBS sergeant of thelightweight drysuit, recycling breathing apparatus and compactcollapsible ladder used to covertly approach and board a ship inharbour.The SBS increment also operates MI6's mini-submarine, about the lengthof two cars. The pilot and navigator sit astride the cylindricalforward hull dressed in drysuits and breathing apparatus. The rear halfof the craft flattens into a passenger compartment which is just largeenough to carry four persons, packed together like sardines. Thecompartment is flooded during a dive and the drysuited passengersbreathe air piped from the craft's onboard supply. The mini-sub is usedfor infiltrating specialist agents into a hostile country and forexfiltrating compromised agents.The SAS and SBS increments are complemented by another specialist cadrewho occasionally participate in increment operations and we were alsointroduced to their skills during military week. These 20 or so men andwomen, known collectively as UKN, encompass a diverse range ofspecialist skills. Only the small `core' who are on call full-time drawa modest salary from MI6. The rest work unpaid and take time off fromtheir real jobs to participate in MI6 operations. Their core skill issurveillance and counter-surveillance. To blend into foreign streets,some are drawn from ethnic minorities and many have a good command offoreign languages. Other skills are diverse: one is a pilot who, thoughworking full-time for an air-taxi company, is prepared to dropeverything to help out in an MI6 operation when required. Another is ayachtmaster who provides his boat when required. UKN have an odd statusin the office because they are regarded as agents rather than staff, sowe dealt with them under alias. They are also deniable assets - if anincrement soldier were captured in an operation, MI6 would initiatepage- 51 - To purchase the original limited edition hardback version of this bookplease call 08000 192 192 or go to http://www.192.com