The Big Breach - Index of

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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
The Big Breach; From Top Secret to Maximum SecurityCompliments of http://www.192.comdiplomatic efforts to secure their release, but UKN have no suchreassurance. They would be denied and their only hope of securingrelease would be through private legal action. As they clearly cannotget insurance on the commercial market, they take enormous personalrisks every time they go abroad.Although Ball and Long kept us under continuous assessment on theIONEC, most emphasis was placed on our performance in the finalexercise, known as EXERCISE SOLO. Traditionally SOLO took place inNorway with the cooperation of its secret service. But our SOLO was tobe hosted for the first time by SISMI, the Italian secret service.The decision to base SOLO in Italy was taken for political reasons at ahigh level in both countries. MI6 had been in liaison with SISMIbefore, but the relationship was tetchy and weak. MI6 regarded southernEuropean liaison services as unprofessional and insecure and SISMIpreferred to work with the CIA and the BND (the German externalintelligence service). Recent developments, however, had brought MI6and SISMI closer. SISMI was doing some good work against itsrecalcitrant southern neighbour, Libya, and MI6 wanted access to thisintelligence. SISMI's relationship with the BND was also going througha difficult patch, so they regarded bolstering links with MI6 as auseful insurance policy. MI6 proposed to SISMI that they cooperate ontraining exercises as a means of cementing the relationship, so theItalian-based SOLO was born. In return, MI6 offered to host training onits home turf for SISMI's new recruits.Because of the political background to the decision, it was importantthat the exercise was a success. Ball and Long spent a month in Italyprior to the start of the IONEC, planning the exercise with the help ofSISMI and Rome station.Ball briefed us that we were to imagine that we were employed in UKB,the section which works against IRA operations outside the UK. Anintelligence report from GCHQ had revealed that the IRA werecooperating with the Italian mafia to smuggle Chinese-made SA-14 handheldanti-aircraft missiles into Sicily where they would beclandestinely shipped to Northern Ireland for use against British armyhelicopters. Our imaginary mission was to go to Italy and debriefAPOCALYPSE, a mole within the IRA. We were to write up the CX, thenpass it in a brush contact to `Eric', a courier who would hand us`further instructions'. We were issued with Pentels for secret- writingand developer fluid disguised as aftershave, but had to plan the restof the operation ourselves over the next fortnight. We were all nowwise to the trickery of the DS and did not expect an easy time.SUNDAY, 23 FEBRUARY 1992HEATHROW AIRPORT5. FIRST SOLO`Just my luck,' I thought, as the tall, well-dressed blonde sat down inthe aisle seat. For the first time in my life I get to sit next tosomebody interesting on the plane, and I'm stuck with an alias name andpage- 52 - To purchase the original limited edition hardback version of this bookplease call 08000 192 192 or go to http://www.192.com
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