Chinese Special Forces Take 1st Place at ‘Elite Warriors Olympics’

The Sixth Annual Warrior Competition was held and the top three winners were not U.S. special operators. 

The 6th Annual Warrior Competition have concluded, this event had 33 teams representing 19 nations from around the globe. The United States fielded two teams from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, Fleet Marine Force. No other U. S. military branch or police unit fielded a Special Operations Force (SOF) team. No Army Rangers, Green Berets or Navy SEALs participated due to mission requirements.

According to Popular Science writers Jeffrey Lin and P.W. Singer, “The Warrior Competition, which the New York Times describes as a “special operations Olympics”, is held at the King Abdullah Special Operations Training Center (KASOTC). The facility is one of the most comprehensive special operations and counter-terrorism training facilities in the region, including even an Airbus for training., and is staffed by MissionX, a private military contractor manned by ex NATO special operators. Previous champions have included the US Marine Force Recon (2010) and the German GSG9 (2012). This year, the eleven tasks of the Warrior Competition were exercises with operational names like Urban Assault, High Angle Drive By,Three Gun Gauntlet, Operator vs. Operator and King’s Challenge. They tested skills in areas like sharpshooting, hand to hand combat, building breaching automotive pursuit and evasion, medical extraction and long distance marching.”

SWCU_patch1

Chinese Snow Leopard Unit patch.

The Annual Warrior Competition was launched in May 2009 at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center, KASOTC, Amman, Jordan. The Warrior Competition was designed to demonstrate the skills being taught at KASOTC and to bring attention to KASOTC as an international center of excellence for counter-terrorism training. The 2014 Warrior Competition winners are:

First place: China represented by the Snow Leopard Unit.
Second Place: China Special Operations Unit, Sichuan Corps.
Third Place: Jordan, Royal Guard.

Lin and Singer note, “Since 2010, Chinese delegations have rocketed to the top of international special operations, police and military sniper competitions, benefiting from increased training and better weapons.  It is important to note, however, that many top special operations units were not present at this training competition (including notable US and Russian forces presently active on operations) and that the kind of skills tested in the Warrior Competition form only part of special operations and counter-terrorism capabilities.”

Participating Teams, 6th Annual Warrior Competition, 2014, April 30th – May 5th, 2014 in Amman, Jordan:

Palestine, National Security Forces – Palestine 101
Palestine, National Security Forces – Palestine 77
Jordan, Gendarmerie – Unit 14
Palestine, Presidential Guards / PGIG
Slovakia, ISHct LEST, MOS SLOVAKIA
Jordan, Special Police Command ( PSD 1)
Canada, Canadian Special Operations Regiment (CSOR)
KAZAKHSTAN, KAZAKHASTAN SFG UNIT 32356
KAZAKHSTAN, KAZAKHASTAN SFG UNIT 22750
Afghanistan, GDPCU
Brunei, Special Forces Regiment
Lebanon, Internal Security Forces
Netherland, NLMARSOF, Maritime Special Operations Force
USA, San Mateo County Terrorism Counter Assault Team (TCAT)
Lebanon, I.D.S.F (Information Department Special Forces)
Lebanon, Black Panthers
USA, 22d MEU – Team 1
USA, 22d MEU – Team 2
China, Snow Leopard Unit of The Chinese People›s Armed Police Force
China, Special Operation Unit of the PAPF Xinjiang Corps
China, Special Operation Unit of the PAPF Sichuan Corps
UAE, Abu Dhabi Police – Department F 7
Russia, Force Police Unit «LYNX» of the Ministry of Internal Aairs of Russia
Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan NSCSF
Palestine, Palestine Police Forces (SPF) , «SPF 194» Team
Iraq, Iraq Special Operation Forces
Malaysia, Malaysian Armed Forces Special Forces
Pakistan, Northern Light Infantry Light Commando Battalion (NLI LCB)
KSA, Brigade 64 – Special Forces – Team 1
KSA, Brigade 64 – Special Forces – Team 2
Jordan, Royal Guards
Lebanon, Lebanese Armed Forces – Team 1
Lebanon, Lebanese Armed Forces – Team 2
Bahrain, Royal Special Forces
Jordan, CT UNIT 71st Special Battalion
Jordan, GID
KSA, Royal Guards
Iraq, Iraqi Counter Terrorism Forces