101st Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion | |
---|---|
中華民國陸軍101兩棲偵察營 (Chinese) | |
Active | 1949-Present |
Country | Republic of China |
Branch | Republic of China Army |
Type | Special operations force |
Role | |
Garrison/HQ | Kinmen |
Nickname(s) | Sea Dragon Frogmen or Frogmen |
The 101st Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion (Chinese: 中華民國陸軍101兩棲偵察營), known as the Sea Dragon Frogmen; not to be confused with other frogman unit within the ROC Armed Forces which is the Amphibious Reconnaissance and Patrol Unit of the Republic of China Marine Corps, is a SCUBA trained combat swimming & diving as well as underwater demolitions focused special operations forces of the Republic of China Army.
The members of the 101st Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion are commonly known as Sea Dragon Frogmen. The unit specializes in underwater, amphibious, and coastal reconnaissance operations.[1][2]
Although they along with their ROC Marine counterpart (the ARP) often gets compared to the United States Navy SEALs because of their shared "Frogman" moniker, their role is quite unique being the only known official, relatively high-profile “frogman” unit under the branch of the Army. The closest analogous comparison for the 101st to their US counterpart would be the combat divers of the US Army Special Forces "Green Berets" or any other US Army special forces soldiers (e.g: US Army Ranger RRC) who have completed the Combat Diver Qualification Course. Along with other Taiwanese special operations forces they are expected to play a key role in any conflict with China especially in regards to land warfare.[1]