Cambodian Navy SEALs
[1] An initial group of 24 recruits was drawn from an existing Combat Swimmer Unit (French: Nageurs de Combat)[2] and from the Cambodian Marine Corps, being sent to the Naval Amphibious Base Coronado at San Diego, California in the United States and to Subic Bay Naval Base in the Philippines to attend basic courses manned by U.S. Navy SEAL instructors from the Amphibious Group 1, the forward-based operational arm of the U.S.[3] At Coronado and Subic Bay, the Cambodian inductees underwent five weeks of basic Underwater Demolitions/SEAL training, which included Commando operations, reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering, jungle warfare, light weapons and demolitions; upon returning to Cambodia after completing their instruction cycle, they went to form the core of the new unit and provided the training cadre for a SEAL course, which was established at Chrui Chhangwar Naval Base.Initial progress was rapid and by the first quarter of 1974, the Cambodian SEALs aligned 40 men in three 'Commando' teams, mostly filled by selected volunteers transferred from the Cambodian Marine Corps and trained in-country, although another group of 23 Navy and Marine inductees was later sent to Subic Bay to receive ten weeks of SEAL training during the second half of that year.[6][7] Headquartered at the Chrui Chhangwar Naval Base opposite Phnom Penh and closely modelled after the U.S. Navy SEALs, the unit fielded by mid-1974 a total of 90 'Commandos' divided according to the SEALs practice into three teams led by Chief Petty Officer (French: Premier Maître) Set Chan,[8] who reported directly for operational orders to the MNK Chief of Naval Operations, Commodore (later, Rear Admiral) Vong Sarendy.They were structured as follows: The Cambodian SEALs provided valuable intelligence for the MNK while acting as reconnaissance teams along the banks of the Mekong and as shock troops on amphibious assault operations.