Pakistan SSG – Special Service Group of Pakistan Army, is a special forces equivalent of other countries. We’ll try to explain what they are, how Pakistan SSG is different from regular army, what is the difference between Pakistan SSG and other countries special forces and also the divisions and details inside SSG itself.
Please ask any question that you have in comments too so that we can add an answer to it too.
Is Pakistan SSG part of regular Army?
No. Individuals from any armed force of Pakistan can apply for Special Service Group. Both soldiers and officers of Pakistan Army, Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Airforce can apply for Special Service Group and become part of it.
Is SSG a permanent posting?
No. Those who get selected in Pakistan SSG can remain in it until they perform well or until they request themselves to be returned to unit (which is not immediate though).
Young soldiers and officers join SSG and then they usually leave for further career after some years. However those who do see career opportunity and promotions in SSG do stay and get promoted to the higher ranks. If someone is not making up good merit to be promoted inside SSG, they can choose to return to their own unit (called RTU).
Sometimes officers can go back to their original corps or units for career progression and then come back to SSG.
Are all SSG units equally trained?
Initial training of all soldiers is same and all officers is same (officers and soldiers training are different though). However once they become part of SSG, then the regular, frogman and anti terrorist unit trainings become different.
How many units / battalions of SSG are there?
We would prefer not to share the exact number, but they are less than a dozen.
Out of these only one unit is anti terrorist unit. Commandoes of other SSG units are not trained in anti terrorist training (some are, but that’s when they try to apply for anti terrorist unit, and do not make it there).
Why is SSG under Pakistan Army if it’s a special force?
It’s like Navy Seals of US Navy are under Navy, but they have their own operations and service. Similarly Pakistan SSG is not part of regular Army, however they are under the official command of Pakistan Army.
Please let us know if you have any questions so that we can add them to this list.
Can you join SSG(or even army) if you have loose bodies in your elbows or kneee?Loose bodies are broke cartilage fragments.They usually do not hinder your physical performance
If you get fitness from the medical officer (or general surgeon or orthopaedics surgeon) during medical fitness, then yes you can.
Why are women not allowed to join the SSG?
Women are not allowed to do a lot of things, joining SSG is one of those things.
How much minimum prior military experience is needed to join SSG ? Some say 2 yrs some say 5 yrs, and after joining Special Service Group and completing initial training does an officer get to choose their additional courses or are the courses selected by the Higher rank officer? Plus how is Zarrar ATU different from the others as all battalions fight terrorist and is Zarrar deployed in all desert,mountains,and jungle etc? Plz give authentic n verified answers.
There is no minimum as such. Some minor detail is there like you should have scored good in your regular army course as a lieutenant, but it is not important for you for now. SSG prefers junior officers and after 5 years it’s harder to get into it.
Once you are in army, nearly everything for you is decided by Army.
Zarrar ATU is specific for anti terrorist activities, while other SSG units are for regular warfare etc. Zarrar is not deployed as a unit in deserts, mountains and jungles like other units, however their troops do get posted to such places based on various postings etc.
So can one say that Zarrar ATU is better trained than the other units/battalions? Can I get into SSG after 2 years service? Sorry if I am annoying you,I am just young and curious and Alhamdullilah passionate for SSG.
And btw I am planning to get into Army through Technical Cadet Course InshAllah so InshAllah my directly first rank would be Captain and I would have spent four years in MCS & NUST and then one year in PMA InshAllah so what would be the process and minimum regular militiary experience required?
No. Technical cadets are limited to their domains mainly and they are not easily allowed to join ssg too. Long course creates main stream officers who can opt for different options more easily.
No. Zarrar is more trained and dedicated for anti terrorist operations mainly, not in guerilla warfare or other warfare tactics as much.
What should I do to get prepared for SSG training? I know real training is classified but what exercise and other things should I do? As of now I am 14 years old but I have a strong passion for SSG and InshAllah I will join it one day
SSG training is done to prepare people for the job. So there is no point in training yourself for the training itself. You just need to be physically fit to qualify for the training when you apply for it.