In the remote wilderness of French Guiana, a select group of Spanish Army Special Operations Command (MOE) Green Berets has successfully completed the challenging Jaguar course.
Hosted by the French Foreign Legion, this training is a rigorous test of endurance in the dense jungle environment of this French overseas territory.
Since its inception in 2004, the Jaguar course has been a crucible for refining both physical and mental fortitude, tailored specifically for jungle warfare.
It equips participants to lead missions in equatorial climates, focusing on individual combat and survival skills.
This year’s session spanned from February 19 to April 12, immersing the MOE in a diverse curriculum.
Training ranged from obstacle navigation and hand-to-hand combat to tactical swimming.
Skills in survival tactics, marksmanship, close-quarter combat, and emergency medical response were also enhanced.
Participants endured four rigorous phases: acclimatization, hardening, combat, and application. The design of each phase progressively challenged and honed their jungle survival capabilities.
Jungle Survival Training Highlights
A pivotal four-day survival exercise trained them to withstand the severe conditions of the jungle.
It taught skills like hunting, plant identification, shelter construction, and the preparation of local flora and fauna.
The course reached its zenith in a three-day group survival trial. Isolated with only their uniforms, the Green Berets tackled various survival challenges.
In addition, these culminated in a river crossing with a raft built from scavenged materials.
Primarily aimed at preparing regular unit commanders, the Jaguar course also offers significant benefits to the MOE.
It provides crucial insights into jungle navigation and survival, preparing them for the unique demands of operations in such an environment.
This intensive training underscores the Spanish Army‘s commitment to ensuring its units are well-prepared for any challenges they might face in hostile terrain.
This is not the unit’s first encounter with the Jaguar course. They also participated in the previous year’s training, continually building on their expertise in jungle warfare.