Unidad de Operaciones Especiales The Unidad de Operaciones Especiales ( " Special Operations Unit " - UOE ) was the elite special operations force of the Spanish Navy and Marines from 1967 to 2009 . In June 2009 , the unit was absorbed into the newly formed Naval Special Warfare Force ( " Fuerza de Guerra Naval Especial " ) . The UOE , which was formerly garrisoned in the " Tercio de Armada " in San Fernando , Cádiz , operated under the direct control of the Admiralty and Naval Special Warfare Command . It was thought to comprise approximately 100 men organized into three Operational Teams ( " Estoles " ) as well as command and support personnel . The UOE was tasked with Special Operations in maritime , coastal and inland environments usually up to 50 km from the sea , though this was not a restriction and its teams were known to operate deep inland . The unit ' s remit covered all aspects of modern Naval Special Warfare , including : Maritime Counter - Terrorism , shipboarding ( MIO - Non Compliant ) , combat diving and swimming , coastal infiltration , airborne insertion , Special Reconnaissance , Direct Action , VIP protection and escort , and Combat Search and Rescue ( CSAR ) . For these purposes the UOE employed a wide range of naval and other military platforms , including submarines , frigates , soft - and rigid - hull inflatable boats , land vehicles , as well as helicopters and airplanes for airborne insertions . History . " La Unidad " ( " The Unit " ) , as it was informally known in Spain , traces its roots to the Amphibious Climbing Company ( " Compañía de Escaladores Anfibios " ) , established in 1952 as an all - volunteer unit tasked with coastal assaults and infiltration . In 1967 , using the US Navy SEALs and British SBS as its guides , the unit expanded its mandate and range of skills to include combat diving , underwater demolition s , airborne insertions and direct action missions . In 1985 the UOE was re - designated COMANFES ( " Comando Anfibio Especial " ) , but reverted to its original name in the early 1990s . Today , the unit is one of two operational elements within the Spanish Navy ' s Naval Special Warfare Force . The UOE collaborated and trained closely with similar NATO units , such as the United States Navy SEALs , the Italian Navy ' s COMSUBIN , the French Commando Hubert , and the Portuguese DAE , as well as with special intervention units of the Spanish police forces ( UEI and GEO ) . The UOE and its parent Naval Special Warfare Force are one of only three units in the Spanish military formally tasked with Special Operations , along with the Army ' s MOE and the Air Force ' s EZAPAC . Selection & training . After completing basic training and having served in a conventional unit , candidates aspiring to attain the coveted " green beret " must undergo comprehensive medical and psychological reviews as well as physical trials , and then , if approved , pass a rigorous selection course ( " Capacitación " ) . The course is divided into Basic and Advanced phases and is staffed exclusively by UOE officers and NCOs , all of them fully qualified in Special Operations . The " Basic phase " lasts for about four weeks and is aimed at testing the physical and psychological endurance of candidates through a gruelling combination of intense physical exercise , long - distance marches carrying up to 50 kg of weight , and numerous trials at sea and in mountain environments . The " Advanced phase " of selection lasts for about two months and , though the physical rigor of the course steadily increases , candidates also receive more specific training in basic naval commando skills : Candidates are free to drop out of the course at any moment , from the first day to the last . Though some drop - outs result from physical injury ( or even death ) , most instances are voluntary . The attrition rate for the UOE selection process can occasionally be as high as 100 % and averages from 70 - 80 % — the highest failure rate of any course in the Spanish armed forces . It is not uncommon that by the end of the course the instructor - candidate ratio is 3 : 1 . The unit ' s harsh entrance criteria has furnished its official motto , " " Entra quien puede , no quien quiere . " " ( " He who can enters , not he who wants . " ) Successful candidates are immediately sent to parachuting school upon arrival at the UOE and proceed to more advanced and specialised training in Naval Special Warfare skills ( diving , sniping , intelligence , etc . ) . Deployments . The UOE always maintains one of its three operational teams on maximum alert ( " Alpha - 1 " ) for immediate deployment on a rotational basis . The UOE was first deployed overseas in 1969 , just two years after it was founded , when it spearheaded the evacuation of Spanish citizens from the former Spanish colony of Equatorial Guinea in Africa . Since then , the unit Has been reported to have participated in the fight against Basque ETA violence inside Spain ( though today this is strictly the preserve of civilian police forces ) . More recently , among its publicly known missions , the UOE was deployed to the former Yugoslavia as part of the Spanish IFOR and SFOR contingents . Also , in December 2002 , while participating in Operation Enduring Freedom in the Indian Ocean , UOE commando s stormed a suspect North Korean vessel , the " So San " , transporting a shipment of SCUD missiles destined for Yemen . The unit is also known to have recently deployed its teams on undisclosed missions in the Middle East . The UOE is a central element of the Spanish Maritime Counter - Terrorism capability . Weapons . Weapons held at the UOE armory include , but are not limited to , the following :