Officially, the SLCU is the 3rd Group, 13th Detachment, People's Armed Police Beijing General Corps.[2]
The former "Snow Wolf" name was inspired by the ability of the Arctic wolf to survive and thrive under harsh conditions.[4]
History
The SWCU was secretly established in December 2002 and trained in secret for five years.[5] The SWCU and the Beijing SWAT unit were unveiled in a demonstration at the Beijing Police Academy on 27 April 2006[6] as part of a public relations effort to illustrate the capabilities of the PAP to deal with terrorism, the protection of delegates, and to enforce law and order in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.[1] The SWCU had participated in an anti-terrorist exercises with Russia on 4 September 2007 known as "Cooperation-2007."[7] On 13 November 2007, SWCU operators were involved in anti-terrorist exercise before foreign military VIPs.[8] SWCU operators have been deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq to protect Chinese diplomatic personnel.[2]
The unit's name was changed in 2008 to the Snow Leopard Commando Unit.[4] According to Qu Liangfeng, a senior PAP officer in charge of the daily operations of SWCU, the name change was "inspired by the story of a brave and cunning snow leopard, which escaped an ambush by a hunter and his eight hunting dogs."[4]
In 2011, the SLCU deployed to Xinjiang to support counter-terror police operations[9] and provide security for the China-Eurasian Expo convention.[10]
SLCU applicants must have one to two years of PAP service and undergo interviews, physical and psychological tests.[1] In 2006, the average age of SLCU officers was 22 years, with most entering at 18; the SLCU was among the youngest in the Chinese counter-terrorism community.[13]
Candidates undergo physical training, driving lessons for various vehicles, and weapons training.[14][15] Physical training includes 200 push-ups, 200 sit-ups, 100 squats, lifting barbells 200 times and carrying a 35 kg load for a 10 km cross-country run.[1] Afterward, they are assigned to the Beijing General Corps' 13th Detachment, where the SLCU is based.[2][16]
Organisation
The SLCU consists of four squadrons assigned with very specific responsibilities:[16]
The SLCU was shown in the demonstrations armed with the QBZ-95B-1 and QSZ-92,[17] but they will most likely also be armed with a wide variety of submachine guns and other firearms.[18] The SLCU is armed with the JS9, the CS/LM6, the QBS06, QBZ09, the PF-89 and the QLU-11.[17][19] The unit also uses the Norinco CQ-A.[20]
The unit has spent about CNY 2 million (approximately US$ 258,000) in domestically manufactured armored personnel carriers for riot control and has also imported CNY 4 million worth of American-manufactured vehicles and equipment.[18]
Each SLCU operator is estimated to be outfitted with CNY 300,000 (approximately US$48,000) worth of equipment, including their body armor and communications equipment.[21][22] The SLCU is the first unit in the PAP to be equipped with the W-15 helmet, an improved version of the QGF11, in 2015.[23][24]
Uniform
The SLCU is known to wear the Type 05 digital camouflage uniform issued by the PAP, although they are now using the Type 07 digital camouflage uniform.[25] In overseas operations, they have velcro patches with the Chinese flag and 'CHINA' on the patch, usually with the language of the region where they operate in.[25]