“Honor is above life.”
This is the motto of Azerbaijan’s naval special forces — an elite unit of the Azerbaijani Navy. The phrase reflects the philosophy, path, and risks embraced by these “sea cats,” whose missions are often so dangerous that failure may leave no second chance.
They neutralize mines underwater, infiltrate strategic facilities under the cover of darkness, fight in mountainous terrain, liberate offshore platforms, participate in counterterrorism operations, undergo survival training in extreme cold, and sometimes operate undetected in the open sea for days.
Very little official information is publicly available about Azerbaijan’s naval special forces. However, the known facts indicate that this unit is among the most highly trained and versatile special operations formations not only within the Navy, but across the entire armed forces.
Their activities are not limited to maritime operations alone. The unit carries out combat missions independently and jointly with other military formations at sea, in the air, and on land.
Their missions include detecting and neutralizing sabotage and terrorist groups, conducting counterterrorism and anti-partisan operations in the Caspian Sea, and ensuring constant operational control over Azerbaijan’s territorial waters.
The naval special forces also play an important role in protecting Azerbaijan’s strategic energy infrastructure. The unit is responsible for safeguarding offshore oil platforms, underwater pipelines, and critical energy facilities. Monitoring underwater infrastructure, eliminating mine threats, and disposing of explosive devices are among their routine duties.
The discovery of six Soviet-era bottom mines in a rocky area of the Caspian seabed in May 2022 highlighted the dangers of such operations.
Following orders from the Navy command, the underwater defense team of the Naval Special Forces was deployed to the scene. The mines were located and neutralized using specialized methods.
This was not merely a technical operation — underwater mine-clearing missions are extremely dangerous, where even a minor mistake can lead to tragedy.
The name of the naval special forces became more widely known after the April battles of 2016.
During operations in the Talish direction, the unit successfully carried out assigned missions. Warrant Officer Rusif Agayev was killed in action, while Warrant Officer Yashar Agayev was seriously wounded.
However, their greatest test came during the 44-day Patriotic War.
In 2020, the naval special forces joined combat operations from the Talish direction and later conducted missions in Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Zangilan, and Gubadli. According to available information, the unit participated in the liberation of nearly 50 settlements.
After Gubadli was liberated, the regiment received a new mission: to join operations in the direction of Shusha and Khojavand.
During the Patriotic War, nine servicemen of the Naval Special Forces were killed in action. Junior Warrant Officer Fagan Zalov was posthumously awarded the title “Hero of the Patriotic War.” Twenty-one servicemen received various orders, while 85 others were awarded medals.
The unit’s activities continued after the war.
From July 2021 to September 2022, personnel were deployed for combat duty in the direction of Zar village in Kalbajar, in Minkend settlement of Lachin, and in Shusha.
The naval special forces also took part in the “Revenge” operation on September 12–13, 2022, and in the anti-terror measures carried out on September 19, 2023.
Protecting and securing strategic facilities in Kalbajar, Lachin, and along the Shusha–Khankendi road became one of their primary responsibilities.
Not every serviceman can join this unit.
Candidates for the Naval Special Forces Course are selected from different branches of the Armed Forces. They are assessed not only for physical strength, but also for intellectual capacity and psychological resilience. After passing medical examinations, they undergo months of intensive training.
The training program includes individual and specialist preparation, collective exercises, team and squad tactics, mountain warfare, foreign language instruction, firearms and weapons training.
But this is only the beginning.
Special forces personnel train for combat in deep snow and severe cold, amphibious warfare, diving with open, semi-closed, and closed systems, counterterrorism operations, survival skills, and ship-boarding missions.
They are also trained in searching suspicious vessels, ensuring security, providing first aid and evacuation, ship seizure techniques, crew searches, and countermeasures against improvised explosive devices.
“Maritime Interdiction Operations” hold a special place in their preparation. These exercises include combating weapons and narcotics smuggling, boarding suspicious vessels, and learning internationally accepted procedures for interaction with ship crews.
Communication, command-and-control, and small-unit coordination are practiced extensively during exercises.
Their training is not limited to domestic programs.
Since 2000, unit personnel have participated in numerous international courses and exercises. In 2008 and 2009, they trained alongside US Navy special forces at the “Blackwater” training center in Virginia, USA.
Azerbaijani commandos have attended Navy SEAL courses in the United States, SAT, EOD, and SAS training programs in Türkiye and the US, as well as parachute training courses in Türkiye and China.
They have also completed various programs in Türkiye, Italy, Romania, the United States, Latvia, and Georgia.
The unit has successfully undergone NATO-standard evaluations. In 2016, it made a declaration under the Operational Capabilities Concept program. This was followed by the successful completion of the SEL-1 national evaluation in 2017, the NEL-1 NATO evaluation in 2018, the SEL-2 national evaluation in 2019, and the NEL-2 NATO assessment in 2021.
In recent years, Azerbaijan’s naval special forces have participated in numerous international exercises.
In June 2023, Azerbaijan joined Bulgaria, Georgia, the United States, and Türkiye in a multinational mine-countermeasure diving exercise held in Constanța, Romania. In the “Maritime Interdiction Operations” drills in Varna, Bulgaria, interoperability among NATO allies and partner countries was tested.
During 2025–2026, personnel of the regiment participated in the international exercises “Khazri-2025,” “Blue Homeland-2025,” “Kurtaran-2025,” “Aman-25,” “Sea Wolf-2025,” “Nusret-2025,” “Eastern Mediterranean-2025,” “Blue Whale-2025,” “Sea Lion-2025,” “Erciyes-2025,” and “Peace Shield-2026.”
At present, the unit is taking part in the “Efes-2026” exercise in Türkiye.
The “Efes-2026” drills are particularly notable, as special forces from more than 45 countries are participating.
The operations of the naval special forces often remain far from cameras and public attention. Their battles sometimes take place underwater, sometimes in freezing mountains, and sometimes under the cover of darkness.
The available facts show that this unit is among the elite forces of the Azerbaijani military — carrying out some of the most difficult missions and enduring some of the toughest training standards.
