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David Stirling and members of the Special Air Service David Stirling
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David Stirling and members of the Special Air Service
David Stirling and members of the Special Air Service British army officer David Stirling (right) with members of a Special Air Service desert group in North Africa, 1942.

Special Air Service

British military force
Also known as: SAS
Written by
Alexander Alderson
Alexander Alderson is currently a Senior Visiting Research Fellow at King's College London. His fields of expertise include military history, strategic studies, and geopolitics.
Alexander Alderson
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
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•History

Special Air Service (SAS), elite British military force organized and trained for special operations, surveillance, and counterterrorism. The SAS is part of the United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF), which also includes the Special Boat Service, the Special Reconnaissance Regiment, the Special Forces Support Group, an integral signals regiment, and an air wing. The SAS recruits from across the United Kingdom’s armed forces, though mainly from the army and principally from the Parachute Regiment. Irrespective of...

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