A recent report by China Central Television unveiled a mysterious force of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). Being a shadow unit, the special force has been rarely reported before.

Under the PLAN Marine Corps, it is a group of super elite forces that can conduct sea, land, air and underwater infiltration operations, as well as maritime counter-terrorism operations.

To become a member of this elite group, one must undergo extremely harsh training with a failure rate of more than 50%. The rigorous training includes parachuting, amphibious combat, and underwater infiltration. The training is usually carried out at night under harsh conditions. In this way, the soldiers can enhance their capabilities to conduct special underwater operations. They have already been trained to be combat-ready.

The corps conducted its first paramilitary operation on Dec. 26, 2008, in the Gulf of Aden and waters of Somalia. This April, it successfully rescued a Tuvalu cargo ship hijacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden.