The unit were tasked with five main areas of responsibilities, which included the management and defusing of hostage situations in; • Buildings • Aircraft • Trains • Vessels • Buses This required specialised training and some of the commanding officers and instructors did various courses with specialised units within South Africa as well as with foreign special forces units. The knowledge gained during these courses were built into the training material of the special task force. This resulted in members undergoing advanced and more specialised training over a 70-day period, which included; • Firearms and Musketry • Security • Communication • Chopper drills/applications • Aircraft Operations • Bus Operations • Train Operations • Building Operations Further specialised training included • Bomb Technician Training • Sky Marshall Training • Diver Training • Sky Diving • Sniper Training • Hostage Negotiations (Military Psychological Institute) • Abseiling/Fast Roping (South African Air force) • VIP Protection (National Intelligence Agency)